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Can a dish still aim correctly while having damaged mounts?

1123 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Ken S
Okay I am clutching at straws here.....

The remnants of Gustav rolled through the Chicago area yesterday and it dumped a whole days worth of rain on us. I got home to discover water running down my wall in our master bedroom which was coming through where the window trim was nailed into the wall. Window problem letting water in, eh?

I'm not so sure, and perhaps this is a long shot but here's my theory. I initially thought window but I can not determine how it would be leaking and letting the water in as the window was really not that wet - most of the rain was falling straight down. But, my satellite disk is mounted into the roof directly - and I mean directly - above this area.

At the end of July we had major storms roll through our area; a tornado touch down within two miles of us, and some houses in our subdivision has roof/siding damage from wind sheer. At the time I looked over our house (from the ground level) and it looked fine. But this is the first serious amount of rain we had since that storm and now I have water in my house.

I'm wondering if my dish mounts were damage in the July storms and now water is getting in through the roof where the dish mounts, pooling up at the top of the exterior wall and is trickling down the inside of our drywall. Then were it finds the nails of the window trim, it is coming through to the inside of our room.

The problem is that my reception is great indicating that the dish has not moved, so it is possible my mounts (into the roof) got damaged in the July storms but the dish resettled and continued to work. Then yesterday, the windy morning and all the rain, was the last straw for the mounts and they gave up and let water in?

I've got to get someone out to determine the cause, but is my theory realistic or half baked?
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Half baked, where lag screws enter your roof it is possible that there is a crack in the seal. Water will find its own way in through a small opening so just natural drying of sealing material may have left a very small opening for water to enter.
Highly possible yes. Not sure what ODU you have but especially the basic dishes can move a nice bit before the signal goes out.
Part of the fix can be removing the lag bolts one at a time.......filling the hole with silicone caulk......allowing some set up time........and then replacing the bolt. Do each bolt.

Sounds like you have a bigger problem. Leaks are easier to find while the rain is coming down or while the roof is still wet. Go the the attic area above where the leak is seen if possible.

Joe
joe diamond said:
Part of the fix can be removing the lag bolts one at a time.......filling the hole with silicone caulk......allowing some set up time........and then replacing the bolt. Do each bolt.

Sounds like you have a bigger problem. Leaks are easier to find while the rain is coming down or while the roof is still wet. Go the the attic area above where the leak is seen if possible.

Joe
It's raining again today but I am at work so I do not know if the problem has reoccurred. Unfortunately the part of the roof where the dish mounts is not accessible in the attic as it is part of a vaulted ceiling.

I'll just have to let a pro sort it all out. I'm just hoping that they don't remove the dish and mess up all the aiming. If I need the dish aimed again, how long does it take for someone to come out and do it, and how much?
Repointing is a minimum service charge........$60.00 + and most of the cost is time to drive to the address. Discover what caused the leak. See if there is another place for the mast & dish that doesn't puncture the roof.

If the dish install caused the leak that is why installers pay for general liability insurance.

Joe
joe diamond said:
Repointing is a minimum service charge........$60.00 + and most of the cost is time to drive to the address. Discover what caused the leak. See if there is another place for the mast & dish that doesn't puncture the roof.

If the dish install caused the leak that is why installers pay for general liability insurance.

Joe
Does this mean that if the dish IS the cause of the leak, the OP can actually go back to DTV or the installation company to be compensated for the damage caused by the rain?
The dish was installed in November so I doubt it was badly installed. If this is the cause - hopefully I will know tomorrow - it is more likely damaged that was sustained in 70+mph winds at the end of July that is only now manifesting itself after we had our first significant rain in over a month.

What kind of wind speed can a dish take?
kjnorman said:
The dish was installed in November so I doubt it was badly installed. If this is the cause - hopefully I will know tomorrow - it is more likely damaged that was sustained in 70+mph winds at the end of July that is only now manifesting itself after we had our first significant rain in over a month.

What kind of wind speed can a dish take?
Dishes have done well in hurricane winds. It is the attachment technique and materials used.

I saw a recent picture of a dish attached to a chimney. The chimney was lying horizontal in an intersection with cars driving around it.. The caption was that the installation company had back charged the tech for failing to attach the dish to a secure part of the structure.

Hard to judge........Would the roof have leaked without the dish?

Joe
Starchy77 said:
Does this mean that if the dish IS the cause of the leak, the OP can actually go back to DTV or the installation company to be compensated for the damage caused by the rain?
It is the reason I do not often bolt dishes to roofs. I look for other ways to do it and inform the customer the dish attachment will require monitoring and maintenance from time to time.

Joe
Well we had quite a bit more rain today but this time the wall stayed dry. So it may not be the dish mounts as I would have expected more water to get in.

At the moment I am at a loss as to the cause. Hopefully the workman coming out this afternoon will find it.
kjnorman said:
Well we had quite a bit more rain today but this time the wall stayed dry. So it may not be the dish mounts as I would have expected more water to get in.

At the moment I am at a loss as to the cause. Hopefully the workman coming out this afternoon will find it.
Sometimes it's rain and wind that cause the issue. We get a "little" of both down here in SE Florida and it's amazing what paths water can take with a little help from the wind.

Also, it's possible the path the water took in is now obstructed by debris or swelling of the wood/materials.

Finding leaks can just be no fun at all...good luck.
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