Hannah made my roof leak

The tropical storm Hannah moved in after the house had fallen asleep. As happens to me with severe storms and their associated low pressure, I had knocked out cold with the radio running and a half a mug of coffee. ONe day caffeine will keep me up all night, I am sure, but not yet.

I heard torrential rain during the night-even the loud radio couldn't drown out the hammering.

Willow awoke shortly after I did with the report,"my ceiling is leaking."

UGH.
Yes, it had leaked, and missed the bed by inches, and then leaked downstairs, somehow soaking the couch, but as leaks can run along rafters they can be the devil to locate.

I was going to head directly to the city this am, and mentally added in a Home Depot stop for more roofing tar, but I figured I better get on the roof first and see what was up. Every summer the roof gets maintenence-this summer I just have not gotten around to it.

I had the Firebird help moved the mattress and box spring off the frame in my room. Who makes queen sized mattresses with no handles, anyhow?!?!?! We managed, and I dragged in, and upstairs, the eight foot stepladder, cursing myself for getting the eight-footer, as it is tight setting it up in that spot.

At least the hatch was still operable, although heavier than usual as the rain had soaked the boards that extend along the frame...from underneath, as it must have been splashing.

I discovered I still had a half a bucket of tar from last summer up on the roof, but the roof was soaked in puddles. The house has three roofs-the one over my room is flat, the other two are shed style with a drop of 1 foot for 6 feet of run, so they were roll-rooffed and not shingled.

The culprit is (always) the larger shed roof sloping North. That is the only one that was laid with OSB board and not 1 inch pine boards. I patched and tarred it last year, but the ice dams last winter had it leaking. It didn't leak all summer. I had to use the mop to mop up the puddles on the flat side to get it to dry, figuring I would seal that as well while I was at it.

I scanned the suspect section of roof and found a couple of matchhead sized spots and that was all! So, I used the thick stuff and a putty knife. Along some of the seams I added in fiberglass cloth, because although I retar them every year, with the expansion and contraction tiny spaces open up. I figured the cloth might cure that.

Then I was ready to spread the liquid goop. What did that whole section of roof when it was 90F last summer did half of it this year. It was going on late afternoon, so I decided to make a run to the Village to pick up another bucket. When we arrived, they were closed!!!! Grrr. By then it was 4pm so not enough time to drive to the city and get back to it.

So, some ice creams and some IPA and we headed home, to haul everything back down off the roof (mop bucket, mop, putty knife, etc, etc) close the hatch, put the bed back together..and hope we get some 90s this month to finish the job.

At least I made sure to focus on the suspected leak-spot, and managed to work in cleaning the chimney while the mopped-up roof was drying. Turns out that I didn't have to mop that darn section since I never got to it.

Well, I am sure the flying squirrels will appreciate a clean dry place to romp tonight. ;)