I'm trying to access a leak I can't shrink down in size to get to from the attic. I tried. I made it like 3 feet away but right up in there is tight. I know at least it's leaking on the outside mostly but it does make it inside. I'm hoping under the soffit here I can access it but just wanted to get any tips from anyone who's ever taken these apart or out them together. The front panels seem to hold them in with a couple nails here and there only I hope. I'm worried there might be more extensive disassembly involved.

 

Don't quite understand what your trying to do. If you have a roof leak it's fixed from the top. There isn't much point in disassembling everything underneath.

 

Is that an aluminum soffit or vinyl? vinyl is easier to remove without damage.
But if this is a roof leak you need to address it from the topside.

 

It appears to be aluminum. The fascia needs to come off, then you can pull or cut the soffit fasteners in front. The individual pieces of soffit will then pull straight out IF they were not fastened anywhere other than the front edge. Still, don't know what the point of doing any of that would be.

 

It's too tight up there. Plus lying on top of the trusses. The only other way I could imagine would be through the drywall.

Why's everyone so afraid of outside access? It's like right there. So long as there's not too much in the way right under the soffit...

 

Because it's pointless!

 

You don't plug a leak from underneath, you stop the leak before it gets to the plywood/attic.

 

Might be able to reach in here to fix it.

Fortunately it shoots towards the outside(rather than inside)

 

A water leak? We assume this is a roof leak, in the roofing forum!

 

It does no good to patch the leak from underneath, the water will just find another outlet .... and if it doesn't it will rot the plywood.

Or is it a pex leak?

 

Moved to plumbing.

 

Patch? I'm not sure what you mean. I plan on cutting out the piece with the leak and replacing it

And actually it's where I suspected it is right at the bend which I plan to replace with a L joint.

Don't know if it's standard to bend these pipes around but so far this would be the second leak at a bend I'm fixing.

It's the old Pex, the stuff you're supposed to replace. Poly something. Grey stuff. I plan on replacing it incrementally section by section when I have time.

 

Oh sorry. I see the confusion you all were having lol.

Sorry. Not a ROOF leak. Now ya get me? And it's right at the absolute worst part of the system. Well I suppose anywhere where it's right behind the walls not in the attic. I guess plumbers are good at replacing drywall

And I put it in the roof category cuz I'm dealing with roof issues specifically, accessing through the roof.

 

If you're in a cold zone.... that's a freeze point.

 

Oh? Is that what happens up north? Not me. I'm in SWFL.

 

I've replaced sections of that type of pipe before. The big box store should have all the parts you'll need, just need to make sure you get the right size. I often cut off the water and bring a piece with me to insure I get the right size.

 

The pieces you replaced, were they at bends as with my repairs?

 

I don't remember, while I've made these types of repairs maybe a dozen times they were often a yr or two apart. Last time was on my stepson's mobile home and it was just a straight shot. Not much room to work so I used a sharkbite connector.

 

That's polybutylene, not pex. Pex is probably what you should use to replace it (and soon). Polybutylene was used extensively in mobile home construction and has been the basis fo a class action lawsuit.

If you have decent access to work, a sharkbite couple would work but you should get a decent square cut and make sure you insert the tubing to the proper depth or the sharkbite will fail.

There is a tape wrap that might suffice until you are able to replace the line. I'd plan on replacing that stuff soon. Yes, a pretty big job and wall tear-out and replacement a big part of it.