Second floor bathroom exhaust fan roof vent. It's understandable that it's difficult to determine just by looking at photos but opinions would be much appreciated. Before damaged ceiling is replaced we need to determine if the bathroom exhaust roof vent is leaking from the roof side above or could this be years of condensation around the roof vent from the inside?
Photo #1: The damage is almost directly underneath the roof vent.
Photo #2: The square “adapter” attached to the roof has a 4” diameter galvanized extension to which the flexible duct is attached. The inner plastic sleeve section of the flexible duct was attached to the extension on the adapter with duct tape (a “no-no”) but was still secure. There wasn't any type of sealant used between the adapter and wood.
Photo #3: When I removed the adapter there didn't seem to be any staining or discoloration around the cutout for the roof vent. Also noticed that there wasn't any sealant used between the adapter and the roof.
For the record, roof is 17 years old. Roof vents for 1st and 2nd floor bath fan exhaust vents installed at same time. No other issues with leaks, even around our 1st floor bath fan exhaust.
Ok, will keep an eye out for that. Your pipe wrap insulation should extend all the way to the roof. It's not unheard of for condensation (winter months) to run back down the pipe due to gravity... and damage the ceiling.
So if it's a winter leak, it's likely condensation, but could also be ice dam or similar. If its leaking when it rains, they probably lapped too many rows of shingles over it or just plain installed it poorly.
XSleeper: The pipe wrap insulation was extended all the way to the roof prior to taking the photo. Just slid it down that far to check if the inner (plastic) sleeve was still attached and for the sake of the picture. Thinking back now, the insulation sleeve itself was a little loose at the very top. (Duct tape used there as well. Would be great if it were that simple.
Hoping to get on the roof Sunday and for a calm day. Glad the vent isn't too close to the edge of the roof. My wife's not crazy about me climbing around up there at my age. LOL
I can see a potential issue already with ice dams and possibly heavy rains over the years, especially if windy from the West. That cap has been up there for 17 years.
Bottom flange of vent cap pulled up. Aside from shingles closest to the vent cap which may have gotten pulled up a bit with the flange, all others seem ok. (Not a lapping issue?)
Could be a DIY fix? Roofing cement under flange and shingles nearby then secure with roofing nails; cover the new (and old) nails with sealer.
I was thinking LOCTITE PL Roof & Flashing 10-oz Black Paintable Polyurethane Caulk.
Your thoughts? And thanks for hanging in there with me. Much appreciated.
I'd chisel or cut off the old caulk and recaulk it. Top and sides. You could also pull the 2 mails and replace them with neoprene and washer screws, and chase them with sealant. That means putting sealant on the threads of the screw once you get them started, then drive them in.
Not necessarily. "Could be" but I don't see much evidence of leakage on the bottom of the roof deck. You'd usually have more staining there.
Lots of water can accumulate from condensation on a cold pipe in winter months after a hot shower. It runs down the INSIDE of the pipe and usually shows up right around the exhaust fan on the bathroom ceiling, or drips from a joint in the ductwork at an elbow.
All I'm saying is that it's prudent to caulk it. And if it was an ice dam that caused it, it could happen again.
The key piece of info is when did the leak first appear. Summer or winter?
Understood. Initial plan is to seal up the vent cap as suggested.
As for the leak, it was eventually noticed over time as wavy areas in the ceiling almost directly under the roof vent. Winter or summer unknown. When the ceiling insulation was pulled up and I saw the sheet rock damage from the attic it felt on the damp side. Back in late March and early April of this year we had two torrential downpours and high winds.
I did pull the plastic cover off the bath exhaust at one time but couldn't tell if any water was running down inside the 4” duct.
Lots of work after sealing up vent cap on roof. New ceiling in bathroom followed by a new exhaust fan. Original exhaust in ceiling may have been a little too close to AC vent since I noticed a bit of staining around AV vent from attic. They were only about 14” apart.
Planning on R-8 insulated flex duct for the new fan. Will take my time to make sure all is secured with aluminum tape and well covered at the vent cap with the silver-faced insulation of the duct.
Something I like to do with bath vents that go straight up is install a tee with a cap on the bottom as my elbow. And then mastic up the edges of that cap. That way any minor condensation will run straight down and hopefully harmlessly collect in the cap where it can evaporate.
Then bury your horizontal run to the bath fan with as much insulation as you reasonably can.
We're slowly making numerous minor repairs & maintenance to get a 33-year old house (we owned for 4 years) ready for sale.
On the list is cleaning off clods of moss that grow in a shaded spot on the roof of this 2-story hardly exposed to the direct sun (a part facing north). We removed the clods in a dry state, then did minor hosing from a 2nd story bathroom window so the hard stream came down from above (image 1). The close-ups in other images show the garden hose high pressure water won't de-stain what's embedded.
I have an idea of what might work but I need to run it by the experts & experienced to avoid a horror.
I figure a solution that combines weak bleach and laundry detergent: perhaps a 5% solution from bleach bottle [1 part bleach, 20 parts water) with a capful of laundry detergent or strong surfactant. Absolutely no alcohols of any kind or petroleum distillates. I would pre-wet the affected tile, then apply a spray bottle of the solution liberally and thoroughly on the affected areas. Let it sit 5-10 minutes. Then use the garden hose nozzle again from the 2nd story bathroom window to rinse off. If after drying it actually looked like it was effective from 25-50%, repeat even 2-3 times so it almost looks like a professional washing.
Any thoughts? Experiences to share?
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Hello,
I need to take down some pieces of soffit to run an ethernet wire. In all other areas ive removed soffit before, it was screwed in and easy to remove. In this section of soffit, they used nails to secure it. It appears there's only a single nail in one side of each section of soffit. What's the easiest/cleanest way to remove these nails so I can temporarily take down some pieces of soffit? I may use screws when I put it back up if possible. Thank you.
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05-20-23, 10:32 AM
