Leaks Around Ventilation Areas Is a Very Common Service Call
Roof vents can be found on almost all homes in the DC Metro Area. As they play a key role in regulating your homes internal temperature. They also present another area on your roofing system that is vulnerable to water leaks. Being a roofing penetration, it needs to be flashed.
As you read this article, you will understand that a roof vent must include properly installed flashing along in areas where water is more vulnerable to leak. Which is around the entire penetration. Below we dive further into this issue so you can have a better visual of why vents will leak and become such a problem.
What Are Common Mistakes Made When Flashing a Vent
The strategy for installing and flashing a roof around a vent is the same whether the roof material is:
- Asphalt Shingle Installation
- Cedar Shake Custom Roofing
- Slate Roofing
- Residential and Commercial Flat Roofing
Roofs leak in many different places are common. Homeowners contact us all the time about water leaking into their home around ventilation pipes. The leak is usually caused by flashing around the ventilation area being improperly installed or nonexistent. Homeowners will run into leaking problems around this area when they don’t hire a roofing specialist. The number one mistake is not installing flashing around the area at all. Instead what lazy contractors or GCs will do it cut shingles around the area and then add caulk.
What Constitutes Proper Pipe Ventilation Flashing?
Flashing in and around ventilation pipes is very simple for a professional roof contractor like ourselves. Prior to installing slate roofing tiles or the designated roofing material. The vent flashing is placed over the vent and then sits on the roof deck. Next, the shingles are installed over and around the flashing. This will prevent rainwater from getting through the penetration and into your attic space. The base of the flashing covers a decent amount of surface area.
Roofing Specialist vs General Contractors
The first mistake anyone can make is hiring an inexperienced roofer or general contractor to work on your roof. They are notorious among professionals for cutting cost and not fully completing the job. Installing roof flashing is critical in keeping a house dry. An experienced roof contractor will flash all vulnerable areas around home correctly because they care about the quality of their works outcome. Especially in the long run also. Majority of roof leaks at valleys because of improper or nonexistent flashing. A commonly made mistake is weaving the shingles together in the valley. This technique is easy to perform and allows general contractors to cut cost and corners. Leaving the final product looking good to a homeowner who isn’t familiar with the installation.