Lumber crayons are decent, but honestly, even those can smudge or fade over time. If you're really serious about tracking leaks step-by-step, here's what I've done: first, clean the area around the leak thoroughly—dust and dirt can confuse things later. Then mark the perimeter clearly with a lumber crayon (like you mentioned), but also write down the date nearby. Take a quick photo and upload it immediately to cloud storage (Google Photos or Dropbox works fine). That way, even if your phone decides to take a dive off the roof, your evidence stays safe...been there myself.
Good tips overall, especially the photo backup—I've lost more than one phone to gravity myself, haha. But honestly, lumber crayons aren't my favorite for long-term tracking. Even with dates and photos, they can fade or smudge if you're dealing with ongoing moisture or harsh weather.
What I've found works better is using a paint marker (the oil-based kind). They're waterproof, stick to almost anything, and stay visible way longer. Just make sure the surface is dry before marking it, or you'll end up with a colorful mess...ask me how I know. Also, instead of just marking the perimeter, I sometimes draw arrows pointing toward the leak's origin or direction of flow. Helps later when you're trying to remember exactly what you were thinking at the time.
But yeah, photos are key. Nothing beats visual evidence when you're trying to convince insurance adjusters or skeptical homeowners that a leak is new and not something from three storms ago.
Paint markers are definitely a step up from lumber crayons. I learned that the hard way after a storm last year—thought I'd been clever marking everything with crayons, but after a week of rain, it looked like abstract art. Now I snap photos religiously and use bright-colored paint markers. Arrows are a smart idea too, might borrow that one next time I'm up on a slippery roof...
- Paint markers are decent, but honestly, I find colored chalk works fine too.
- It's cheap, easy to carry, and washes off eventually without leaving permanent marks.
- Plus, if you're snapping photos anyway, the chalk visibility issue isn't a big deal.
- Just my two cents... learned this after marking up a client's fancy slate roof—paint marker didn't go over so well there.
"learned this after marking up a client's fancy slate roof—paint marker didn't go over so well there."
Yeah, I can imagine that didn't end too smoothly... Slate roofs can be tricky. Chalk's definitely safer on delicate surfaces, but have you tried using different colors to track leaks over time? Here's what I've found helpful:
First, mark the suspected leak spots with one color (say, yellow) during your initial inspection. After the next rain or water test, use another color (like blue) to mark any new moisture or changes. This way, you can visually track if leaks are active or old stains without confusion.
Also, snapping photos each time helps build a timeline. Comparing images side-by-side makes it easier to spot subtle differences you might miss otherwise.
Just curious—are you dealing mostly with slate or asphalt shingles? Different materials sometimes need slightly different approaches...
