Roof Leak Repair in Rahway, NJ

The first thing to know about roof leaks

Where you see the water is rarely where it's getting in. Rain slips under a shingle or past a piece of flashing, then runs along the roof boards or down a rafter before it finally drips onto the ceiling. A roofer's job is to follow that trail backwards, from the stain inside to the gap outside. That's why "just patch the spot above the stain" so often fails.

What leaks look like in Rahway homes

Rahway has a lot of houses from the first half of the last century - colonials and two-family homes near downtown, capes and colonials across the neighborhoods off St. Georges Avenue and Inman Avenue. On roofs and chimneys of that age, leaks tend to show up as:

• A brown ring on a top-floor ceiling that grows a little after every storm
• Water running down the inside of a chimney chase or around a fireplace
• Paint bubbling where a ceiling meets an outside wall
• Wet insulation or dark, stained boards when you look in the attic
• A drip in a closet or bathroom near a plumbing vent

Not every drip from above is the roof, though. A leaking toilet seal, a bathroom fan venting into the attic or a sweating pipe can all look like a roof leak. If the stain appears on dry days, or right after someone showers, a plumber may be the better first call.

The usual culprits

Damage control before the roofer arrives

You can't fix the roof from inside, but you can stop a leak from wrecking a room:

• Catch the water and move anything that matters - electronics, documents, rugs.
• If the ceiling is swelling, a small hole at the lowest point lets it drain into a bucket rather than falling in.
• Cut power to any light or fan that's getting wet.
• Photograph the stain, the attic and anything damaged.
• Stay off the roof, especially in the rain.

What the repair usually involves

Expect the roofer to look at the roof and the attic, not just one or the other. Once the source is confirmed, the fix is often straightforward: a new pipe boot, rebuilt chimney flashing, a few replaced shingles, a reworked valley or sealed nail heads. If water has been coming in for a while, soft or stained roof boards may need replacing at the same time. If the roof is old and leaking in several places, you'll want an honest view of whether repairs still make sense.