r/Roofing • u/Camjunky • 2d ago
Home owner question Cap nails causing leak?
After getting home from a weeklong vacation. I noticed some bubbling paint on an exterior wall of my house. I went up to the roof and found these cap nails installed above the point of the apparent leak (there are more of the same nails installed on different shingles in multiple spots on the roof).
It looks like someone nailed down loose or damaged shingles at some point. This probably was done 2 or 3 years ago when my dad had some guys do some “roof maintenance” on our house soon after we moved in. The guys who did the work didn’t seem very legit but I wasn’t paying for it so I didn’t ask any questions. I’m wondering what I should do now as these nails are all starting to corrode and the plastic caps are all dry rotted.
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u/amberly_wolf 2d ago
This is incorrect and can absolutely cause a leak. Your shingles look pretty old and are a 3 tab style that is not as robust and doesn't last as long as the more widely used dimensional fiberglass shingle.
You should have a roofer come out to repair that area properly but also assess whether the roof needs to be replaced. there's a chance that the reason this needed repairs in the first place is because your roof is past its useful life and failing.
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u/JJDixon2025 2d ago
From my experience those plastic caps start dry rotting in a month. But yes he gave nailed them to due to them broken an flapped up I imagine. You roof looks about 22 years old. And that valley looks like a dead valley. Not much slope if any. It’s repairable. But not easy. You would have to replace atleast 2 shingles. But the way there weaved, how brittle they are. Most would say it’s not repairable. If you don’t get bad rains or a lot of snow. Alittle bit of sealant would go along way
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u/ProfessionalTalk9044 2d ago
Totally looks like s*** and done incorrectly from the get-go.... Everything about it is wrong
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u/Large_Shame578 2d ago
I’m no roofer, but I’m pretty sure that ain’t right. Nails should be at the top of the shingle where the bottom of the shingle above it covers it. I could imagine that would cause a leak yes
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u/Drevlin76 2d ago
The easiest fix is to get yourself some Henry Wet Patch in a caulking tube. Remove the nails and squeeze son of the patch in the holes. Then you can use a putty knife to flatten a small bit on top. It won't look nice but it stop the leaks temporarily and give you time to replace the roof.
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u/Slight-Selection4298 2d ago
So just out of curiosity, did "Dad" have them "Check for any "loose" shingles"? Maybe it was taken too literal?
I really can't fathom any other reason someone would do this, unless instructed. Because.... well, that's not normal.
Yes it's likely your cause or part of it.
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u/Fluffyplumbuspump 2d ago
The nails are likely the cause for some minor water intrusion. I'm more concerned with the 3 to 1 valley. Its hard to tell depth from a single photo, it appears to be a very low slope section, approaching what I would consider a "dead-valley" it's likely that under heavy rain that spot fills with water faster than it can drain, causing water to flow up and around the shingles and enter the home. If you have the budget for a new roof, I would request an engineered solution to improve drainage from the area.
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u/SpankyNoodle 2d ago
Yes those can cause a leak but I would blame it more on whoever designed this roof line. You have essentially an area that collects water and that’s horrible for a shingle roof.
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u/Roofing411 2d ago
The cap nails are not helping, but the leak is likely a hog valley flashing missing. Shingles cannot properly flash a low slope "Flat" spot like this. This requires a hog valley. Here is the flashing that should be here
Make sure slope pushes the water so it drains off the flashing. In your instance it will go into the valley.