Stain on a Colonia ceiling? Let a roofer read the roof above it
A stain that spreads after rain, shingles on the lawn, ice along the eaves: say which one you have when you call (732) 568-2812, and a local roofer can take it from there.

- Stains and leaks
- Wind and storm damage
- Flat roofs, gutters
- Ice and flashing
- Colonia, Iselin, Edison
Four things people ask from the driveway
Can I climb up and look?
NIOSH says over 100 people die in ladder falls every year, and puts about 40 percent of the cases down to a wrong setup angle. A phone zoomed in from the lawn shows a roofer most of what is worth describing.
Is a ceiling stain an emergency?
A flat stain that is not growing can wait for daytime hours. A ceiling that bulges or sags, or one that drips where a light is mounted, calls for stepping out of the room and phoning 911 before anything else.
How much of the roof is involved?
The Department of Energy's repair brief quotes a guide that sets the line at ten percent of the roof; beyond that, it recommends a new roof.
What about a wire in the yard?
PSE&G's advice: any wire on the ground, even a phone or cable line, is live. Keep back and call 911.
When you want the long version
What a one-inch rain sends off an 800-square-foot roof, and where the downspout sends it next.
A ground-level look after wind
What the lawn, the gutters and the ceilings can tell you without a ladder.
From the old shingles to the ridge, and what each step is for.
Heat cable, roof rake, ice belt and air sealing, side by side.
Twelve months on the Newark gauge
Jan to Mar33 to 42 F on average
| Month | Average temperature | Rain and melted snow | Snow | What the roof meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32.8 F | 3.42 in | 9.1 in | 22.6 nights at or below 32 F, and ice along the eaves |
| Feb | 35.1 F | 2.98 in | 10.1 in | The most snow of any month |
| Mar | 42.5 F | 4.13 in | 5.6 in | 12.4 freezing nights, then the thaw shows what winter did |
Apr to Jun53 to 73 F on average
| Month | Average temperature | Rain and melted snow | Snow | What the roof meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr | 53.3 F | 3.87 in | 0.5 in | A good month for a lawn-level look at shingles and gutters |
| May | 63.3 F | 3.97 in | 0.0 in | 1.9 days at 90 F or above |
| Jun | 72.7 F | 4.34 in | 0.0 in | 5.4 days at 90 F or above |
Jul to Sep69 to 78 F on average
| Month | Average temperature | Rain and melted snow | Snow | What the roof meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul | 78.2 F | 4.66 in | 0.0 in | The wettest month, and 11.3 days at 90 F or above |
| Aug | 76.4 F | 4.15 in | 0.0 in | 7.4 days at 90 F or above |
| Sep | 69.2 F | 3.82 in | 0.0 in | Leaves begin to gather in gutters |
Oct to Dec38 to 58 F on average
| Month | Average temperature | Rain and melted snow | Snow | What the roof meets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | 57.5 F | 3.79 in | 0.2 in | Leaf fall fills valleys and gutters |
| Nov | 47.0 F | 3.33 in | 0.6 in | 6.0 nights at or below 32 F |
| Dec | 38.0 F | 4.14 in | 5.4 in | 17.5 nights at or below 32 F |
The numbers come from NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Newark Liberty International Airport station, which is the gauge this site uses. A Colonia address will see different weather.
Three towns on this phone line

A section of Woodbridge Township, with a median house year of 1959 and about one home in nine rented.
Next door to the south and also part of Woodbridge Township, median year 1959, with just over a third of homes rented.
Its own township to the west, a median year of 1975, and about two homes in five rented.
The three towns side by side are on one page.
Facts to gather before the call
This line posts no hours, and nothing here promises a day for the visit; the contractor picks that once the job has been described. Worth gathering first: street address and town, the roof's age if known, the room or spot where water shows, the date it first appeared and a photo or two.
Tenants phone the landlord or the property manager first. Everyone else, with those details in hand, can call (732) 568-2812.

Find the line that sounds like your roof
- Repairs
A brown stain on the ceiling that grows after rain
- Replacement
Shingles that curl, crack or shed grit across the whole roof
- Storm damage
Shingles, tarps or branches in the yard after a blow
- Inspections
No leak yet, but you want a roofer's eyes on an aging roof
- Flat roofs
Water standing for days on a garage or porch roof
- Gutters
Overflow at a gutter corner, or a downspout that drops its water against the foundation
- Ice dams
Ridges of ice at the eaves and drips along the outer walls
- Chimney flashing
A leak around a chimney, skylight or vent pipe
Asked at the door
What happens after I call the number?
Your call is taken by a local roofing contractor that works in Colonia, Iselin and Edison. This business connects callers and does no roofing itself. Have the street address, what you see and roughly how old the roof is. A tenant phones the landlord or the property manager before anyone else. Dial (732) 568-2812 once the address and the symptom are in front of you.
Which roof problems can wait, and which cannot?
Now: a ceiling that bulges or sags, water dripping at a light fixture or an outlet, or a wire down in the yard. Step out of the way and call 911. This week: a stain that returns with every rain, insulation that stays wet, shingles missing after wind. Call (732) 568-2812. Next dry spell: one old, dry stain or a single curled shingle. Photograph it with the date and watch whether it changes.
What do I photograph before the roofer looks?
Stand back for a whole slope, then step in on the stain or the damage, and date every picture. Keep receipts for anything bought to cover a hole. New Jersey's insurance department also asks homeowners to photograph damaged property before throwing any of it out. When the pictures are on your phone, call (732) 568-2812 and describe them.
How rough do storms get around Colonia?
On 16-17 January 2022 the National Weather Service logged a 66 mph gust in Hopelawn, another section of Woodbridge Township, from a public report; Edison's station read 36 mph. In the January 2016 blizzard a trained spotter in Woodbridge measured 19 inches of snow. The 2022 figures are marked preliminary. If a storm left shingles missing, call (732) 568-2812.
The houses under these roofs, by the Census numbers
| Town | Median year built | Homes rented | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonia | 1959 (give or take 2) | 695 of 6,262 occupied homes, 11.1% | Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 |
| Iselin | 1959 (give or take 3) | 2,258 of 6,512 occupied homes, 34.7% | Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 |
| Edison | 1975 (give or take 2) | 15,020 of 38,098 occupied homes, 39.4% | Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 |
A median of 1959 means half the houses in Colonia and Iselin are older than that, with more than sixty years of weather on them. The Department of Energy's repair brief adds that homes built before 1978 may hold lead paint and that homes older than 1977 may have asbestos in roofing and insulation, so give the house's age when you call.

Notes from the sources
- NIOSH, Ladder safety (CDC archive, reviewed 1 March 2024)
- U.S. Department of Energy, Repairing Roofs and Ceilings technical brief
- PSE&G, Downed power lines (electric safety)
- NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, Steps for storm damage claims
- NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 monthly normals, Newark Liberty International Airport (USW00014734)
- National Weather Service Mount Holly, event review of 16-17 January 2022
- National Weather Service Mount Holly, January 2016 winter storm snowfall report
- Rutgers Water Resources Program, Rain barrels
- Wikipedia, List of neighborhoods in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 (median year built), Colonia CDP
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003 (tenure), Colonia CDP
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 (median year built), Iselin CDP
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003 (tenure), Iselin CDP
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 (median year built), Edison township
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003 (tenure), Edison township
Checked 1 Nov 2026






