Stains, bulges, mold growth, or drips on your ceiling typically indicate a roof leak. Cathedral ceilings and a variety of roof types can lack attics. You’ll need to know a few tricks of the trade to learn how to find a roof leak with no attic. Once you narrow down where the roof has failed, you can locate the precise place that requires a roof repair.

How to Find a Roof Leak with No Attic Directions

1. Find all of the water stains on the ceiling.
2. Look specifically for a stain that is higher up the cathedral ceiling than the other stains.
3. If you see a small stain in a high location, ask yourself if it is upslope from larger lower stains.
   1. If a small stain is higher up the slope than a big stain, then that should be where water is penetrating.
   2. The water gets in and then runs down inside the ceiling until pooling and forming a larger stain.
4. Now that you know the general area of the leak, carefully get up on the roof.
5. Mount an extension ladder securely at the edge of the roof.
6. Wear nonskid rubber-soled shoes when climbing on the roof.
7. Approach the area of the suspected leak.
8. Inspect the flashing on any nearby vents or chimneys for damage.
9. Look at the shingles to see if any are loose or if moss is growing over them.
10. Take a pry bar and gently lift up shingles to look at the roof deck.
11. The leak will be evident if you see broken tar paper and rotting wood.
12. If you can’t find obvious damage, pull a garden hose up on the roof.
13. Soak the shingles in small locations and ask someone in the house to watch for leaks.
14. Be methodical as you wet small areas of the roof until you find the leak.