Water – Best Practices for Metal Roof Directly on Existing Shingled Roof

Replace it now. Like TODAY. That's BAD.

With that kind of bad shingle wear, your shingles are likely to create ice dams which will cause water to back up and leak through the roof, causing interior damage, compounding the cost.

In the summer, the roof won't hold the water because it can't freeze, so the curls will only grab a very little water before it drips free.

In the winter, however, a little retained water will freeze, expand, and capture more water, which will freeze, and so forth.

Any moisture issues related to the standing water incident would have manifested itself long before now. Whatever the current issue is, it's unrelated to the previous issue. In that time, it is possible a new leak developed. It's also possible the dark areas are related to interior humidity and unrelated to the roof. In cold weather, the ceiling surface under rafters is measurably cooler than the nearby portion under insulation alone. This can cause condensation only under the rafters. As you know, condensation can lead to mold.

Can you tell if the darkening is due to actual mold? The damp surface can attract dirt that darkens the area even though no mold is growing. Even though the dirt can stain, attempting to clean an area with plain soap and water would yield a very different result than if mold is actively growing.

If mold is actively growing, it is time to consult with a mold professional. They will determine the cause, mitigate the mold, and suggest how to prevent it from happening again. If you want to investigate further before going that route, the only reliable way to determine if the rafters are getting wet is direct inspection.

Cut a small inspection hole where you think it's the worst. If it's wet up there, a lot more ceiling is coming off, so don't bother patching the hole. The roof is leaking. It needs to be repaired and all wet drywall and insulation needs to be replaced. If it's all dry, breathe a sigh of relief. The need to patch the hole is much less than it could have been. Be sure to adequately seal the damaged vapor barrier.

If the rafters are dry, the only thing you can do to reduce condensation on the ceiling is reduce the overall humidity of the house. First try selective ventilation and lifestyle adjustments. Consider bumping the thermostat up a bit. If that's not enough, look into continuous ventilation through an air to air heat exchanger.

A far as replacing stringers, that cannot be done with comp roofing unless a full cold roof is installed. It is normal practice for concealed structural spaces filled with insulation to not be ventilated. It sounds like the roofers followed conventional building practice.