Roof Leak

[imagineer]

Not that I should be surprised, but I found a small leak in the (at least 30 year old) asphalt shingle roof on my pole barn. I've known for years the roof is in bad shape and needs replaced. When we moved to this property in 1999, it was already looked bad, but it's not leaked and thus not a priority.

I'd like to hold off replacing the roof until I build a few small additions, and when that happens, I'll probably go with a metal roof.

I'm looking for suggestions on a brush or roll on type sealant product that will buy me some time until I'm ready to replace the roof. I'm not at all concerned how it looks because it's the back side of the roof and only a field of horses will see it.

 

[PassnThru]

Find the leak and seal it. If it's a pole barn then it probably doesn't have any valleys so you should be able to find it. At that age you are going to be chasing leaks every year though. Other than that your best option is probably to tarp it.

 

[Sumboodie]

Tar in the caulking tube or a good flexible silicone caulking.

 

[HotRodMan]

I had the same problem that you have with a roof. Ten years a go I used the Henry brand roof cement to seal a leak and it looks as good now as it did 10 years ago and has never leaked. They have two types. One has a 10 year warranty and the other has a lifetime warranty. Both are supposed to be used with a fiberglass mesh sold in the same location at the building supply store as the roofing cement. The correct procedure is to clean the area to be sealed, apply a layer of roof cement with a putty knife, apply the fiberglass mesh over that, then apply another layer of roof cement. This product and procedure has worked great for me for years and has never failed.

 

[619DioFan]

One of my sister's houses developed a leak during a rain storm ( asphalt shingles ) used Henry's that was rated to go in even in rain. Worked fine , no more leak. Years later she sold the house and at that time it was still not leaking.

 

[imagineer]

I tried patching using "Gardner Wet-R-Dri". Either it didn't work or I missed the spot of the leak, but the roof is still leaking. The day I applied it, it was about 30*F, and the stuff in the gallon can was really thick.

This weekend promises to in the low 50's and sunny (who would have imagined that for NE Ohio in February?) and I'm going to try using Henry 208R.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I know the old school trick was to drive a nail up from the attic at the leak. Go out on the roof, find the nail/leak, drive the nail back in the patch the hole.

If need be, I piece of galvanized sheet metal can be slipped up underneath the upper shingle and caulked with your sealant.

 

[nadogail]

I used to sweep the roof in the suspected area then paint it with Henry’s that had been thinned to the consistency of milk. After it had dried I applied fiberglass fly screen with Henry’s thinned to the consistency of heavy cream. Af
That was dried to the touch i then troweled on the mastic at the same consistency as it came out of the can.

 

[AC-WC]

Not cheap but BIL did his metal barn roof with this 15 yrs ago and it still does not leak.

Eternabond RoofSeal Sealant Tape, White - 2

The EternaBond RSW-2-50 RoofSeal tape is white with a 50 foot length and a 2 inch width. Total thickness is 35 mil. The UV stable backing on RoofSeal makes it ideal for use in sunny environments. The elongation factor is very high, which permits RoofSeal to expand or contract with changing...

www.homedepot.com

 

[demulsion]

If need be, I piece of galvanized sheet metal can be slipped up underneath the upper shingle and caulked with your sealant.

I've fixed some leaks this way that went 10 years or more before the roof was replaced.