Water, Water Everywhere

We've all observed, first-hand, the impact of a leaky roof on the sanctuary below.  But what's causing all this?  How big are the leaks up there, on the roof? 

We are so glad you asked!  Your GLC council commissioned several roofing vendors to do an assessment of our leaking roof, and below are some of the most insightful photos they captured.  We found a few gaps that are wide-open, and letting water in.  But we also found a lot of issues due to the use of incompatible building materials... which cause rust and quicker deterioration.  

Visible gap between tiles, and a visible rip in the underlying tar-paper, seen on the small roof above the altar. This is definitely letting water in, and may be the principal cause of water damage above the altar.

The "flashing" around the edges of the roof is our main concern. The metal sheeting beneath the tiles should curve up the surrounding walls to create a water-tight seal. In this case, we see some corrosion of the flashing, loose tiles, and an awkward repair attempt using caulking. This is above the Luther Seal window, on the south side of the sanctuary.

This is a gap in the roof joints directly above the choir and organ. We are seeing a crack in the historic metal flashing, which has been inadequately repaired using caulk. This didn't work -- the metal flashing expands and contracts during the seasons, which the caulk cannot do, and this makes the hole even larger. The correct solution should have been to replace the cracked flashing entirely.

The galvanic reaction: the church's original flashings and gutters are copper, which you see oxidized to a greenish color on the right. In the center, flashings were inexpensively replaced at some point with galvanized steel, which rusts and turns orange. These two elements react in the presence of water, degrading each other. The caulking you see is a temporary fix. The hole on the left probably isn't helping either.