As the snow melted and springtime showers started, you may have noticed water leaking from your chimney. If this is happening is, your flashing is probably at fault.

The metal strips which shelter connections between the roof and chimney and around vents as well as valleys are called flashing. When the metal becomes corroded, damaged from storms like the ones that hit Minneapolis every year, or isn’t installed correctly in the first place, water gets through and causes damage to underlying structures.

Checking For Leaks Before the problem can be mended, you first need to identify the cause. In most cases, it’s a good idea to call in a trusted roofing professional to do the inspection for you, since they’ll be able to spot problems you might miss.  As they’re doing the inspection, they should check both inside the home and the entire surface of your roof, including chimneys, skylights and the eaves.

The roof will get examined for things like dry rot, water stains, cracked flashings, damaged bricks in the chimney, broken tiles, dents from hail and general damage from weathering.   They’ll also look at your attic or top floor ceilings and walls for new water stains.

After they’ve finished their investigation, they’ll take their findings and find the source of the leak for you. Then, they’ll make suggestions about how to best fix the problem.

Repair If the problem is minor enough, you can fix it yourself with brick sealant or spray-on water repellent, both of which are available at most home stores. Your contractor or salespeople at the store can answer any questions you may have about which product is best to use.

If the problem is bad enough, you may need new flashing installed, which is best left to the professionals. Also, if the problem has been going on for a while, there may be wood inside your home which needs to be replaced.  Your roofing inspector can make appropriate recommendations.

Quarve Contracting inspects, repairs, and replaces roofs in the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.