Tar and Gravel fun

Finding a leak on a tar and gravel roof is usually not too difficult for an experienced roofer like myself. Most times it’s easily found but once in a while it can be tricky for even a seasoned veteran. Persistence is the key. However, difficult was not the case today in Ladner. After sweeping the roof area near the drip location and using our secret tool to find the splits ( I can’t publicly tell you the secret or others roofers might start to use it and gain a bit on our success rate and thus gain on our market advantage too) we found more than we bargained for. The splits kept coming and coming the more we expanded our search area. How was this roof not leaking more than what showed up inside? The answer had to be in the vaulted ceiling and it’s ability to shed the leak water away from the inquisitive home owner’s vision. The photo attached shows the proper way to prep a roof before application of the patch. Yes. Those were some major splits.