My roof is leaking right now: what do I do in the next hour?

Protect the inside first, then get the roof covered

Almost everything you can usefully do in the first hour happens inside the house. The roof itself needs a roofer with a ladder, a tarp and daylight, and that is what our 24/7 emergency roof repair line is for. Call while you are getting the buckets out, not after.

An emergency visit has one job: stop the water. A proper repair needs dry shingles and the right materials, so in a downpour we tarp or temporarily patch the damage and come back to fix it for good. You get a written estimate for the permanent repair before that work starts.

The tool below is the checklist we would talk you through on the phone. Tick the steps off in order.

The next hour, in order

1. Cut the power to anything wet. If water is coming through or near a ceiling light, fan or outlet, switch that circuit off at the breaker panel. Do not touch a fixture that is dripping. If the panel is dry and you are not sure which breaker it is, turn off the main.
2. Catch the water. Buckets, pots, a storage bin, with a towel in the bottom so it does not splash. Lay old towels around it and empty them before they fill.
3. Deal with a bulging ceiling on purpose. If the drywall is ballooning with water, it will come down on its own, all at once. With a bucket underneath and you standing to the side, poke a small hole at the lowest point with a screwdriver so it drains in a controlled way. If it is sagging badly, cracking, or near a light, skip this and keep everyone out of the room.
4. Move what matters. Electronics, papers, photos and rugs out of the room. Cover heavy furniture with plastic or a shower curtain.
5. Take photos. The ceiling, walls, floors, and anything on the roof you can see from the ground. Your insurer will want them, and they are easier to take now than to recreate later.
6. Call a roofer, not a handyman. You want someone who will get on the roof with a tarp today and come back to make the real repair. Tell them where the water is showing, whether you can see daylight in the attic, and whether anything hit the roof.

Stay off the roof: A wet roof is slick, and a steep one in the dark is how people get badly hurt. Do not climb up in a storm to throw a tarp yourself. Everything you need to do tonight can be done from inside.

Where the water is usually getting in around here

The stain on your ceiling is almost never right under the hole. Water runs down the roof boards and along the rafters before it drips, so the real source is usually uphill from the stain. On the houses we get called to, it tends to be one of a few spots, and which one depends a lot on the kind of house.

• Capes and ranchers in Willow Grove. The dormers on the post-war Capes have a lot of short runs of step flashing where the dormer wall meets the roof. When those go, water shows up on the second-floor bedroom ceiling or down the knee wall.
• Older borough homes in North Wales and Ambler. Steep roofs, big chimneys and old flashing. Leaks here are usually at the chimney or where a roof meets a wall, and often at a spot someone smeared with roof cement years ago instead of re-flashing it.
• Big colonials in Blue Bell. Lots of valleys, skylights and wall joints. A valley packed with leaves from the mature trees backs water up under the shingles in a heavy rain.
• Flat roofs out back. The porches, additions and Main Street buildings with a flat section behind them leak at seams and where the flat roof meets the house.

Weather matters too. A nor'easter drives rain sideways, so a roof that is dry for years can leak at a vent or chimney only when the wind comes from one direction. In winter, a leak that shows up on a sunny day after snow is usually an ice dam: snow melts, refreezes at the gutter and backs water under the shingles.

(Question for Jim: the one or two leak sources Jim finds most often on emergency calls in Willow Grove, North Wales, Ambler and Blue Bell (e.g. pipe boots, chimney flashing, dormer step flashing, clogged valleys))

What one emergency leak call actually looked like

(Question for Jim: one recent emergency leak call you're comfortable publishing: town, type of house, where the water was showing inside, what was actually causing it, what the crew did that day, and what the permanent repair turned out to be)

Who to call for a roof leak, and what to ask

Call a local roofer first. Your insurance company comes second, and only if something sudden caused it, like wind, hail or a fallen limb. Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to stop more damage, so getting a tarp on it is the right move either way. Keep the receipts.

When you call, ask:

• Can you get a tarp on it today, and what does the emergency visit cost?
• Will you take photos of the damage on the roof for my records?
• Will I get a written estimate for the permanent repair before you start it?
• Are you licensed in Pennsylvania and insured? (Ours: PA license #PA164826, general liability and workers' compensation.)

Most emergency repairs we do fall between $550 and $3,250, depending on how much is damaged and whether the plywood underneath is broken. (Question for Jim: is there a separate charge for an after-hours or weekend tarp visit, or is it part of that range?) (Question for Jim: what can we honestly say about how quickly someone usually gets out to an active leak at night or on a weekend?) For what the tarp itself usually costs, see emergency roof tarp cost.

If it has stopped raining and the drip has stopped, you may not need a night call at all. A normal roof repair visit runs $350 to $2,500 for most jobs, and we look at the whole roof, not just the spot over the stain.

When it isn't the roof

Not every wet ceiling is a roof leak, and we would rather tell you that on the phone than send a truck. Check these before you call:

• It's under a bathroom, or it drips when nobody is using water outside. If the ceiling is wet under a tub, shower or toilet, or it is wet on a dry day, that is usually plumbing. Call a plumber.
• The AC is running. If your air handler sits in the attic, a clogged condensate line or a rusted drain pan drips on a hot, dry day. That is an HVAC call.
• Frost in the attic. On a cold morning after a cold snap, frost on the underside of the roof boards melts and drips. That is ventilation and air leaking up from the house, not a hole in the roof. It still needs fixing, but it is not an emergency.
• It's at the top of a window. Water around a window frame on a wall, not the ceiling, is often the window or siding, not the roof.

If you are not sure, call anyway and describe what you are seeing. If it can wait, or it isn't a roofing problem, we will tell you.

Related questions

Who do I call for a roof leak?

Call a local roofer who answers emergencies, before you call your insurer. Armstrong Roofing answers 24/7 at (215) 824-6932; we tarp the damage to stop the water, usually the same day, and schedule the permanent repair once the weather allows. Call your insurer next if wind, hail or a fallen limb caused it.

Is a roof leak an emergency?

It is if water is coming in right now, the ceiling is bulging, you can see daylight in the attic, or something fell on the roof. A small stain that has not grown, or a drip that stopped when the rain did, can usually wait for a regular repair visit. If you are not sure, call and describe it.

How much does emergency roof leak repair cost?

Most emergency repairs we do fall between $550 and $3,250. A tarp and a few replaced shingles sit at the low end; broken decking or rebuilt flashing push it up. You get a written estimate for the permanent repair before that work starts.

Why is my ceiling leaking when it is not raining?

Usually because it is not the roof. A dry-day leak is most often plumbing from a bathroom above, an attic AC condensate line, or frost in the attic melting after a cold snap. Melting snow and ice dams are the exception: those can leak on a sunny winter day.

Do you repair roof leaks in Willow Grove, North Wales, Ambler and Blue Bell?

Yes. We are based in Horsham and work all over Montgomery and Bucks counties, including Willow Grove, North Wales, Ambler and Blue Bell. Inspections are free, and active leaks get answered 24/7.