# O.C. Roof Leak



## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

I’ve been called back a few times because a roof I installed about 3 years ago is leaking.

It’s an OC Duration shingle on a 4:12 pitch. Water is coming in 6-12 inches up from the bottom edge of the roof. We used OC WeatherLock underlayment that is on top of the drip edge.

I lifted up the bottom shingle but did not see any water dripping out. The water must be getting in up higher and leaking through.

I think it is leaking due to the design of the shingle. They have a solid tar line that I think is stopping the water from draining out. I think water can get in-between the shingles were they butt together but can’t get out because of the tar line.

It is a very simple roof with no valleys in the area and no apparent flaws in workmanship.

Have you heard of similar problems with these shingles?


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

Here are a few pictures.

From inside the garage you can see that the sheathing has 2 roof boards across the bottom and then osb sheathing above that. The leaks are coming through nails in the 1 x 6 roof boards.


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 8, 2010)

MEL said:


> Water is coming in 6-12 inches up from the bottom edge of the roof.
> quote
> 
> 1.)Improper nail pattern
> ...


Anything is possible but IMO the shingle design would be lower on my list of possible flaws.The O.C durations are installed on 4/12's everyday without issues.

If you feel its a design flaw then why isn't it leaking every where instead of 6"-12" of the gutters?


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## Roofmaster417 (Jun 8, 2010)

Is that a weather head running up the wall out the roof? It is possible its coming from the collar around the pipe flashing for the weather head.The water could be traveling the back of the pipe not visible from your view.

Then once the water makes it to the board it runs along the wall giving the impession of the leak being 6"-12" off the gutterline.

The collar on this flashing is poor so it would and has allowed water to travel the pipe into the attic.

By the look of the pic showing the drip edge.It looks as if the shingles are high on the drip edge.Also absent is the bulk of the first course along the gutterline was starters installed? And if they were are they above the exposure offset?


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## dennis (Nov 17, 2004)

*Might be the drip edge install*

If that house is suffering from ice dams, the leak may be caused by the way the drip edge is installed. Ice shield should be installed before the drip edge.










Installing drip edge

Hard to tell from the pic, but it looks like a line of water stains below the first siding line.?


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

Roofmaster417 said:


> Is that a weather head running up the wall out the roof? It is possible its coming from the collar around the pipe flashing for the weather head.The water could be traveling the back of the pipe not visible from your view.
> 
> Then once the water makes it to the board it runs along the wall giving the impession of the leak being 6"-12" off the gutterline.
> 
> ...


The roof is leaking in 3 or 4 spots on the back of the garage. The previous year it leaked on the front of the garage by the step flashing. The step flashing was new and it leaked for no apparent reason, so I Caulked it even though it’s something that I don’t like to do.

There are no pipes in this part of the roof.

We used precut starters.


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

The starter shingles are staggered from the first course as you can see in this photo. The ice shield is on top of the drip edge. The roof leaked on a rainy day when there were no ice dams.


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

Roofmaster417 said:


> Anything is possible but IMO the shingle design would be lower on my list of possible flaws.The O.C durations are installed on 4/12's everyday without issues.
> 
> If you feel its a design flaw then why isn't it leaking every where instead of 6"-12" of the gutters?


I think it will eventually be proven that the design is flawed and OC will get hit with a class action lawsuite.


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## tinner666 (Nov 3, 2004)

Now you know why I dutch lap whenever I use them. Here's a 3-tab.
The wet felt, The wet shingle back, and the front of the shingle. Water was evaporating as fast as I was taking pix! You couldn't see daylight when held up to the sun. 4th. pic is a close up.

I've also peeled sevral newer roofs off that were soaking wet between the felt and shingles.

I've also traced leaks to random joints on dimensional shingles, even on 12/12.


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

tinner666 said:


> Now you know why I dutch lap whenever I use them. Here's a 3-tab.
> The wet felt, The wet shingle back, and the front of the shingle. Water was evaporating as fast as I was taking pix! You couldn't see daylight when held up to the sun. 4th. pic is a close up.
> 
> I've also peeled sevral newer roofs off that were soaking wet between the felt and shingles.
> ...


What do you mean by "dutch lap"?


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## tinner666 (Nov 3, 2004)

Overlap whichever end of the shingle that's thinnest. Here's a pic of my own 'dimensional' roof.


A geodesic Dome.

Last, but not least, a 2-1/2x12 for a GC's house. It's about 10 years old and has sat under 24"+ snow falls several times.


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## tinner666 (Nov 3, 2004)

As for the question "Have you heard of similar problems with these shingles?"
The answer is yes. I haven't attempted to determine which brands are at fault each time though.


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## dennis (Nov 17, 2004)

Also notice a dip in the roof middle of the second course. That might be part of the problem with water running sideways at the side laps.
Is that osb lower than the 1x sheathing boards?

Could also be a shingle problem.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

dennis said:


> If that house is suffering from ice dams, the leak may be caused by the way the drip edge is installed. Ice shield should be installed before the drip edge.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That doesn't work in cold climates. The I&W must be stuck tothe drip edge if there is one. Ice will back up the roof, then melt and get under the drip edge and behind the gutter and freeze again. People hate seeing icicles behind their gutters.


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## MJW (Jan 27, 2006)

dennis said:


> Also notice a dip in the roof middle of the second course. That might be part of the problem with water running sideways at the side laps.
> Is that osb lower than the 1x sheathing boards?
> 
> Could also be a shingle problem.


I have seen that before. :thumbsup:

I wouldn't rule out the shingles though. They are known for holding water. 

Mel, Why did you use OC?


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

dennis said:


> Also notice a dip in the roof middle of the second course. That might be part of the problem with water running sideways at the side laps.
> Is that osb lower than the 1x sheathing boards?
> 
> Could also be a shingle problem.


The 1x is thicker and shims should have been been put in, I'm not an installer and I wasn't there when they did that part of the job. I would have to tear the roof apart to find out if the shims are in there. I prbably will because I want to make a warranty claim and I'l have to remove 2 shingles.


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## MEL (Apr 7, 2007)

MJW said:


> I have seen that before. :thumbsup:
> 
> I wouldn't rule out the shingles though. They are known for holding water.
> 
> Mel, Why did you use OC?


I used OC because I wanted to try it out for marketing purposes. My supplier assures me that it is a good product but I have my doubts.


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## Slyfox (Dec 22, 2007)

I do a lot of repair work, I have seen the water streaks in between shingles and under them on every shingle sold in my area, including tile, shakes, slate and metal, it happens for a multitude of reasons.

In every single case tho, with out exception, if there's more water getting in between or under then what the normal condensation process can handle/deal with before it is able to reach the interior than there is a workmanship error or material defect issue.
Workmanship error is the cause far, far more often then faulty materials.

The answer is proper placement of the shingles (which minimizes the amount of water seeping in through the joints) and proper placement/driven depth of the fasteners (so the fasteners are not directly exposed to said moisture).

As far as dutch laps go, you void the manufacturers warranty when installing your shingles in that manner.


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## tinner666 (Nov 3, 2004)

That's interesting Sly. I went through the manufacturer before I did each roof. GP even had a rep on one of the jobs and OK'd the warranty. Two even said, but wouldn't put it in writing that they preferred that because the shingles weren't waterproof, only water resistant.
Maybe you know something they don't or won't say.


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## kage (Aug 17, 2008)

MJW said:


> That doesn't work in cold climates. The I&W must be stuck tothe drip edge if there is one. Ice will back up the roof, then melt and get under the drip edge and behind the gutter and freeze again. People hate seeing icicles behind their gutters.


 If you put the I&W on top of dripedge,the icicles that get behind the gutter will now be exposed to wood instead of I&W, we usually put I&W then drip then a 18" strip of I&W on top of drip...no problems yet.


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