A porch is a room or gallery that resides at the entrance of a building, and it is a structure that exists separately from the main wall of the house.
It provides a good spot for relaxation. But what happens when this lovely spot seems to drip water from where the porch roof meets the house?
In this article, I will be focusing on the type they call a rain porch (Carolina porch). And I will discuss in detail why these roof leaks happen and how to stop the porch roof from leaking.
So if you keep your minds open to this article, I am sure you will learn one or two things.
It is no longer strange to see a leaking roof where your porch meets the house and can be traced down to five primary reasons. These five reasons are neglect, weather, seams, people, and rooftop equipment. And you can prevent this porch roof from leaking by installing or repairing the roof flashing and other roof material that fails to serve.
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Reasons for Leaking Roof Where Porch Meets House
The roof leaks from where the porch meets the house are often related to one of the five reasons listed above.
And I know that you agree with me that to repair the roof leak, you must first identify the reason for it.
So below are the reasons for your roof leaks:
#1. Neglect
When you ignore your roof for so long, you don’t know how much disaster you are bringing upon yourself until it arrives.
In addition, when there is a poor maintenance strategy, there tends to be leakage at the weak spots of the roof.
Note that failure to maintain the roof appropriately will cause you to completely re-roof the house. Or worse yet, you may have to change even the structure below the roof.
#2. Weather
When it comes to this aspect, the elements of weather that come into play are far too many to keep count.
For example, the slow and continuous falling of rain, snow, and hail can drastically affect your roof.
In addition, the storms can fall tree branches and limbs and pour dirt and debris on the roof with great speed.
In other situations, there will be ponding of water in gutters and drains due to the melting down of snow and ice. Tornadoes and hurricanes can destroy your roof with a single swing.
The sun that beats the roof after a long period tends to weaken the roof and cause degradation.
#3. Seams
They are mostly the weak point of the roof. In commercial roofing, where the roof does overlay with membranes that has security with insulation or deck below.
However, this security is dependent on whether the roof has full adherence or would mechanically come into place.
Because no sheet is as wide as a roof, you should overlay it on each other and hold it together with adhesive or hot-air welding.
Although this may hold firm, flashing and old patch delamination occur at the roof’s edge. And this often leads to roof leaks where the porch meets the house.
#4. People
Even though your roof can carry your weight and allow you to walk on it, you still need to be careful.
If you become careless by taking heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to the roof, you would be destroying the membranes.
Nevertheless, the most common faults come from dropping tools on the roof or mishandling parts intended for the roofing.
#5. Rooftop Equipment
The site that experiences the most leaking is the one with powerful equipment like exhaust fans and HVAC systems.
The continuous functioning of this system removes screws from their position, forming a passage for water to leak through.
Although all these reasons are not the only ones that cause water to leak where the roof meets the porch, you should watch out for them.
Remember from earlier that knowing and understanding these problems is a sure way of solving them.
How Do I Stop My Porch Roof From Leaking?
Thre are four significant steps you need to take to fix successfully or your leaking porch roof, and these steps are as follows;
Step 1: Look for the Place and Reason for the leak
As we’ve been saying, the first step involves identifying the leak’s location, which will best tell how to solve it.
#1. From Within
If your ceiling is wooden, fixing the roof from within or inside the porch is easier. First, you have to pull out the ceiling boards, then take a look and trace the leak’s location.
Damp patches and brown stains will identify the point of the leak but if this fails, check outside.
#2. From Outside
Here is where you take the ladder out to take a good look at the roof of your porch from the outside. When you have gone, search for dirt and growing plants, and confirm that the flashing and materials are well. How Do You Fix a Leak In a House Addition?
Step 2: Repair or Replace Flashings
The thin sheet roof installers use in re-directing water flow from walls, vents, roof valleys, and chimneys is called roof flashing. And this is what I use to prevent leaks in houses with any of the above mentioned.
Install a roof flashing involves a critical step which is preparing the porch roof for installation.
#1. Porch Roof Preparation Steps for Roof Flashing Installation
- Uninstall by removing siding 4 to 6 inches underneath the wall. And this is done where the porch roof and the house meet.
- Uninstall the shingles too from the roof’s porch.
- Make an investigation of the underlying wall.
- You should check the roof rafter to see that there is no sign of wood rot or mold.
- If there is any wood rot on the roof or wall, it should first receive fixing.
- It would help if you cleaned the mold up with alcohol or a clean rag
- Check carefully for damage
- Inspect and replace shingles if needed.
- Clean the spot where you want to install roof flashing.
#2. How to Install Flashing on Porch Roof
- Put silicone caulk where the roof porch meets with the house
- Put the flashing on the roof, and secure it with a roofing nail every 12 inches.
- Only you know the length of flashing you are installing, but overlap every 4 inches.
- Where there are two flashing sheets overlapping, apply the caulk.
- Reinstall the shingles over the flashing
- Endeavor to reinstall the wall siding should be reinstalled over the flashing.
Step 3: Repair or Replace Roof Material
Roofing felt, and EPDM membranes are good enough for minor repairs. However, if it needs major repairs, I will recommend that the best thing to do is replace it with another roofing material.
Damage should come out immediately for roofs with covering tiles, shingles, and slates. You can remove it with a pry bar and a claw hammer, then fix new ones.
Step 4: Install Gutters
For your porch to handle water best, you must install gutters. And the remarkable thing about the channels these days is that it made of UPVC, it is long-lasting and even cheap.
The gutters also prevent the splashing of debris and rainwater on the door.
Conclusion
The reasons why roof leaks where the porch roof meets the house are neglect, weather, seams, people, and rooftop equipment.
I know that you now understand that we can stop porch roof leaking by identifying the place and reason for the leak, repairing and replacing flashings, repairing and replacing food material, and installing gutters.
