Roof Soffits Are Wet

You re on the verge of having water come into your home.

Roof soffits are wet.

Soffited eaves and gable overhangs are susceptible to water damage caused by ice dams improper flashing torn shingles and faulty gutters. If you have gutters but no gutter apron to stop the water it will wick behind the gutter. It mixes with attic air and flows out through roof vents or a ridge vent higher up. Once water seeps through worn shingles or under loose flashings it ll run down rafters or roof boards and puddle on the top side of the soffit boards.

And once water has seeped in the rot spreads quickly because the wood stays soggy inside the dark dank space. Over time this could cause your home s wooden roof deck to rot and the paint on your fascia and soffit to crack and deteriorate. This cools the attic in the summer and flushes out moisture in the winter. If you determine water is leaking through the soffit you must take specific steps to stop the leaks and keep your attic dry.

Soffits are the horizontal boards that fit under the eaves of the roof. When water flows off the edge of your roof some of it clings to the underside of the shingles and dribbles toward the fascia. First fix your roof. The word soffit is derived from the french language and literally means something fixed underneath it s most commonly used around a building s main roof but soffit can also be used under porches under arches or columns under a flight of stairs pretty much anything that has a visible ceiling.

You may see water dripping behind the gutters or you may notice that your soffit is wet. Eventually the fascia soffits and even the roof sheathing will rot. The most likely source of trouble is ice buildup on the edges of your roof. The soffit is the surface that sits under a roof s overhang sitting parallel with the ground below.

Athe water dripping from your soffit is a definite warning sign. Soffit repair doesn t begin with the soffits. With good venting air flows up through the soffit vent and along the underside of the roof into the attic. In some cases the soffit might be the point of entry for water seeping into your attic instead of the roof s surface.