roof-leak-emergency-response

Manage active ceiling leaks by tracing the source from the attic, safely containing water, documenting for insurance, and planning drying to prevent mold.

Water coming through a ceiling is a 3-hour problem with a 3-month tail. The first hour decides most of it: where the water is actually getting in (the drip point is rarely under the entry — roofs and ceiling voids route water sideways meters from the hole), whether electricity is in play, and what gets photographed before mitigation erases the evidence insurance wants. Then the tail: wet drywall and insulation that isn't dried within 24–48h becomes mold remediation at 5–10× the cost.

When to Use

• Water actively dripping / ceiling bulging / brown stain spreading
• After a storm: check the attic even if the ceiling looks dry
• Water around a light fixture or ceiling fan (electrical class — different first moves)
• Deciding: tarp it myself tonight vs roofer tomorrow vs emergency call
• After containment: what dries, what gets opened, what insurer needs
• Renters: the notice + documentation sequence that protects the deposit and forces the repair

Don't use for: burst pipes inside walls (different failure — shut the water main, see water-shutoff-map patterns); roof COLLAPSE sounds (structural — evacuate the room, call emergency services line); standing water near the electrical panel (electrician/utility first).

The Method

1. triage — the first-15-minutes decision tree: electrical involvement (fixture/fan/any outlet wet → breaker off FIRST, and do not touch the fixture), water volume class (drip vs stream vs pouring), structural sag (bulge = contained water weight — poke it INTO a bucket, never let it choose its own moment), night/steepness cutoffs for going up.
2. find — source tracing: the ceiling-stain rules (wet-edge = active, ring edges = old episodes), attic-entry protocol (from BELOW the deck, follow the wet rafters/sheathing uphill — water travels on the underside of decking before it drops), the usual suspects map (flashing at chimney/valley/vent, nail backs, missing shingle tabs, ice dams in season, plumbing-stack collars), and the hose-test method for tomorrow if tonight is guesses.
3. tarp — DIY emergency cover: when (rain ongoing, accessible from INSIDE the attic space can be safer than roof-walking), the 2-ft overlap + downhill-under course rules, anchoring (never nail into the wet roof — board/strap weights; furring strips on edges), ladder steepness/height cutoffs, and the STOP list (wet roof, night, steep pitch >6/12, two stories, alone).
4. insurance — evidence-first protocol: the photo/video shot list (wide → room → stain → attic path → exterior suspect), the mitigation-vs-permanent-repair distinction (insurers expect you to MITIGATE — tarps and drying are claim-relevant, full replacement repairs before adjuster = trouble), receipts for everything, the first-notice call script, and the difference between sudden-damage (covered) vs wear/tear/maintenance (usually not).
5. dry — the 24–48h mold clock: moisture mapping (cheap pin meter or the screwdriver-poke test), what's salvageable (drywall that dries fast and stays structurally sound vs insulation that NEVER keeps its R-value wet), when to open the ceiling (wet insulation above drywall = open it, it's a mold incubator), fan+dehumidifier math, and the smell/humidity red flags that mean call remediation.

Run python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py <cmd> --help.

Judgment Rules

• Water first, ceiling second. Contain the drip (bucket + towels + plastic sheet) BEFORE investigating the bulge. A sagging bulge is gallons of stored water: poke at the LOWEST point with a screwdriver, bucket ready, controlled release beats ceiling choosing.
• Breaker before bucket if any fixture/outlet is wet or the leak is within ~1 m of one. Water follows wiring through joist bays.
• The drip point is a starting coordinate, not the answer. Roofs shed water into valleys and flashing gaps meters away; inside, water runs the underside of sheathing and tops of joists before dropping. Attic triangulation from above beats ceiling-staring every time.
• Photograph before you mitigate. The insurer's adjuster wants to see the active path; a perfectly tarped, dried scene reads as "minor" to someone who wasn't there. Evidence THEN mitigation, always.
• Tarps are for keeping rain OUT, not for looking tidy. Overlap like shingles (upper course OVER lower), extend past the suspect area, weight the edges. A badly anchored tarp in wind becomes a sail and enlarges the damage.
• Wet insulation is done. Fiberglass batts lose R-value and hold water against the drywall; cellulose compacts and molds fast. Wet = remove and replace, not dry and hope.
• The mold clock is 24–48h. After that, the question isn't whether to call remediation, it's how much of the wall opens.

Common Pitfalls

1. Staring at the ceiling stain while the attic (where the answer is) stays unvisited.
2. Popping a bulging ceiling without a bucket under the lowest point — gallons release at once and it's NOT where you stood.
3. Touching a wet light fixture "to see if it still works."
4. Nailing a tarp through the shingles — every nail hole is a new leak; use furring/board anchoring at edges only.
5. Walking a wet, mossy, or steep roof at night — falls kill more people than roof leaks bankrupt people. Emergency roofer exists.
6. Drying the room but leaving wet attic insulation above — mold farm with a fresh-painted lid.
7. Repairing permanently before the adjuster sees it — coverage fight you created yourself.
8. Renters not putting the leak in WRITING to the landlord day-of — the paper trail is what makes the repair and the deposit protection enforceable.

Verification Checklist

• Power off to affected circuit if any fixture nearby (breaker, verified with a lamp)
• Drip contained; bulge released into a bucket at the low point
• Attic inspected: wet path marked (chalk), suspect entry photographed from the underside
• Exterior photographed; tarp only if inside safe-cutoffs, else emergency roofer called and documented
• Evidence pack: wide/room/stain/attic/exterior photos + video, timestamps on
• Insurer (or landlord) called; claim/reference number recorded; mitigation-vs-repair distinction understood
• Wet insulation removed and bagged; ceiling opened over wet areas if insulation was wet
• Fans + dehumidifier running; moisture readings logged daily until two consecutive dry days
• No musty smell, humidity normal, readings stable → then (and only then) close the ceiling

One-Shot Recipe

Storm night, water dripping near a ceiling light, bulge growing:

bash

python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py triage --fixture yes --flow drip
python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py find --attic accessible
python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py tarp --pitch 7 --rain yes --dark yes
python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py insurance --country us
python3 scripts/roof_leak_response.py dry --wet-insulation yes

Breaker off → bucket under the low point → attic flashlight hunt → photo everything → emergency roofer if the tarp STOP-list fires → dehumidifier tonight.