First hour: limit the damage

1. Move what matters. Electronics, furniture, and anything absorbent, out from under the drip.
2. Contain the water. A bucket with a towel in the bottom keeps it from splashing and spreading.
3. Relieve a bulging ceiling. A ceiling holding trapped water will eventually let go all at once. Puncturing the center of the bulge with a screwdriver, bucket underneath, drains it in a controlled way and usually saves the drywall.
4. Kill power to the area if water is anywhere near light fixtures, ceiling fans, or outlets.
5. Photograph everything before cleanup — you'll want it for insurance.
6. Get into the attic if it's safe and trace the water back toward its entry point.

Why the leak isn't where the stain is

Water almost never enters directly above where it appears. It gets through the roof at one point, travels along rafters, decking, or the top of a ceiling joist — sometimes many feet — and then drops at the first low point. This is the single biggest reason DIY leak repairs fail: the patch goes where the stain is, and the actual hole is somewhere else entirely.

It's also why tracing the leak properly is most of the work in any roof repair in Pflugerville. Finding the entry point takes longer than fixing it.

Where leaks actually start

Unfamiliar with any of these terms? Our roofing glossary defines every one in plain English.

Not every ceiling stain is a roof leak

Before assuming the roof, rule out: a plumbing leak from an upstairs bathroom, HVAC condensate line backup (extremely common in Texas summers), condensation from an under-ventilated attic, and ice-related backup after a hard freeze. An HVAC drain pan overflowing looks remarkably like a roof leak from below and has nothing to do with the roof.

When it's an emergency

• Active running water rather than a slow drip
• A visibly sagging or bulging ceiling
• Water near electrical fixtures or the panel
• Storm damage with the roof open to the sky
• A large area of missing shingles with more rain forecast

We provide 24/7 emergency response and tarping to stop water intrusion until a permanent roof repair can be made.

On temporary patches

Roofing tar or sealant smeared into a suspected leak point usually makes the eventual repair harder and more expensive, and it rarely holds. If the roof needs protection before a proper repair, a properly installed tarp is the right temporary measure.

Getting the leak fixed properly

Once the water is stopped, the right fix depends on what the roof actually shows. A cracked pipe boot, a failed flashing detail, or a handful of lifted shingles is a straightforward roof repair. A roof leaking in several places at once, or one already near the end of its service life, usually points to roof replacement in Pflugerville instead — repairing it repeatedly costs more than replacing it once.

A free roof inspection settles which one you're looking at, with photographs rather than an opinion. If it's the smaller of the two, that's what the report will say.

Common questions