The Three Methods To Shingle A Roof Valley
1. Woven Valley Shingle Installation
To achieve a woven valley installation, a roofing professional lays shingles in the valley and weaves them together. Some homeowners prefer the consistent look that a woven valley provides. But, if the shingles are not laid in the valley properly, a woven valley may not lay flat, creating bumps and detracting from the overall look of the roof.
The woven valley shingle installation method does not call for roofing cement, relying instead on the weave pattern to protect from water infiltration. So, if you are installing a woven valley, you must push the shingles snugly into the valley, while not nailing within six inches of the valley center. If this is not done properly, hollow space may develop under the shingles.
This bridging is a serious problem for the durability of a roof. The empty space makes the shingles vulnerable to penetration, either by footsteps, hail or other debris. For this reason, installing some manufacturers shingles in a woven valley may void their limited warranty.
2. Closed-Cut Shingle Valley Installation
Closed-cut valleys, also called closed valleys, are installed quickly and have a cleaner, sharper look than woven valleys. From the ground, it looks as though the shingles meet in a clean line in the center of the valley. One layer of shingles actually crosses the valley beneath the other.
A Variation of Closed-Cut Valley: the California Valley
3. Open Valley Shingle Installation
Top 5 Warning Signs: How To Know If Your Shingle Roof Needs Replacing
Here are some tips to help you determine if you need a new roof:
Do I Need My Roof Valley Replacing
There are tell-tale signs that your roof valley is close to needing a repair or replacement, usually centring around leaks, or the abnormal expelling of rainwater. The only way to confirm what aspect of your roofing requires repairing is for a trained professional to survey it themselves, most probably by getting atop the roof for closer inspections.
If you have any leaks inside your home, there will undoubtedly be something on that requires repairing, either the slates or the valley. If water is expelling from the roof in the wrong areas or in an unusual fashion, the valley is more likely to be at fault. Either way, surveys from roofing companies are often cheap or free when you use the company for repairs.
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Fix Plumbing Vent Boots
Plumbing vent boots can be all plastic, plastic and metal, or even two-piece metal units. Check plastic bases for cracks and metal bases for broken seams. Then examine the rubber boot surrounding the pipe. That can be rotted away or torn, allowing water to work its way into the house along the pipe. With any of these problems, you should buy a new vent boot to replace the old one. But if the nails at the base are missing or pulled free and the boot is in good shape, replace them with the rubber-washered screws used for metal roofing systems. You’ll find them at any home center with the rest of the screws. You’ll have to work neighboring shingles free on both sides. If you don’t have extra shingles, be careful when you remove shingles so they can be reused. Use a flat bar to separate the sealant between the layers. Then you’ll be able to drive the flat bar under the nail heads to pop out the nails.
Open Valley Details For Asphalt Shingle Roofs
With a heavy-gauge, noncorrosive metallining, open valleys are the most durable valley andthe most costly.
See our discussion of alternative flashing materials found
Aneconomical version uses two layers of roll roofing for thelining, which should last as long as an asphalt roof.
NRCA recommends that roof valley flashing metal for open roof valleys should be 26-gauge galvanized steel or equivalent noncorrosive, nonstaining metal. Lile points out that valleys lined with roll roofing are not as durable. – Ed.
Thebottom layer of roll roofing goes on with the gravel facingdownward the top layer with the gravel facing upward.
Nail along the edges every 12 to 18 inches, keeping the material tight against the roof sheathing.
Metal valley linings should be 2 to 3 feet wide and nomore than 8 or 10 feet in length to prevent wrinkling fromlengthwise expansion.
The valley lining, whether asphalt or metal, shouldhave 6 inches open at the top and increase by1/8 inch for eachfoot of valley length to accommodate the greater flowfurther down the valley.
So a 16-foot valley would have 6 inches open at the top and 8 inches at the bottom .
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Solution For A Small Leak
Some roof leaks are tough to locate. Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak. If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation, push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic. Often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier, such as at ceiling light fixtures.
If you can’t see any telltale flow marks, and since the stain is fairly small, look at the underside of the roof for ‘shiners.’ A shiner is a nail that missed the framing member, in this case when the carpenter nailed the roof sheathing to the rafters. Moisture that escapes into the cold attic from the rooms below often condenses on cold nails. Sometimes you can spot this if you climb up into your attic on a cold night. The nails will look white because they’re frosted. When the attic heats up a bit during the day, the frost melts and drips, then the nails frost up at night again and so on. The solution is to simply clip the nail with a side-cutting pliers.
How To Repair Your Roof Valleys And Flashing
Roof valleys are areas where two sections of a sloped roof meet. Traditionally, valleys were comprised of galvanized iron or steel to prevent rusting. However, small cracks inevitably appear on the protective layer over time, triggering rust to crop up as soon as rainwater gets in the valley.
In some designs, shingles are overlapped to form a valley, and water from heavy rains can find a way beneath the shingles. In modern roof systems, valleys are typically gutter-like metal troughs made of lead, fiberglass, or concrete. Aluminum is also growing in popularity and provides a lightweight and rust-resistant alternative to traditional iron/steel valleys.
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Valley Flashing Requirements For Asphalt Shingle Roofs
Adapted/paraphrased with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, chapter on BEST ROOFING PRACTICES:
Because valleys catch water rushing down two roof planes,they are likely places for roof leaks. Leaks can be causedby water rushing up the opposite side of the valley or fromwear and tear caused by the channeled water, snow and icebuildup, or traffic on the roof.
For that reason all valleys should start with a leak proof underlayment system to back up the shingle or metal valley detail.
How Much Does It Cost To Repair A Roof Leak
A roof leak is a stressful situation. You have to worry about the damage it’s causing to your home and how to get it taken care of as quickly as possible.
But you’re biggest concern is probably how much it’s going to cost you.
Here at Bill Ragan Roofing, we answer tough questions other roofing companies don’t want to. That’s why we’re going to give you an idea of much you’ll have to pay to repair your roof.
The prices below are rough estimates to give you a general idea of how much itll cost to repair your roof. The cost of roof repairs is ultimately based on your contractors overhead, roof complexity, roof accessibility, roof pitch, and more.
Let’s get to the 6 most common causes of roof leaks, what the repair entails, and a ballpark estimate for the cost. And at the very end, grab the checklist of Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor to help you find a great roofer to repair your roof leak.
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Chimney Wear And Tear
There are several ways a chimney can leak. It could be the metal flashing that goes under the shingles surrounding the chimney.
If its brick, it could be the mortar joints. It can also be water coming down through the top of the chimney.
If its the chimney siding, water can get in the corners where the siding butts into the corner boards. Not only can those boards rot out, but so can the boards behind the chimney that you cant see.
A Guide To Roofing Valleys With Architectural Shingles
A roof valley is formed where two roof slopes meet. Water collects in a valley to flow off the roof. Your choice of valley installation method is critical because, when improperly installed, valleys are risks for serious leaks.
Essentially, there are three main ways to shingle a roof valley: woven, closed-cut and open. There are various techniques youll need to know for each type of installation, which well go over in detail. When deciding how to shingle a roof valley, you will need to consider your materials, the climate and the desired look of the roof. IKO recommends that you install architectural shingles with the open valley method for the best roof performance. This recommendation includes IKOs premium shingles.
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What Is A Dead Valley On A Roof
A roof valley is a meting point of changing slopes of a roof. The name comes from the valley-like look, which protects the roof from rain and snow, and reduces debris buildup.
The roof valley helps the roof slope drain water and reduces snow and ice accumulation on roof liners thus, roof water drainage remains unimpeded. In addition to reducing the accumulation of water on the roof, this system also enhances the overall look and feel of the home.
What is a dead valley on a roof? This is simply the intersection of two roof slopes to form a valley where water cannot be drained effectively. There is more to this question which is further discussed in this article.
Common Causes Of Roof Leaks In The Valley And How To Address Them
Missing Ice & Water Shield. A properly flashed roof valley should have an ice and water shield installed, with roofing felt being properly secured over the ice and water. If the ice and water shield is missing, then you will have to remove the shingles on both sides along the valley, put ice and water shield in place and re-shingle the roof.
You could check to see if the Ice-and-Water shield is installed by going into the attic and looking up through the spaces in between the boards of the roof deck to see whether there are any obvious holes in the valley, which would indicate that the Ice and Water shield may be missing. This may be a generally viable way of checking for leaks and assessing some of the damage, as long as you know what to look for, provided there are some spaces in between the boards comprising the roof deck where the valley is located.
Note that you will probably not be able to see much through the attic, especially if there are plywood boards installed over the roof deck .
Here is a preferred method of checking: You can also put up a ladder towards the valley on the roof, lift a few shingles and check to see if the ice and water is in place. If it is missing, then you will have to make sure it gets put in place.
If you have multiple leaking and failing valleys on the roof, then you may want to consider a complete re-roofing job, especially if the current roof is rather old, and will need to be replaced soon regardless.
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How To Fix A Leaking Roof Valley
As long as you choose the right materials, follow the manufacturers guidelines during installation, and regularly inspect your roof, most issues can be prevented long before they become severe. However, if your roof valley is leaking, theres plenty you can do, and thankfully, these fixes should prove simple for any confident DIYer.
Preformed Mortarless Valley Cost
These roof valleys direct water to the guttering on your home without it discharging over the sides due to long upstands either side of the valet. They also have a variation available in which there is a central upstand for homes with two roof slopes that have uneven pitches.
They are very similar to GRP valleys, but with slight alterations. They benefit from the same advantages that GRP valleys do however, they are slightly more expensive and take longer to accurately install.
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How To Repair A Roof Leak In A Valley Diy Guide
A roofs valley is very prone to leaks, especially if you have an older roof. The reason why the roof valley is such a vulnerable area of the roof has to do with all the rainwater and/or melting snow that accumulates and flows through the valley of the roof before draining into the gutters.
Roof leaks are also very common in the winter, when all the snow accumulating on a roof creates a potential for a leak to develop, especially if the roofs valley on your home is not properly flashed and or if there is a substantial accumulation of melting and refreezing snow in and around the roofs valley.
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There are many factors that can contribute towards a failure of a roof valley flashing, structural issues, inadequate construction, improper roofing methods, and the roofing material deterioration.
Three Types of Valley Flashing: Open, Closed, and Woven
There are three main types of valley flashing approaches:
In this guide, we focus on the roof leaks that are due to closed and woven style valleys.
Hire Professional Roofer For Help
Repairing a roof valley leak takes experience, and is especially difficult on steep and tile roofs. If you encounter problems, be sure to consult reliable roofing professionals. We can handle these types of repairs quickly and easily, no matter what caused the leak in the first place.
Call All Roofing Solutions, your full-service roofing repairs contractor with over 20 years of experience in roofing and re-roofing. We will work with you to identify the damage and present you with options tailored specifically to your situation. Our priority is always to provide you with great service!
Call us at 302-725-7663 in Delaware or 610-551-7663 in Pennsylvania to schedule your FREE repair estimate. And dont forget to ask about our discount of 15% off any roofing repair projects.
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Shingle Roof Installation And Repair By Certified Specialists
Restore the beauty and integrity of your home with shingle roofing from the top roofing contractor in the Spokane Valley, WA, area. At Garcia Roofing, we prioritize fine workmanship and use the best roofing materials to deliver finished roofs that protect our customers’ homes effectively. After a roof repair or new roof installation from our team, your roof will be in the best possible condition and your home will be more valuable.
For high-quality roofing featuring excellent materials and professional construction, call us today atand request an estimate.
Roof Valley Slope Warnings
Where two roof slopes interesect to form a valley, the slope in the valley itself will always be less than that of the two abutting roof surfaces.
A nice summary of the concerns for problems of either reduced drainage or even ponding was given by Mark Graham, NRCA’s vice president for Technical Services, in Professional Roofing back in 2018:
For example, where roofs with a 4:12 slope intersect at a valley, the valley’s actual slope is only about 3:12. To accommodate this, designers should consider greater than the minimum recommended roof slope for steep-slope roof designs with valleys or other complex geometries.
Also, steep-slope roof areas with long rafter lengths experience greater amounts of water runoff than roof areas with short rafter lengths. To better accommodate this water runoff, designers should consider roof slopes greater than the minimum recommended slope.
For low-slope roofs where a tapered insulation cricket or saddle creates a valley, the valley’s slope will be less than that of the cricket or saddle. Some ponding water along cricket and saddle valleys typically will occur and should be anticipated.
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