Leaves in the Valleys Can Hide What the Inspector Needs to See

A roof valley is the V-shaped channel where two slopes meet, and it carries more water than almost any other part of the roof. In St. Louis that channel fills with leaves from October into early December, when the oaks, maples and sweetgums along the street drop most of what they have. A packed valley holds moisture against the shingles and the metal beneath them, and then the freeze and thaw cycle does the rest. Before you book the visit, or before the inspector climbs, it helps to know what a wet, leaf-filled valley hides.

Inspection

An inspector reading a valley looks at four things: the metal or the woven shingle layer, the nail lines, the shingle edges where they cut into the channel, and the lower end where the water leaves the roof. Rust that has started to pit the metal shows as a dull, rough patch. Granules washed into a straight line show where water has run hard along one path. A cut edge that has lifted shows where a shingle has been pushed up, often by ice. None of those marks show through a layer of wet leaves.

Leaves also hide the difference between an original valley and one that was patched later. A repaired valley often has extra sealant or a second strip of metal laid over the first. If the debris is still there when the inspector arrives, the report may say the valley could not be assessed. That sentence is accurate, but it leaves an open item on the page and a second trip to schedule.

Water that sits in a valley for months can also work under the shingles at the edges, where the sheathing is thinnest and softens first. The inspector checks the surface from above and, when the attic is accessible, the underside of the valley from below. A stain on the sheathing along the valley line is worth photographing from the attic side, because it tells the inspector where to look once the surface is clear.

Clearing the valley without going up wet

Clearing a valley is one part of this that many homeowners can do from the ground or from a stable ladder, but only in dry weather. A wet roof is slick, and a valley is the place where two slopes meet, so footing is poor exactly where the debris collects. Use a soft leaf rake or a plastic scoop, and work downhill toward the gutter. Do not pry at the shingle edges or the metal, and do not use a pressure washer, which can drive water under shingles that were holding fine. If you see a lifted shingle or a bent strip of metal, leave it alone and write down where it is.

Bag the leaves rather than letting them drop into the gutter below. Debris that falls past the valley lands in the gutter at the lower end, where it can pack the downspout elbow and back water up under the eave. Sweetgum balls and pine needles are harder than leaves, because they knit together and shed water poorly, so they take longer to clear and often leave grit behind. If the gutter is already full, clear it at the same time. Check the lower valley where the water exits for that grit, since it shows how much water has been moving through the channel.

Take photographs before you start and after you finish. A before and after set of the valley, with the lower end visible, gives you a record of the roof's condition on the day it was clean. Keep those photos with the inspection report. They are useful to you and to whoever looks at the roof next.

What it costs

The inspection visit is priced by the office, and the number depends on what you are asking the crew to look at. Call (314) 220-2333 and ask what the visit includes, and whether clearing debris from the valleys is part of it or billed as a separate line. Keys can tell you the current terms on the phone. Nothing on this page is a quote, and no price is implied by it.

Ask also whether the written report will photograph each valley and note the debris condition when the photos were taken. A report that says a valley was obscured by debris is useful only if the return visit is scheduled and its terms are clear. Get the terms of any return visit in writing before the day, so you know what the second trip will cost before the crew is on the roof.

Timing against the freeze

In St. Louis the leaves usually finish falling in late October and November, and the first hard freeze often arrives in December or January. An inspection in late autumn that finds a packed valley gives you time to clear it before the ground freezes and before the freeze and thaw cycle starts working on any gap at the metal or at the shingle edges. If the visit is in late winter, the valley may still hold ice, and ice at the eave can push water uphill under the shingles in a way that a clean valley would not show. A winter inspection can still be useful, but it will tell you less about the valley than a fall one.

Spring brings its own load. Hail season in the metro runs from spring into early summer, and a valley full of debris makes it harder to see whether any granules have been knocked loose along the channel. If you plan to walk the roof after a storm, clear the valleys first, so the walk has something to compare against.

What to ask

• Will the inspector clear the valleys during the visit, or should I clear them before the appointment?
• Does the written report photograph each valley, and does it say whether the metal or the woven layer was visible?
• If a valley is still covered when the inspector leaves, what is the next step, and what are the terms of a second visit?
• Who will be on the ladder, and will the crew step onto the valley shingles or stay off them?
• Will the report note the condition of the lower valley where it meets the gutter and the drip edge?
• Will the report say which shingle brand and product line was found on the valley, so the next repair matches the original?

Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles, so the report can name the product on each slope if you ask. Write the answers down and keep them with the photos. A clean valley and a clear report are the two things that make the next decision easier, whichever way you go.