Roof Leak Repair by Roof Type
Where the stain shows up inside is rarely where the water gets in. Tracing the path back is most of the job.
Tile Roof Leaks
On a tile roof, water can travel along the underlayment and battens before it drips through, so the stain on your ceiling may be several feet from the entry point. Common entries are cracked or slipped tiles over worn underlayment, valleys packed with debris, and flashing at walls and pipes. When lifting tiles shows the underlayment is failing across the roof, the fix is an underlayment replacement rather than one more patch.
Flat and Foam Roof Leaks
Flat roofs leak where the covering is broken or where it ends. On foam, that means punctures, blisters and worn coating. On modified bitumen and built-up roofs, it means open seams and splits. On all of them, the edges matter: parapet caps, scuppers, and the flashing around AC stands and pipes. Standing water finds any opening faster. See flat roof repair and foam roof repair.
Leaks at Flashings, Pipes and Skylights
The code requires flashing at every wall-to-roof intersection, at each change of slope or direction, and around every roof opening. A roof opening wider than 30 inches also needs a cricket on its uphill side. When those details fail, water gets in no matter how good the rest of the roof is. Repairs replace pipe boots, reset wall flashing, and reflash skylight curbs and chimneys.
Why Tempe homeowners call Tempe Expert Roofing
- Free, no-obligation roof estimates
- Written scope: tear-off, underlayment, flashing, coating
- Photos of every finding on your roof
- Permit and code questions answered up front
- One call, one local roofer
Emergency Roof Repair and Tarping
The National Weather Service treats June 15 through September 30 as Arizona's monsoon season, and storms can lift tile, peel back flashing and dump debris into valleys and scuppers. An emergency visit stops the water first with a tarp or a temporary seal, then schedules the permanent repair once the roof is dry enough to work on. Take photos of the damage before anything is covered. Your insurer will ask for them.
What Affects the Cost of a Leak Repair
- How long it takes to trace the leak to its entry point.
What failed
A tile, a pipe boot, a flashing, a coating, or the underlayment.- Whether an emergency tarp comes first.
- Damage to the deck under the entry point.
What to Do When the Roof Starts Leaking
- 1
Protect the inside
Move furniture and electronics, and put a bucket under the drip. - 2
Relieve a bulging ceiling
If drywall is sagging with water, a small hole at the low point lets it drain into a bucket instead of letting the ceiling fail. - 3
Don't go up in a storm
Wet tile and foam are slippery, and lightning is a real risk. - 4
Take photos,
inside and, once it's safe, of the roof. - 5
Call or send the form
Tell us the roof type and where the water is showing up.
For repairs that aren't active leaks, see roof repair.