What is flashing?
When water flows down the roof alongside the chimney at the flashing, making it a high traffic area for water. Leaks in the flashing are common because of this fact. They join together intersections between two planes, such as where the roof meets a chimney or skylight. Flashing is formed from sheet metal or plastic, and overtime works itself loose from the roof, rusts, or deteriorates. Even galvanized metal flashing has the possibility of deteriorating, and the older your home gets, the more likely you are to have problems with the flashing on your roof. A chimney flashing leak is not difficult to repair and quite common.
When you go about your flashing repair you need to decide how severe the damage is. If it is very minor, repairing it will be the route you want to take. However, replacing your flashing all together is going to be the route that makes the repair last the longest. There are many different kinds of flashing. Flashing around the places where pipes penetrate the roofline is called vent pipe flashing. Step flashing is used around the dormer windows. This is the type of flashing used around the chimney and it got it’s name due to the stair steps appearance.
Roof flashing is important because it prevents leaks. It works with gravity and the structure of it directs the water off of the roof so it doesn’t pool and cause leaks or the roof to sink in. Remember that the purpose of roof flashing is to keep water away from the wood underneath to prevent rotting.
Therefore, if you still have questions about flashing, check out our Ask the Chimney Blogs!
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