roof leak causing drip from ceiling

[robbeck67]

Hello All,

I started having a leak in my family room ceiling recently. I removed the drywall and found some pretty wet wood. There is a screw in the middle of the wood where the drip appears to be coming from. Above the leak there is an overhang. I can access the area from my bedroom window. I did notice there are some joints and nails that do not look sealed. Could this be causing water to come in? I'm going to replace the drywall but I'm not sure whether I should have a roofer look at it or just go out and seal those spots up. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[pushkins]

The screw is probably from the drywall section you removed. That is a beam that is wet, looks like floor joists meet at it with joist hangers. try to move back a little of the insulation and see if you can track back the water migration. Those nails on the flashing could very well be the cause, you'd be surprised how little water it actually takes to damage drywall or leave a stain, likewise you'd be surprised how much water can actually get in those nail heads.
Get your self some roofing cement (black asphalt in a tube) and with a caulking gun apply a dollop right on top of the head and flatten it out over the nail head, (handy hint use the blue latex free gloves it will save black fingers), while your at it apply a little a couple of inches up, under any loose shingles and press them back down into it. You don't need much just a little strip, it's there to mainly hold the shingle down in winds and stop water blowing back up and under.

[robbeck67]

Thanks pushkins! Appreciate the timely response. I will take your advice and see how it goes. Cheers!

[mrcaptainbob]

Roof leaks....

Agree with Pushkins...also, nails should never be visible if the roof was properly applied. If there's easy-to-see evidence of one or a few, there may be more. Also look for any shingle joints that may appear between the tabs. If any, slather them, too.