Pick a worry number before anything else
Start by asking how bad it looks, on a scale where 10 is an emergency. Water around a light fixture, a ceiling that sags or bulges, or a wire down puts the stain at the top of that scale, and the move is to leave the room and call 911. FEMA's guidance on re-entering a flood-damaged home points out that water may be trapped above a sagging ceiling.
On a downed wire, PSE&G tells customers to treat it as live, stay 30 feet or more away and call 911 or 1-800-436-7734. Lower on the scale, a stain that grows with each rain merits a phone call soon, and one that has stopped growing leaves time for the steps below.
Outline the edge, photograph it, write the date
Trace the edge of the stain in pencil and date the line. After the next rain, look again: if the stain has grown past the line, it is active, and if it stays inside, it may be old. Photograph the ceiling in daylight and keep the pictures.
New Jersey's insurance department advises photographing damaged property before discarding anything. The Energy Department's repair brief adds that ceiling drywall wetted only by clean rainwater can stay if it is not sagging, not mildewing and still smooth, while soaked insulation is removed to let the ceiling dry.
Look up from the attic hatch, not out on the roof
If the attic has a hatch, a flashlight from the opening shows a lot. The roofing manufacturers' association points to the roof deck's underside, where water stains show, especially around flashing.
Measure from a landmark. A chimney, a vent pipe or a roof valley gives the contractor a spot to start from outside. Stay at the hatch, since insulation hides the framing and one wrong step can land a foot through the ceiling.
Read the roof from the yard
Binoculars from the yard, or a look from an upstairs window, cover most of what matters. The roofing manufacturers' association lists missing or loose shingles, impaired flashing and obstructed gutters or roof vents as signs that call for a professional.
Compare what you see outside with the landmark you measured inside. If a ladder ever comes into the picture, NIOSH says to keep it at least ten feet from power lines, set it at roughly 75 degrees on level ground. Its top goes three feet beyond the roof edge. A wet roof is the wrong place for a first try.
What a wet ceiling tells you about the wood and insulation
Wet material gives the contractor a second clue. The Energy brief says plaster can stay if undamaged, though it dries slowly, and that a section separating from its lath is replaced. Before anything covers drywall or plaster, the brief wants a moisture reading under 2 percent, and under 20 percent for wood.
A moisture meter gives those readings, and a contractor or restoration professional carries one. Until then, note where the material feels soft, dark or crumbly, and photograph it before cleanup.
The same walk-through on one card
- 1
Give the stain a worry number between 1 and 10.
- 2
In the top band, 8 to 10, leave the room and call 911.
- 3
Trace the edge in pencil and date it.
- 4
Photograph the ceiling in daylight.
- 5
From the attic hatch, look up at the roof boards and note a landmark.
- 6
From the yard, scan the roof with binoculars.
- 7
Gather the notes, then call (862) 396-4866 about a visit.
Still unsure where the water gets in?
Gather the pencil outline, the dated photos, the landmark measurement and the roof's age. Then call (862) 396-4866 and ask about a visit to trace the entry point. Roof leak repair describes what a visit can cover, and roof inspection describes a wider look at the whole roof.