Question on my roof

[fargoman]

Hello everyone


My roof has a minor leak. The leak is coming from the kitchen sink sewer vent. I have a pail under the vent now. The whole roof has ice build up on it, icicles too. The bathroom exhaust fan has caused about a 4 inch in round ice formation down the siding where the bathroom is and bathroom window.

I’ve never dealt with leaking roofs before. So I have a few questions for the group. In your opinion is the ice on the roof the cause of this leak?


To fix the leak would the correct way be to clean all the old sealant off and reseal it with some type of neoprene or polyurethane seal?


My last question is on roof coatings. From what I remember from fall the roof had
very little coating on it. I thought maybe if it was coated it might not get anymore leaks and maybe not be so hot like an oven in the summertime. I thought of using something called kool seal elastomeric roof coating.


I do have mark’s book on mobile homes. Just want to make sure I understand the steps for coating.

1.scrub all dirt and grime off roof
2 seal around sewer vents and furnace vent and seams
3. I was going to use some type of metal roof primer 4. Spread roof coating on with paint roller with long handle.

I was planning on doing this next spring sometime. I’d appreciate any help or advice you can give.

Thanks

[Greg]

Fargo, I doubt that the ice is what is CAUSING the leak, But I would guess that if the ice were not there that there would be a problem. I would go up and see if you can gently peel the ice up or at least get a channel cleared so it can drain.
I used Kool seal on ours late last fall, so far no problems, but I plan on giving an other coat in the spring.
You are correct about Neoprene or polyurethane for sealer around the vents. Greg

[JD]

You may want to take a look at these products. There is Ames Primer which is made specifically for elastomeric coatings. I usually use the Elasto-Barrier which is an undercoat for elastomeric coatings. If you page down there are articles and audio files for a multitude of applications.

JD

[fargoman]

Thanks for your help guys. I'll take a look at those products too. Got a couple more questions.


I'm assuming it's safe to walk on the roof? I'm about 185


I was reading trisodium phosphate was a good cleaner for removing dirt and grime. Is this safe for metal roofs?


Thank you for your help

[JD]

Hey Brad,

It should be safe to walk on the roof if you try to stay on the trusses. Walking on snow or ice may not be very safe.

On the TSP, I have never tried it on a metal roof. I would wonder if the pitting action would accelerate rust on galvanized metal. I have cleaned hundreds of roofs and I have never found anything better than a big grinder with a braided wire brush. For just removing loose material, just water in a pressure washer works pretty good.

JMO
JD

[fargoman]

Thanks JD

I'll clean it the way you suggested this spring.

[fargoman]

Hello again
Had something strange happen. The ice on my roof melted and fell off. The leak I mentioned before didn't leak. Anybody know why it didn't leak with the warm weather? Maybe condensation??


Thank you for your help

[JD]

Could be condensation, but it also could be that the ice dammed up some of the water causing it to back up and leak.

Just a thought

JD

[fargoman]

I was reading that ice dams are caused by heat escaping through the ceiling.

Could I use some type of vapor barrier paint on the ceiling to hold the heat in better?

Thanks so much for all your help.

[JD]

Hey man, we are in an area I don't know much about. We can't even get a rain puddle to freeze solid around here. But I would think the answer would be in insulating and/or better venting and not trapping moisture in your home. JMO Hopefully we can get some suggestions from other snowmen, I mean members.

JD

[garrett_reukauf]

Sorry I cant help ya here Fargoman, but I know what ya mean about the snow ice and cold. I lived in Fargo for 10years until about 2 years ago. I loved it up there but I dont miss the weather there LOL. Goodluck friend!

[fargoman]

If I was to add insulation to my ceiling could I reuse the ceiling panels if I can remove them with out damaging them? They are stapled on and the trim covering the seams are nailed on

What are your thoughts?

[JD]

Hi Brad,

If these are the standard mobile home ceiling panels, the 1/2" thick pressed cardboard type, they can be removed and reused. You have to be very careful. They will break if they are bent too much and you would then be short on panels.

This is a 2 person job and 3 would be better. I remove all trim at the top of the wall and ceiling trim. Then using a utility knife and a lot of fresh blades, I cut the ceiling panel at a slight angle towards the outside of the home/room. Change the blade often, especially every time you hit a staple or nail with it. A new sharp blade makes this job easy. I remove all of the staples except a couple about 3' from each end. I find it easiest to use wire cutter to cut the middle of the staples and then use the same tool to pull the staple halves out. You could use pliers if you don't have the "touch" with the wire cutters. Depending on the height of the ceiling and your own height, you may need a couple of two-step ladders. Then with one person at each end of a panel, you hold the panel while pulling those last two staples. You need to be about 3' in from the ends so that you don't bow the panel too much.

I have done hundreds of panels without ever breaking one, but I can't say the same for other crews. Just take your time and be careful.

Good luck.

JD

[fargoman]

Is there anything special that needs to be done around light fixtures so not to damage them?

Could I use "faced" insulation in a mobile home? I think I read faced has a built in vapor barrier.

Sorry for all the questions. Never done anything like this before. Dosen't mean it can't be done

Thank you for all your help

Brad

[JD]

Hey Brad,

That can be a complicated question in older homes. Current data states that the vapor barrier should go to the warm side of the room in most situations. For Fargo ND, this would be under the ceiling insulation, just above the ceiling. With batt insulation, the staple flange on the sides of the insulation would go on the sides of the bottom of the truss, creating a 3/4" air gap between the ceiling and the paper face of the insulation. This is simple enough.

Where the complications come in with older homes is, many of these homes were built before the latest data and not truly engineered for the specific geographical area. Because of ease of manufacturing, some mobile home builders applied the visqueen/plastic over the trusses, under the metal roof. This will create can condensation problem, but not having consistent continual vapor barrier can create a worse condensation problem. Also, having a double vapor barrier, one on top and one on the bottom of the insulation can create a much worse problem. Clear as mud, eh? My ability to explain it compounds the complications. To really understand this data, you can look at this web site and others like it for yourself.
http://www.daviddarling.info/encycloped ... arder.html

One thing for sure is, no one lives where the temperature is always 65 degrees. So even following the guidelines means that you will have vapor barrier on the wrong side at some time during the year. You are only doing what is overall best for your geographical area. Read the information and make the decision that is best for you.

It is just my opinion that when you are repairing an area of your mobile home, to put the vapor barrier where the manufacturer put the vapor barrier, so as to not create additional moisture related problems. When replacing ALL of the vapor barrier of the entire ceiling/roof, or ALL of the walls, follow the current guidelines.

JMO
JD