Several weeks ago, I wrote about the different types of roofs you can use on your home. I should have realized it would create a tsunami of help requests regarding roof leaks at my “Ask Tim” page on AsktheBuilder.com.
You may have had a roof leak that local roofers have not been able to fix, or maybe an unskilled laborer tried to fix your problem with a caulk gun loaded with black goo. Today I’m going to do my best to explain where almost all roof leaks happen and how simple it is to prevent them or fix them.
Just about any professional roofer will agree that roof flashing is at the center of the vortex of just about every leak. If you’ve never been up on a roof — and most homeowners haven’t — you might wonder what a roof flashing is.
Here’s my best definition: Roof flashings are transitional materials that connect a roof to something that’s not a roof. Here’s a partial list of things that are not a roof: plumbing vent pipe, chimney, skylights, powered roof ventilator, attic or room dormer, a wall that’s next to and rises above a roof.
At each of the above locations you need to ensure water will not enter around the thing popping up through or immediately adjacent to the roof. Master roofers centuries ago solved this problem. Castles, cathedrals and common homes had flashings, most made from common malleable metals such as lead or copper.
If you paid attention to the news stories after the tragic fire in 2019 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, you know that the ruins were considered a toxic waste site because of the tons of lead that had become part of the ruins. Vast amounts of sheet lead was used hundreds of years ago as flashing at countless places up on that roof.
It’s possible, although very rare, to have a leak in the field area of a roof far away from flashings. I did a phone consultation with a man a month ago. Within minutes I had him locate the source of his leak. He saved hundreds of dollars using my advice.
The good news is it’s simple to install most roof flashings. If I came to your city or town and did a half-day clinic, I would be able to train you how to install most common flashings in just a few minutes. Yes, it’s that simple.
