Water stain on ceiling—oh my!

Hello everyone,

The last two days we have had a lot of wind and rain.  This morning my wife spotted a new water stain on the ceiling of a mudroom adjacent to the garage.  I was able to reach up and it was indeed damp. Obviously we are concerned about roof problems.

The mud room is near the center of the house along the shortest axis, but fairly central along the longest axis.  

I thought for a while and it occurred to me that perhaps the wind blew the rain up and under the ridge vent and that it how the water made its way in.

I would love to hear others thoughts.  And before anyone asks, the roof was replaced in 2009 with a 25 year shingle.



Thanks in advance,


Eric

I would get up on the roof and look for missing shingles.

Eric said, I thought for a while and it occurred to me that perhaps the wind blew the rain up and under the ridge vent and that it how the water made its way in.

That is possible though I feel the water stain was caused by more water than that.

Where the water enters, and where the drip collects can be different, although ruled by gravity and surface tension.

Even going up into the attic will only be a help, not a guarantee if my sister's attic was any example.

The shingles "age" is no guarantee against either installation errors, or sealant drying out  in places.

I've also been told that getting 15-20 years out of 25 year  shingles is a good score. Solar and storm damage are increasing fast and quality control is decreasing.

I would get up into the attic right away to spot leak and/or drip points.  You have to know where the problem is before it dries out.

Do you have any plumbing in the attic? Header tank - that sort of thing?

I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but you could be in for a long ride.  Water can do strange things as it runs along inside your roof. And yes, begin searching now.  IF there is a reputable roofer in the area, you may want to check with them.  The problem is good roofers generally  have lots of business and don’t want to waste their time hunting a leak.

At a minimum, do look for missing shingles as Anne suggested. Also, do get inside your attic, as Douglas suggested, to check for the drip hitting your ceiling….this is not necessarily the origin of the leak….and it us not necessarily where the water is pooling above your ceiling. A bucket temporarily placed to catch the water ..and emptied regularity..is not a fix, but it can limit more severe ceiling damage until a repair is done. .. The difference between replacing drywall and just sealing and painting.  Oh yes, make certain the bucket is well supported.  Having a heavy bucket of water fall through a soft spot in the ceiling can ruin your day.

Oh yes, my wife just told me it looks like we are in for 2 more weeks of rain.

….quick thought …how old is your house?  Maybe contact the builder?  Maybe contact your insurance agent?