slate and tile roofing flashing and its importance
A major cause of roof deterioration is due to a failure of the
flashing system. This article will discuss how flashing can be repaired
to protect your roof.
What is flashing?
Flashing is a vital part of building construction
used to protect the interior from the extremes of weather and especially
water leakage. Flashing on roofs is a smaller detailed part of
construction used to protect joint areas created by mounted structures such as chimneys,
dormers, skylights, etc. Material is placed at the locations where the
structures intersect to deflect water away. Flashing is designed to work
with gravity by forcing the path of the water down and away from the
vulnerable joint.
When flashing fails
Many things may contribute to the failure of a flashing system.
Damage to the roof from a fallen tree or other debris, thermal distress,
or poor workmanship can all cause problems. Most often, the extremes of
weather conditions overtime can cause break down of the flashing
materials in either the flashing itself, or the fasteners. The result is
leakage. Leakage is the top contributor to roof deterioration and a
major concern for the health and longevity of any roofing unit.
Repairs
The hope is the repairs can be isolated to a small area, but in some
cases entire parts of the roof must be pulled up in order to
successfully repair the flashing. Often this is determined by the extent
of the damage, but also whether the flashing was installed exposed or
concealed. When the flashing is concealed, determining the source of the
problem can be more difficult. Also, concealed flashing will be beneath other roofing materials that will require removal first.
Patching
For a temporary solution, patches can be placed over holes in the
flashing. The patch should be three inches larger than the hole on all
sides. It will then be placed over the hole and attached to the flashing
with flashing cement, making certain not to let the cement ooze out
onto the roof itself. Once dry, it can be painted to match the rest of
the flashing. Because this is a temporary fix, the patch should be
checked twice a year to ensure it hasn’t started leaking again.
Copper
When repairing holes in copper flashing, a soldering patch should be
used. This is referred to as a “hot” patch for how it is attached. It
is best to make the patch out of more copper. Certainly this is true for
aesthetics, but copper, as a metal, is not compatible with all other
metals commonly used in flashing. Coupled with the wrong type of metal,
such as iron, copper will galvanize, causing a chemical reaction breaking down the metals.
Aluminum
Unlike copper, aluminum cannot be soldered and requires a “cold”
patch to repair it. Sealing products designed to patch metal gutters can
be affective as cold patch fixes on aluminum.
Avoid Roofing Compound
When patching leaks in flashing, do not use roofing compound (the
“black goop”). This is a very temporary fix for the leak which can cause
long term damage to the flashing materials. Within a year of weather
exposure it will become dry and brittle, losing its effectiveness. Plus,
the chemical reaction from the compound with metal causes corrosion and
accelerates deterioration.
Flashing is a vital part of building construction
used to protect the interior from the extremes of weather and especially
water leakage. Flashing on roofs is a smaller detailed part of
construction used to protect joint areas created by mounted structures such as chimneys,
dormers, skylights, etc. Material is placed at the locations where the
structures intersect to deflect water away. Flashing is designed to work
with gravity by forcing the path of the water down and away from the
vulnerable joint.
The hope is the repairs can be isolated to a small area, but in some
cases entire parts of the roof must be pulled up in order to
successfully repair the flashing. Often this is determined by the extent
of the damage, but also whether the flashing was installed exposed or
concealed. When the flashing is concealed, determining the source of the
problem can be more difficult. Also, concealed flashing will be beneath other roofing materials that will require removal first.
When repairing holes in copper flashing, a soldering patch should be
used. This is referred to as a “hot” patch for how it is attached. It
is best to make the patch out of more copper. Certainly this is true for
aesthetics, but copper, as a metal, is not compatible with all other
metals commonly used in flashing. Coupled with the wrong type of metal,
such as iron, copper will galvanize, causing a chemical reaction breaking down the metals.
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