Active leak
Roof leak: what to do right now in Huntersville, NC
A leak is stressful, but the first hour is mostly about protecting what is inside your home and staying safe. Here is the order to do things in.
The first things to do, in order
- Protect the insideMove furniture, rugs and electronics out from under the drip. Put a bucket or large pot under the leak and lay a towel in it to cut the splashing.
- Relieve a bulging ceilingIf drywall is bulging with trapped water, a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge lets it drain into a bucket instead of letting the whole section fail. Stand to the side while you do it, and keep clear of any light fixture.
- Mind the electricalWater and wiring do not mix. If water is dripping from a light fixture or near an outlet, stay away from it and shut off the circuit at the panel if you can do so safely. If you are unsure, call an electrician.
- Take photos and videoBefore you clean anything up, record the stain, the drip and the surrounding damage with dates showing. Take wide shots and close ones. You will want these for any repair estimate and any claim.
- Check the attic if it is safeIf you can reach the attic from a hatch, look at the underside of the roof near the leak with a flashlight. A photo of where water is coming in can save a roofer a lot of searching.
Why you should not climb a wet roof
It is tempting to get up there and look, especially when you can hear water. Please don't. A wet roof is slick, shingle granules act like loose gravel, and a fall from a roof is far more dangerous than the leak. Rain, wind and darkness make it worse.
The ground still gives you information. Look at the roof from the yard for missing shingles, a visible tear, or a fallen branch. Check the gutters for overflow, because backed-up water can force its way under the shingle edge. Anything beyond that is a job for someone with fall protection who does this every day.
About tarps
A tarp can slow water entering the house while you wait for repair, but putting one on is the most dangerous part of an emergency, because it means being on a steep, wet surface. If a tarp is needed, it is best left to a roofer with harnesses and the right fasteners. A badly installed tarp can also flap, tear shingles or let water in anyway.
If one is going up, it should usually run over the ridge and be secured to solid framing, not just weighed down with bricks. Ask a roofer to explain how they handle emergency coverage and whether it is something they offer, since not every company does.
Why finding the source is hard
The stain on your ceiling is where water showed up, not necessarily where it got in. Water enters at a gap, then runs along the deck, a rafter or a pipe before it finds a spot to drip. Common entry points include vent pipe boots, flashing around chimneys and walls, valleys, skylights and nail pops, as well as places where older roof sections meet newer ones.
This is why guessing and slathering sealant over a spot often fails. A real diagnosis means looking at the roof surface, the flashing and the attic together, sometimes with a water test in dry weather. Our flashing and leak repair page explains how that works, and roof repair covers the rest.
Who to call
Call a roofer for the roof, and consider other trades for what is inside. A plumber is the right call if the water might be from a pipe rather than the roof. An electrician should look at anything that got wet near wiring. If walls or insulation are soaked, a water-mitigation or drying company may be worth a call to prevent mold.
When you call a roofer, describe where the stain is, when it leaks (every rain, only wind-driven rain, only after a storm), and what you have already done. Send your photos. Ask whether they come out for active leaks, how they would handle a temporary fix, and whether they will give you a written scope for the permanent repair.
A word on insurance
Whether a leak is covered depends on your policy, the cause of the water and the condition of the roof. Sudden damage from a storm is often treated differently from wear over time, and every policy words this its own way. Read your policy or call your insurer to ask what it says about your situation, and keep your photos, receipts for temporary repairs and any written estimates. Our storm damage page goes through how documentation usually works. We cannot tell you what your policy covers.
What to do next
Once the water is under control, get the source found and fixed properly so the leak does not come back with the next rain. You can book a roof visit, or read about the signs a roof is wearing out if you suspect the leak is part of a bigger pattern.
Questions we get on the phone
Should I put roofing cement or sealant on a leak myself?
It can look like a quick fix, but sealant applied to the wrong spot often traps water or fails within weeks. It also requires getting on the roof, which is the real risk. Unless the cause is obvious and you can reach it safely, a dry-weather diagnosis is usually the better path.
Is a small roof leak an emergency?
It depends. Water near wiring, a bulging ceiling or a leak that gets worse each rain should be treated as urgent. A slow, small drip still deserves attention soon, because hidden moisture can soak insulation, rot the deck and feed mold well before the stain looks serious.
Why does my roof only leak during heavy wind-driven rain?
Wind pushes rain sideways and upslope, so water can get under flashing, shingle edges or vents that stay dry in a normal downpour. That pattern usually points to a flashing, wall or vent detail rather than a failed field of shingles.
Have Tom walk the roof before anyone talks about money.
Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm. Saturday 8am to 2pm. Active leaks answered after hours.