How to fix a leaking roof

Things You'll Need

• Tri Polymer Sealant.
• Disposable paint brush or paint stir stick or similar stick to use as a putty knife.
• Ladder to reach roof.
• Possibly an ice pick or hammer and long nail.

Step One

Try to find the exact location of the drip or leak. This is best done by looking up from inside the attic when it's raining. If you are fortunate to see the leak, shove an ice pick up through so it may be seen from the roof side later on. The sealant you will apply will seal this hole so don't worry about making a hole in your roof. It's more important to find where the leak is.
Another way to find the leak is to run a garden sprinkler on the roof and try to get it to leak. The leak always stops when the rain stops then it is impossible to find it. Once you locate the leak, mark the location by shoving the ice pick up through the roof or drive long nail so it can be seen later when you get up on the roof.
This Tri Polymer Sealant can be applied in the rain but this is not advisable due to safety concerns of slipping off the roof. It can also be applied in freezing conditions. Once you have the leak located and marked it is best to wait for good weather before getting on the roof.

Step Two

Using a sturdy ladder you or a friend will need to get up on the roof and locate the ice pick or nail. Mark the location and go back down to remove the ice pick or nail. Go back up on the roof and spread the Tri Polymer Sealant around the area. It is clear and about the consistency of honey so it will run down into your nail hole and the hole that has been leaking. Since the sealant is clear it can be used on any color of roof without looking offensive like tar might.

Step Three

Altho Tri Polymer Sealant is indeed waterproof it's best if you wait a day or two before testing the leak again with the garden sprinkler.

Step Four

If you cannot accomplish this procedure yourself, hopefully you can find a handyman and explain to him/her how to do it. The key to the fix is the Tri Polymer Sealant. I have fixed many many roof leaks with this method.

Overall Tips & Warnings

• Tri Polymer Sealant is available from Ace Hardware and most all roofing material supplier warehouses. There are several different manufacturers but it's basically all the same stuff. Comes in quarts and gallons and in caulking tubes.
• Clean up with mineral spirits or naphtha
• The sealant is flammable when wet but not volatile so it's not explosive. Has an odor but it's not objectionable. It's very sticky so try not to get too much on yourself.