Roof leak: what to do right now
A roof leak announces itself at the worst time, usually mid-storm, when every roofer in the metro is triaging. The first hour of containment decides how much of the ceiling, insulation, and wiring the water reaches. Here is the order that matters.
Contain the water first
- Bucket under the drip, and move what's under it. Furniture, rugs, electronics out of the path; plastic over what can't move.
- Punch the bulge. If the ceiling is ballooning with trapped water, poke a small drain hole with a screwdriver over a bucket. A controlled hole beats letting the drywall pick where it lets go.
- Kill power to the wet zone if water is near light fixtures, outlets, or the panel, from a dry switch only.
- Don't climb on a wet roof. A wet Portland roof in October is the slickest surface most homeowners ever stand on. Containment is a floor-level job.
Document before you clean
Photograph the stain, the drip, the contents it hit, and the outside of the house if it's safe to step into the yard. If you can see the failure from the ground (a missing shingle, a lifted flashing line, a limb resting on the ridge), shoot that too. The claim and the roofer both work better with pictures taken while it's wet.
Know the triage tiers
- Water actively running in: that's an urgent call. Mark it that way on the form; emergency roof repair covers tarping and temporary dry-in.
- A stain that grows each rain: not tonight's emergency, but don't let it ride a season; every wet cycle keeps feeding the attic and the ceiling deck, and a roof repair is cheaper than the mold conversation that follows it.
- Old stain, dry to the touch: still worth a look. A dormant leak means the entry point is still open; it will wake up in the next hard rain.
What to say on the request
Where the water shows, when it started, and what you see outside if anything. "Stain over the stairwell, drips in hard rain, can't see the roof from the yard" is plenty. The roof repair page covers what a leak repair scope looks like once the crew is on it.
