Roof and Cooler Leaks in Tucson Homes
Drive through Sam Hughes, Armory Park or Jefferson Park and you will see plenty of flat and low-slope roofs with parapet walls, and plenty of evaporative coolers sitting on top of them. That design works well for most of the year. It gets tested in July and August, when a monsoon cell drops more water than the scuppers and canales can carry and the roof holds a few inches of standing water until it finds a way in.
Common Sources of Ceiling Leaks
- Scuppers and roof drains blocked with leaves, dirt and nests
- Cracked or blistered roof coatings and failing seams at parapet walls
- Flashing around cooler stands, vents and skylights
- Swamp cooler pans rusting through or float valves sticking open
- Cooler supply lines and drain lines leaking onto the roof deck
Why These Leaks Spread
Water that gets through a flat roof does not always drip where it entered. It runs along the roof deck and ceiling joists, soaks the insulation and shows up as a stain in another room, or runs down inside a wall. A cooler leak can be slow enough that it goes on all summer before the ceiling sags. By then the insulation is matted, the drywall is soft and there may be mold on the back side of the ceiling.
What We Do
- Trace the water with moisture meters and thermal imaging, ceiling and walls both
- Relieve any ceiling that is holding water before it comes down
- Remove soaked insulation and ceiling drywall that cannot be dried
- Dry the framing, walls and flooring below with monitored equipment
- Document the damage with photos and readings for your claim
The roof repair or cooler repair itself belongs to a roofer or HVAC tech. We take care of the water inside the house and can work around their schedule. If water also came in at ground level during the same storm, see our monsoon flood cleanup page.
Before the Next Storm
Clearing scuppers and roof drains before monsoon season, checking the cooler pan and float in spring, and looking for cracked coating around the cooler stand catch a lot of these problems early.
For ceiling or wall damage from a roof or cooler leak, call Tucson Water Damage Pros at (520) 214-2307.