Roofers Have Things Nailed Down

Roofing Repairs That Could Be Needed When A Contractor Discovers Your Roof Has Bad Flashing

11 March 2022

Nora Mcdonalid

Flashing is an important part of your roof that works to prevent leaking around things that pass through the deck and roofing. Flashing is usually made out of metal, but the metal might get loose or rust. When a roofing repair contractor hunts for a roof leak, the flashing is one of the places they look since flashing leaks are fairly common. Here's what a roofer looks for and how the problems with flashing can be handled.

Problems That Develop With Flashing

Flashing is found in the roof valley, around the chimney, around plumbing vent pipes, and around skylights and anything else that passes through the roof. A roofing repair contractor checks each of these places to make sure the flashing is still intact. Flashing is held down with nails and adhesive. The adhesive might deteriorate over time, or the nails might back out. The roofer looks for missing or loose nails, bad adhesive, and lifted flashing—especially at the corners.

The roofer also checks for damage to the flashing, such as holes or rusted areas. Even they don't leak yet, rusty areas might leak in the future, so the roofer may decide to get rid of the rust before then. In addition to checking the flashing for damage, the roofer looks for signs the flashing has already been leaking. They might need to lift nearby shingles to see if the underlayment is intact or to see if the deck has water damage.

Roofing Repairs Needed For Bad Flashing

Fortunately, flashing problems are easy to fix, especially if there's no water damage to the roof yet. If the flashing is loose, it can be secured to the deck or chimney with roof cement or caulk. Holes can be patched with roof cement and a metal patch. Flashing is usually made of thin metal, so the roofer can cut patches out of a sheet of metal if necessary.

If the flashing was leaking and there is water damage under it, the roofer may need to lift up the flashing and some shingles to get to the deck. Wet decking may need to be replaced along with the shingles above it if they're damaged too. Flashing that's badly damaged may need to come off and be replaced with new flashing. The roofer may also need to remove shingles near the flashing to replace it.

When the flashing is in good shape, that eliminates a possible source of a roof leak. However, bad shingles and a bad roof deck can lead to a roof leak too, so the roofing repair contractor needs to check the entire roof when looking for damage that could lead to a leak.

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