# manufactured home nightmare



## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

Hey all, I'm a newbie as of only a few minutes now. I have been searching for the answer to this problem, but thought it best to just ask. have been licensed in MI since 1984. I have contracted a lot of roofing jobs with hardly a complaint ever. Time are hard in The beautiful state of Michigan and I had a guy call about his leaking roof. I checked it out, its a manufactured home with a 2:12 pitch. He had ceiling stains from water getting in and it was also running down the wall around a large window. The overhangs were 6". I advised to either 1 tear off the 2x2 24"oc of 2:12 pitch and do a new truss system. To costly He ask me to extend the eves to 18" we did, we stripped the roof down to plywood removing about 6mil. crown staples. Ice and water all the way. then certainteed asphalt shingles. 1ST clue no problems in the summer months. Winter he gets water on the ceiling and running down the walls just as b4. The roof is wavy and with very little ceiling insulation. I believe do to the loss of heat through the ceiling and to the snow covered roof there is a condensation problem. This guy wants to sue me, turn me into the state as a bad contractor and so on. Can anyone verify my thought or am I missing something hear. If I have cause this problem I would fix it fact is I have tried already... last winter dc


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

was it a 3 tab shingle, if it was i would have thought twice about using that on a 2 pitch, even with ice and water, did you add soffit a ridge vents while you where there? welcome to the site


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## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

Yes 3 tab with soffett venting on eves and ridge vent. the 2x2 trusses have a distance from roof to ceiliing of no more than 18". cielings are vaulted and not much insulation. I was sure the ice and water all the way would stop any leaks.


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## G-Build (Jun 28, 2007)

More a question than a response.
I thought anything less than 4:12 was treated as flat and should be finished as such?


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## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

Are you talking hot tar and gravel or membrane or something like that? My question is if the cold outside temperature, a pile of snow on the roof and a lot of heat loss is doing what I am thinking. Basically sucking or wicking the water into the inside of the house. He has no complaints in the summer


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## johnk (Apr 23, 2007)

G-Build said:


> More a question than a response.
> I thought anything less than 4:12 was treated as flat and should be finished as such?


not true.Alot of manufacturers will let you shingle low slopes as long as all of their application procedures are followed.Myself I hate shingling anything under 4/12


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## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

I'm with that. 2006 I worked on 2 manufactured homes with 2-2 1/2:12 roofs. Both of them are still a problem. Thing is, I have shingled houses with similar roofs but they were not manufactured type. never had any problems.
I need to figure out what has gone wrong or if it is a common occurrence with manufactured.


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## mdshunk (Mar 13, 2005)

I think for the couple hundred bucks it costs to hire a guy with an IR camera, that would be money well spent and would probably root out the real source of the problem. Missing insulation gets my vote at the moment.


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## tinner666 (Nov 3, 2004)

The few I did, I used dimensionals and weaved them. No but joints. I & W only on the eaves. Elks run at 5" exposure. No leaks on any of them.


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## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

This roof after peeling everything off was real wavy. I told him we need to do a roof over or re truss, didn't want to spend $. The infra red is a good idea, just don't know where I would find one. Missing insulation, heat pouring out through the roof and around the large window where water comes down the wall


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## thedc6 (Apr 14, 2008)

tinner666 said:


> The few I did, I used dimensionals and weaved them. No but joints. I & W only on the eaves. Elks run at 5" exposure. No leaks on any of them.


He wanted to match his garage new built with 3 tabs, plus pinch pinch pinch $


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

Its just plain crazy to shingle a 2 pitch. It is considered a flat roof.
You dont need infared or to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.


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## johnk (Apr 23, 2007)

RooferJim said:


> Its just plain crazy to shingle a 2 pitch. It is considered a flat roof.
> You dont need infared or to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.


Ditto that!


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## Royal-T (Feb 6, 2008)

*2-12 w/ shingles*

I don't know everything but if you even considered putting shingles on a 2 pitch roof you should have your ass sewn shut! Rubber, Metal, Build-up, whatever but times can't ever be that tough because you will be on that job fixing leaks until you put the right roof on it!arty:


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## Slyfox (Dec 22, 2007)

No disrespect intended but i'm with the "Never Shingle A 2/12".

I have and have done so without problems but the life span on sections of roof like that are redicously short, i have never done an entire roof with that pitch using shingles.

Check out Google, Yellow Pages etc and find some one local with the IR equipment and cross your fingers, toes, eyes, legs etc that the insulation/ventilation or lack of is the problem.

Hurry! and get it tested now, the roof is losing life span as we speak/type/set here.


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

Infared is just a smoke and mirrors trick in most cases. If your a real roofer that has payed your dues working on roofs and use a combination of common sence and time tested good roofing practices then you will know what the problem and solution is in about 98% of all trobleshooting cases.


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## Ed the Roofer (Dec 12, 2006)

Rather than jump on the chastise the poor spec bandwagon, I can feel how someone lacking work in Michigan will change specs just to get the job.

Done, thats over with, so now try to figure out a solution.

Many home inspectors own infra red thrmal imaging cameras, but you may have to call around to find one wiling to get into a pizzing match.

Was there a vapor barrier under the warm side of the insulation?

I think is sounds as if condensation is accumulating in the roofs attic system.

Provide a garden hose water test. You were contracted to provide a roof that does not leak. If it passes the water test, you are not responsible for his existing building envelope conditions. 

If any board contacts you or the BBB, provide timely written responses detailing your attempts at rectifying the situation up until the point that it was concluded that it was a pre-existing condition and that you did and continually did again, what ever you could to determine the real problem. The HO does not want to accept a proper solution, so your hands are tied.

I would document the water test with video footage with a date stamp and a further interior video taping to prove conclusively that no water entry occurred during the flodding of the roof.

With a 100% I & W coverage, it is not a penetrating leak. Their still is undecided debate as to whether or not the encapsulation of the entire decking has made a bad situation worse, by not allowing vapor diffusion through the deck sheathing.

Keep in contact and always respond accordingly and professionally and business-like.

Ed


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

nice ed, well said


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## Tom R (Jun 1, 2004)

Personally, - - I don't claim to be a roofing expert, or know what kind of ridge vent system you're using, - - but if it could be an issue, - - the first thing I would try at this point is to 'jack up' the ridge vent system, - - creating a 'dam' so water can't back up and get in there. It sounds like too much water infiltration for condensation alone.


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## RooferJim (Mar 6, 2006)

How about its leaking because they shingled a flat roof. Thats the most likley senerio, although it dosent sound all that scientific .


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