Your Chimney Could Be the Source of Your Roof Leak

The material transitioning your roof to your chimney could be the source of a leak.

This chimney is not watertight. Look at the white efflorescence stain. Water is entering the chimney higher up and then leaking out just above the white salt deposits. Tim Carter/Tribune Content Agency

Roof leaks plague countless homeowners each year. Talk to experienced roofers, and they’ll tell you the vast majority of leaks happen at flashings. A roof flashing is a transitional material. It connects your roof to something that’s not your roof.

Plumbing vent pipes, dormers, turbine vents, chimneys, pot vents, powered attic ventilation fans, solar-array-panel brackets, etc., are all examples of things that are not a roof but found on roofs. Experienced roofers know how to flash around all these things. What’s more, they know the best flashing material to use.