What is really going on with my leaky lanai roof? Help.
My aluminum pan roof has been leaking for quite some time. I thought it just needed some sealing and someone came and added some flex seals around the leaky spots. The next day it rained and nothing changed. I still had leaks. Another person came out today and said the problem is the valley in the MAIN metal roof, and :
the screws are too close to it letting the water in and need to be moved up
the valley needs to be resealed and the chimney!
I have had no other roof issues till he mentioned this. My main metal roof is only 3 years old.
this is the flex seal to fix on the leaks on the lanai roof that didnt work
better picture of where main and lanai roof meet
I am also a single woman and want to triple check this info. I have been fairly lucky with honest people, and I don't want that to change.
He says that since the metal roof is the problem the water is going up UNDER the almumnin pan and leaking thru the ceiling. But someone else says its the lanai roof.
Why isn't the water running off the aluminum pan lanai roof? Why is it sitting on the aluminum pan causing rust? I know aluminum pan roofs are tricky.
This makes me think it is the aluminum pan lanai roof that is the issue. Because the water should be running off not going anywhere else.
Can someone pls give me your expert opinion. Any help counts!
Last edited by PJmax; 07-09-21 at 10:35 AM.
Reason: added space between pics
From your photos I do not see anything obviously wrong with your house's roof. Generally the problem is with the lanai roof and most often it's where the two roofs meet.
Many lanai roofs simply don't have enough slope to get the water away fast enough, especially with heavy rains. This can allow some water to splash or even back up under the flashing (I think what you are calling aluminum pan). Wind can also drive rain & water up under the flashing. That corner looks like it could be a problem area. I suspect part of the problem is so much water from the roof gets focused in the valley and is dumped right in that corner. Some of it hits the side of your lanai's rib and could cause it to back up underneath the flashing.
In your last photo I see a couple dots in the lanai valley that could be holes (or black dots of sealant). I don't know if those were sealed when they did the other sealing.
It really helps to be there when it's raining or someone is spraying the roof with water. Then from the inside look carefully for the source.
Thank you for this. That makes the most sense! What is a good way to fix since it sounds like a lot of the problem could be under the flashing? Does that mean they need to remove parts of the main roof to fix the lanai? Or is it just a simple sealing job? (obviously the sealing we did has not helped). The black dots are drips of the black sealant. Can the aluminum lanai roof panels be replaced or is more needed?
As for Flexseal products... We are not supposed to knock any products her me so I will just state the facts... but Flexseal's own product instructions specifically say " Flex Seal is not intended for use by Professional Roofers. " Their marketing indicates it is meant for the handyman or do it yourselfer. Why do you suppose that is?
IMO it's because a professional roofer would know that there are far better ways to fix leaks and far better products. In other words it appears they know their product is a bandaid, and not a very good or long lasting one at that. If it was, it would be for professional use as well.
A roof leak really isn't something we can diagnose from a couple photos so about all you can do is take the word of someone who has looked at it in person. Especially when you aren't very specific about WHERE it's leaking. No way we can figure it out from 1000 miles away. If you can be more descriptive or add actions to your photos with arrows showing us where water first appears that would really be helpful.
I am trying to decide to get a pro roofer for the metal roof or pro who specializes in fixing aluminum pan lanai roofs? The person who put the flex seal was a handyman. We tried white caulk on the inside and didnt work actually water moved to a new spot where the arrow on the right is
These are where the leaks are coming from in the lanai
Caulking on the inside was a big mistake. It conceals the source of the leak and traps the water inside your ceiling or forces it to travel further and do more damage. A leak must be fixed from the outside.
It looks like your leak is in the corner. I would get someone experienced working on lanai's as many people have similar installations as yours. And, it really helps to have someone experienced with getting those shallow pitched roofs to seal where the meet the house. I assume they will remove the flashing in the corner to get a look at what's underneath. Possibly caulk gaps where the water can get through. Then re-do the flashing to better divert the water away.
Quick update. I decided to remove the sealing on the inside. It lessened the leak. I still have a leak, but it is tiny and I have time to fix it. It seemed like sealing it on the inside caused it to flow over. Thanks for the ideas!
Agree with Pilot Dane that lanai roof has so little pitch that water backs up under the galvanized flashing and enters where the lanai roof attaches to the main house. Need to either figure how to get water running downhill off the lanai roof without backing up under the flashing, or figure how to make a waterproof seal at this point. This would require removing the flashing and putting ice and water shield or similar under the house metal roofing and onto the lanai roof. Not an easy fix. Or possibly diverting the water to farther down the lanai roof such that it sheds or runs off before it can backup under the flashing. This second option makes the most sense. Possibly by adding another flashing under the existing one on the side where the flashing is parallel to the ribs in the lanai roof. Extend it beyond that first rib so water is not able to backup to the facia on the main roof. Not sure a pro would do that, or how it would look.
Or, fit a large diameter section of rope foam up under the overhanging metal roof along the top and down the side sealing it so water cannot get behind the foam and up toward where the lanai roof meets the house facia. This would be the neatest look. Just be certain water cannot get behind it. I would still want to divert water beyond that first rib along the side. That first trough or valley being only a couple inches wide will just not able to handle much water.
Been researching online and find references to overhang on top and bottom of my lean to shed, but can't find an answer for whether it should overhang the sides at all.
Based on the somewhat conflicting info I have seen online, I plan to overhang my rafters 2 inches on each end, and overlap one corrugated. My shed is 8x12, and I only need one vertical panel per column.
but I do need to know if I should overhang on the sides, and if so, by how much.
I had solar installed on my metal roof approximately 6 years ago. It was suggested to me to coat the roof with an acrilyc coating prior to the installation of the solar panels as a precautionary method. The premise was that you dont want to have to remove or mess with the panels later if you should get a leak. Now note my roof is old but it was damage/ rust free throughout most of the roof. The recommendation sounded right and it was costly but I opted to get it done. Now about a little less than 10 years later and still under the white coating warranty, I have rust coming out from everywhere. The licensed contractor that did the job said that there labor warranty is up and they wanted 30,000 to do it again. The rep said "well mate, iv'e seen worst. What gets me is that were its rusting through, it appears to start from the edges of the fabric that they put on and not from a protrusion. I have contacted several other roofing contractors and asked them about the rust.They all know who the local rep is and when they know that its still covered, they start to
backpeddle and make broad assumptions on why its rusting. I know that i didnt type in the whole story with more facts but this ipad is somewhat small for my fingers and eyes. Anyway, anyone with questions or advice? Going to try and figure out how to send pics for everyone to see.
07-09-21, 09:52 AM
