Leak diagnosis
A stain on the ceiling and no sign of where it started
You have a stain and three guesses: the roof, the attic or a joint. Tell us where it is and when it shows. We book an independent roofer to trace the water to its source, and the repair goes into a written proposal you can read before anything starts.
Asking where the water gets in commits you to nothing.
What we do
We help you find where the water really gets in and book a diagnostic visit with an independent roofer, who puts the fix in a written proposal.
Our word before the ladder goes up
- You owe nothing for asking, and you can walk away.
- The visit looks for the way in before any roof talk.
- You see the repair proposal in writing before work starts.
- The $100 credit follows the rules on our Terms page.
The roofer you hire answers for their own work and contract.
Signed Roofing Pros Syracuse, (315) 640-3590
What this word covers
The drawing
When the stain shows up
Only in or after rain
FlashingAfter a cold, clear night
AtticWhen snow melts
DrainageSame spot after every repair
Low-slopeNo pattern you can see
Leak diagnosis
- Rain cloud A stain in rain points up the slope to a joint or an opening.
- Crescent moon A stain after a clear cold night points at the attic.
- Dripping eave A stain in a thaw points at escaping heat or the roof edge.
- Loop arrow The same spot again points at the slope above it.
Questions
Settle these before you book the visit
How do I know whether my stain is from the roof?
Watch when it grows. If it follows rain, the roof or a joint is likely. If it grows after a cold, clear night, the attic is the first suspect. A stain under a bathroom, kitchen or laundry can also be a plumbing leak, so a plumber may be needed too. Send us both the date and the weather.
Must someone be at the house for the visit?
Someone should let the roofer in and show them the stain and the attic hatch. You can leave the roof itself to them. Tell us which days work when we reach you.
Can the visit find a leak when it is not raining?
Often yes. Frost, dark roof boards and gaps at the ceiling show without any rain, and a joint can be examined dry. A cold morning is a good time for the attic part.
What if the roofer finds more than one cause?
The proposal should list each one separately, in the order they matter, so you can decide what to do now and what to leave. Ask for them as separate lines.
What should the roofer tell me before proposing any work?
Where the water gets in, and how they know. Ask for that answer in writing, with the cause named beside the repair, so you can check it against your own notes.
What should I photograph?
The stain with a pencil line round its edge, the attic roof boards if you can see them safely from the hatch, and the area outside above the stain. Date every photo. If you put a bucket or towel under a drip, stay clear of wet lights and switches, and do not poke the ceiling. A ceiling that sags or bulges means keeping people out of the room and calling the roofer, or an electrician for a fixture.
How soon after I send the form does the visit happen?
We reach you first to set a time that suits you and the roofer. Send the form when you are ready.
By timing
What each stain timing changes in the visit
- 1
Only in or after rain
The roofer works outward from the stain, looking up the slope for the first joint, opening or flat section. Telling them which rain it followed saves an hour of guessing.
- 2
After a cold, clear night
With a stain that follows a cold night, the roofer starts in the attic rather than on the roof. Frost, dark roof boards and gaps in the ceiling are the first things to find.
- 3
When snow melts
A stain that shows in a thaw sends the roofer to the roof edge and the gutter line. The job is to tell escaping heat from water with nowhere to go.
- 4
Same spot after every repair
A stain that returns after repairs sends the roofer to the slope. The pitch of the roof above the spot gets measured before a single shingle is touched.
- 5
No pattern you can see
With no pattern at all, the visit covers the attic, the slope and the joints, in that order. The proposal then says which one it was.
Signs
Signs the visit should come first
A brown ring that grows
A ring that spreads a little each time says water is arriving again and again. Mark its edge with a pencil line and a date.
A stain on a dry morning
If the roof was dry when the stain showed, rain is probably not the cause. Warm house air in the attic becomes the first thing to look at, and a bathroom, kitchen or laundry above the ceiling may mean a plumbing leak, so a plumber may be needed too.
Frost or damp above the ceiling
Frost on the roof boards on a cold morning is a sign of attic moisture. If you can see it from the attic hatch, photograph it before it melts.
A drip near an opening
A drip that follows rain and sits near a wall, chimney or vent points at a joint. Note which fixture is nearest.
A repair that did not hold
If the stain came back after work was done, the first answer may have been wrong. Tell the roofer what was done and when.
What it covers
What a diagnostic visit covers
Trace the water
The roofer follows the stain up through the attic and out to the roof, looking for the first place water could get in.
Look at the attic
The roof boards are checked for frost or dark patches, and the ceiling below them for gaps that let warm air rise.
Get the slope measured
Any porch, addition or dormer roof above the stain gets its pitch measured and noted.
Look at the joints
The chimney, wall lines, vents, fan hoods and skylights nearest the stain are examined one at a time.
Follow the gutter line
The gutter and downspout below the area are looked at to see where the water goes after the roof.
The sequence
What happens, in order, at the visit
Tell us what you see
You send the room, the timing and anything already tried.
The roofer visits
An independent roofer comes to look at the stain, the attic and the roof above it.
You hear what it was
The roofer names where the water gets in and which of the three ways in it is.
You read the proposal
The repair and the cause are written up for the work they would do, and you decide after reading.
Where you are
Find out first, then repair, then fix the cause
The order is the point. Each step stops the next one from being a guess.
- 01
Find out where it gets in
This pageAn independent roofer visits to find the way in. You get the answer before anyone talks about a covering.
- 02
Repair that one thing
The roofer sets out the specific repair. The written proposal covers the work they would do. You read it before work starts.
- 03
Deal with the cause
Air sealing, venting or drainage comes after. Then the stain is less likely to return next winter.
Three answers that shorten the visit
You can do most of the narrowing yourself. Before anyone climbs a ladder, write down three things: when the stain shows, which room it is in, and what sits above that room. A porch, an addition or a flat section above it changes the first thing the roofer looks at.
Then take a dated photo and draw a pencil line round the edge. A week later you will know whether it has grown, and the roofer will know how fast. Both facts are worth more than a guess about the roof.
Where does your bath fan vent to? A fan that ends in the attic puts steam up there with every shower, and the roofer will want to know. Send these answers in with the form and the visit starts one step ahead.
Why the finding comes before the fixing
A roof can fail to keep water out in three different ways, and each one needs a different repair. Warm house air can condense under the roof boards. A porch or addition roof can be too flat for its shingles. A joint where the roof is cut through can let water by.
Treat the wrong one and the stain comes back, which is why a repair on a guess so often gets repeated. The Department of Energy guide notes that an attic vented and insulated at the attic floor makes leaks easier to find and solve. Ask the roofer to start with the attic and work outward.
What comes out of the visit
You get an answer, and then you get a written proposal for the work the roofer would do. It names the spot, the repair and the cause, and it is yours to read at the kitchen table. Nothing starts until you say so.
The roofer is independent and sets the price for the work. We do not price it for them, and we are not the roofer. What we do is book the visit and tell you what to ask.
After the diagnosis, the cause
Fixing the spot where water got in is half of it. The other half is whatever fed it: an air leak at the ceiling, a vent that cannot move air, or a downspout that ends beside the wall. A proposal that mentions only the first half leaves you waiting for the next cold night.
If the proposal does not name a cause, ask for one. Your question costs nothing, and the answer tells you whether the repair is likely to stay done.
What to have ready on the day
The visit goes faster when you have a few things to hand. Clear a path to the attic hatch and to the room under the stain, and put your photos and notes where you can find them. Tell whoever lets the roofer in about the dates your stain changed.
If you rent, ask your landlord to let the roofer in or to send a note. If you own a two-family, tell us which unit sits under the stain and which has the attic hatch.
Paperwork
What the written repair proposal should hold
Where the water gets in
A named spot, not "the roof": the joint, the slope or the attic condition.
The specific repair
What will be done at that spot, with the materials named.
The cause behind it
The air leak, vent split or drainage change that keeps it from returning.
What was left alone
Anything the roofer looked at and chose not to touch, with the reason.
Price
What moves a proposal's price
- How much of the roof the work touches
- How steep and how high the roof is
- Whether the attic can be reached through a hatch
- How many joints and openings are involved
- What sits behind the wall or ceiling
- Whether the cause needs a second step after the repair
Where
Roof Leak Diagnosis pages by place
Reading
More on finding the way in
Roof Leak or Attic Moisture: A Five-Minute Check
One question about the weather sorts most stains.
Where Roofs Leak: Six Places a Roof Is Cut Through
Six joints, and the question to ask at each.
Tell us where the stain is and book the visit.