Help! Leaky roof, need info

I woke up to my roof leaking right around the chimney pipe. I know I need a new roof, but I couldn't afford even to buy the materials this year to do it myself, much less pay someone else to do it.

I've got some large plastic (6 mil) sheeting (100'x25') which will cover the roof, and plan to hold it down with 1x2s.

This is an old mobile home with a certified* free-standing wood stove, and about 7.5' ceilings, and the stove pipe ends about 3' above the roof, with a metal "hat" (I don't know what they're called), and 1/8" wire mesh around the inside (I think this is a spark arrester?).

*"Certified" apparently means tiny fire box.

Questions:
If I put plastic right up to the base of the chimney, will there be enough heat to melt it or cause a fire?

With the wire mesh inside the "hat", would flying sparks be an issue?

Should I use some of that foil tape to hold it to the chimney, or duct tape, or not tape it to the base of the outside chimney at all?

Any and all thoughts welcome. I've got to get this done today, the weather predictions only get worse for the forthcoming week.

Thanks, Sue

roof leaks may be difficult to diagnose.

if the whole roof is not leaking i wouldn't bother trying to cover the whole roof. lots of issues there - think wind, flapping, parachute..

it sounds like your leak is confined to the area around the chimney pipe. if you can safely go on the roof and look, you may find that the metal of the pipe or the flashing at the base is rusting away. a new one installed and sealed may be what you need - and not that expensive for a roofer to do.

if that's not it, the next cause may be due to old dried, cracked or missing sealant - the tar-like stuff - around the base of the pipe. if so, there's a product called Henry's that can be found in most hardware stores and that most roofers use to seal everything. it can even be applied in the rain. pretend you're icing a cake with black icing and spread it on. doesn't have to be neat - who's gonna see it - it just needs to cover the possible area of water entry.

to answer your question, typically - but not always - heat exhaust pipes are double-walled - so heat shouldn't be an issue. but i wouldn't chance it.

too, more rain will loosen the adhesive of the tape and no more seal...

hope this helps.

bsmith

Unless the flu pipe is double-walled, it will probably get hot enough to melt the plastic and the duct tape. Sparks should be less of a concern with the cap and mesh.

Is there a woodstove dealer nearby? You might be able to squeeze some stove cement into the leak around the pipe (from the outside) as a temporary repair.

Failing that, I'd be tempted to try to make a temporary flashing for where the flu pipe comes through the roof, even if out of HD foil, and secure it with metal muffler repair tape, still available at most auto-parts stores.

Final option: use the plastic and duct tape, but accept the fact that the stove has to stay cold until the permanent repair is done.

And, seriously: good luck.

Frank2135

Get some quotes from 2 or more roofers, quotes are often free,
then they can tell you what they would do to permanently fix the
problem, and how much you need to save up.

They may also recommend a temp. fix (they may not be able to do
the permanent repair immediately anyway and would be happy to
have something to do later in the season).

It is all good information to help you develop a plan.

excellent idea if the rain has stopped.

roofers can't be bribed enough to go on roofs in the rain.

Susan...

Do NOT use plastic & Tape... It will melt perhaps even with double walled pipe.

DO use the 'black tar' roof sealant that has been recommended.

If your roof is old, there are many commercial sealants that will cover the entire roof. You should apply these periodically to make sure that the roof remains leakproof.

Hope this helps..

Never mind the above advice:
- Since you're short of money, the plastic and tape might just get you by, which it seems is what you are looking for.
- the black tar is another temporary but again might get you by
- Of course there are commercial sealants, but it doesn't sound like you are financially ready for these and any other permanent application.

I have been trailer trash for a long time and patching a metal mobile home roof is preventative maintance. Every couple of years you need to use elastomeric roof coating or glop black stuff on the seams. When you use the black stuff be sure to use the stuff called cement not coating, the coating is thin and runny the cement is more like black cake icing (as mentioned above). There is also a fiberglass tape that can be used to make the repair much more durable. Layer of black stuff, lay down the screen and put down another layer of black stuff. Trust me this makes the repair last for years.

If the flashing is rusted out, you might be able to replace it yourself if you are somewhat handy with tools. The pipe would normally go through the roof, have a wide ring installed around the base (flashing), and be topped off with a hat. You will need to measure the diameter of the pipe, go down to your handy dandy hardware store, and buy new flashing and hat. While you are there ask the opinion of the proprietor there may be some new easy to install fix that i don't know about. Bring home the new parts, remove the old hat (cut it off or remove screws) put on the new flashing with lots of black cement under it, you might be able to add the new flashing without removing the old one. Then apply a layer of black cement and fiberglass to the area where the flashing meets the roof and then attach the new hat with a few screws. Be careful the edges of sheet metal parts are sharp, and work within your abilities. And above all else watch your step, it's not the fall that gets you, it's the sudden stop at the bottom that really hurts.

I am sure that I have the perfect answer to your problem, but I didn't see your post 'til after 8pm Mtn time, and since you needed a fix "today," it is too late for me to help. Hope you got it fixed. After last winter, I know how it can rain in WA...

Thanks for the information, guys.

I got a 25x100 sheet of plastic up on one side of the house and anchored down with 1x2s. Will finish tomorrow if the weather cooperates, although wind is predicted.

I was suspicious of the plastic and the chimney, so after I posted the question, I built up a good fire and then felt around the base of the chimney on the roof, and it was warm. It looks double-walled, but with everyone here saying "Don't do it", I didn't do it.

Just this very second, it occurred to me that when I get to the chimney, I can stop short of the chimney and then surround that whole area with some stray roofing shingle tabs that my neighbor had left over. I couldn't see anything cracked or rusted at the base of the chimney. When my brother got here, he said it may be leaking elsewhere on the roof and running along a crosspiece within the "attic" and pooling by the chimney.

Stupid mobile homes. Once they're built, they should be good forever... (yeah, right)

Thanks for the help!

Sue

Go to lowes or home depot and in the section where they have the water heaters and pipes for them. They have a piece that goes around the pipe. It looks like one of those oragne cones you see on the side of the road or on the wet floor in the store but its black and soft metal or the same material as roofing. You take the little cap off yur pipe and slide the whole cone down over then put some sealant where the cone meets the pipe and the cone channels the water away from the pipe.

All the recommendations are viable and good, I think, and I can't add to them. I can say, however, that most (read: most, not all) fireplaces or stoves in trailers are built against an outside wall...due to space limitations. THis means the chimney (stovepipe) will exit the roof closer to the eaves. It's entirely possible the leak in the roof is near the peak, or anywhere between the stovepipe and the peak, and the water runs down to the stovepipe area where it drips into your home. So....covering the entire roof for now (until you can figure it out) is good. The best case scenario though is that the leak IS localized near the stovepipe, in which case you'll eventually fix it using roofing tar or a combination of tar and flashing as mentioned.

Remember though that most mobile homes have a farily flat roof and no eaves or peak. the few of them that do have a real sloped roof its been added on afterward.

You're right...this is true. However, they all have a "peak"...it's just not as pronounced as a conventional home's. The eaves I was referring too I should have just said "outside" or "exterior wall". True...they almost never have "eaves".

Point is though, look not only at the area right around the stovepipe but also upwards from there. However slight the pitch of the roof, water will still run down to a stopping point before it starts to drip straight down.