The same go for any type of stain on the ceiling.

I highly recommend calling a roofing company.

(C & R Roofing) We will come out free of charge and assess the problem. More than likely we find that is its always some type of penetration coming through the roof. I have even had calls where homeowners have heard a dripping noise in their attic., and sometimes there is not even any water coming through the roof. usually when this accrues its coming through the chimney so the water ends up in the basement so you would not realize there is a roof leak.

There are quite a few reasons why a chimney would be leaking. One could be the flashing around the chimney could be damaged. Rusted out / missing / or just installed incorrectly and it finely gave way. Or if it is a brick chimney it could be coming through the brick. Or a crack in the flues.

Other reasons why there could be roof leaks could be the plumbing pipe covers. Some covers are made from plastic and a lot of roofers use theses because there inexpensive and since the homeowner would not have the slightest idea how cheap they are. Cheap made. They fail a lot sooner than a good quality plumbing pipe cover. Plastic defiantly does not like cold weather. they will crack quite easy and extremely hot weather the plastic covers will also curl. Roofing supply company offer a metal cover with a rubber gasket. although the rubber gasket does tend to dry rot when the roof is coming to its life’s end. The roofing supply company also make a lead cover for the plumbing pipes, theses usually last longer than 30 years. But the cost is five times more than the metal covers. I had mentioned when installing new roofs and the same applies when replacing a plumbing pipe cover because of a roof leak that when replacing a cover we will always install roof cement between the new cover and the shingle’s to prolong the life span . 

Another area where roofs will leak are in the valley. Once these areas get old or if more attention has not been taken there is a good chance for leaks. I like to install ice & water up through the center of the valley’s and install W style valley metal down the center also. Once installed we will put roof cement onto the metal then lay the new shingles onto the roof cement. The shingles are finely trimmed to the bottom of the w metal, so the finished product ends up being a nice clean cut all the way up each side of the W edge of valley. This keeps all ice & water from entering under the new shingles and will defiantly add to the life of the shingles. 

We realize how much water will collect starting from the ridge and flowing into the valley so by the time the water collects at the bottom of the valley there will be ten times the amount so it is imperative to install roof cement between the new shingles and the metal to eliminate any chances for leaks that might accrue. Other areas I found in Janesville where I have seen roof leaks are on these old Victorian homes. These homes are at least 80 years old and the areas where a higher roof drops down to a lower roof there will be walls. Against these walls there will be step flashing. This flashing is rusty after 80 years and always needs repairing.

The pros & con on repairing leaks. The pros are if the leaks are repaired correctly you should be able to extend the life of your roof and give you more time to prepare yourself for a large expense. A new roof. There are only two reasons why you are having leaks. one is the roof is getting old the other is poor workmanship / besides a storm causing damage.

If you are repairing because of the age, then rest assure there will be more problems popping up. so, at one point you will have to decide at what point do you stop putting good money after bad. If its poor workmanship we will be able to repair the problem access how much time you have left on the entire roof and go forward from there.

It really takes a professional roofer to stop a leak on a flat roof. Basically, because with a pitch roof the flow of water determines if the water can enter. Whereas with a flat roof ponding water is the villain on flat roofs it depends on what type of roofing material has been used to be able to decide how to repair it. On EPDM Rubber roofs the same applies. It is usually always something protruding through the roofs deck that with determined how to fix it. ON all repairs on thing is curtain the area must be 100 % clean before any repairs will last. This also applies to the TPO Rubber roofing materials.

On a tar and gravel roof all the gravel must be removed from the existing roofing material. It must be as smooth as a countertop. Then more roofing material can be applied using more hot tar or a heat applied bitumen and roofing material. Then once the roof is sealed the gravel can be re-applied.

I Think I’ve covered just about all that is needed foe repairing roof leaks if you have any questions please feel free to call me Chuck 608 449-4678 and if I think of anything else I will surly add it to this section.