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Is roof flashing necessary?
There are many components to a roof, some are visible, and some aren’t, but they all are important for a roof to provide your home the protection intended. Where is the flashing on a roof? Roof flashing is installed around the chimney, dormers, edges, any skylights, and all the vents. It is also installed any other gaps and at joints and in valleys where walls meet under the roofing. It is a thin galvanized steel material. Water will run down and away from those areas where the roof with flashing is installed.
Roof flashing is the unsung hero when it comes to roofing. Everyone thinks it is the shingles or other roofing material that makes the roof, but that part couldn’t do the job roof flashing does.
Picture your house and the “walls”. The sidewalls are the vertical walls along the outer part of your house, referred to as the valleys. The slopping roof decking meets there at the edge. Then there are the front walls, which are behind the sloping roof decking. These are areas where roof flashing is required. Why?
Imagine a rainstorm and the wind is blowing; the rain is pouring down. The shingles keep the rain off out of your house, blowing rain and wind would run down the walls interior if the roof flashing wasn’t there keeping the rain moving on down the roof and to the gutters.
Do all roofs have flashing?
If a house doesn’t have roof flashing or has damaged flashing, there is likely water has leaked down the exterior and interior walls, possibly inside the walls. This kind of damage can cascade, going beyond roofing or roof flashing damage. The walls will weaken, the flooring will weaken, and eventually, the roof can begin to sag and sink.
How long should roof flashing last?
With no unexpected acts of nature or accidents, roof flashing has a life expectancy of up to twenty years. Roof flashing made from high-quality materials with perfect installation has lasted anywhere between fifty years to eighty years. Three reasons why roof flashing and the roofing itself can last longer are:
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Quality of materials
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Quality of installation
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Frequency of inspections and maintenance
By choosing a roofing contractor with a reputable history and solid customer service, you will get the first two things on that list from them. As a homeowner, the inspection and maintenance are up to you to do or schedule to have it done.
Another component of roofing and roof flashing lasting beyond their life expectancy is the use of polyurethane as a flashing sealant. This sealant forms a water and weatherproof bond that is permanent. It fills in any gaps and secures the joins around the protrusions and valleys where the roof flashing is installed. When it is noticed during a regular inspection, the roof flashing is leaking, this is the product that you want to secure the flashing back in place and stop the leaking.
Roof Flashing Examples
There are various terms given to roof flashing, which are typically determined by where they are installed and their shape.
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Roof: This type of flashing is installed around intersections or projections to direct water from joints or seams.
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Wall: This type of flashing is usually fixed in interruptions of walls like where windows are installed. The purpose is to direct or prevent water access has entered back outside.
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Sill: This flashing is concealed under door thresholds or windows or door thresholds to thwart water access.
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Channel: This is a U-shaped channel flashing used at the edge of where a tile roof meets the wall.
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Through wall: This flashing leads water to weep holes by bridging the thickness of the wall.
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Cap: This flashing is installed above doors and windows.
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Drip edge: This is sheets of metal at the edge of the roof.
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Stepped: This is where roof flashing materials overlap in steps at a junction on a slope. For example, around chimney stacks.
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Kickout: Located at the lowermost step at the bottom of where the roof and wall intersect and deflects water away.
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Pipe: Installed where pipes penetrate the roof.
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Valley: Installed where two roof planes intersect and form a valley to keep water from pooling.
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Skylight flashing: While some skylight manufacturers include flashing in their products, sometimes roofing professionals have to create it or purchase it separately.
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Valley flashing: Open valleys have metal flashing to protect this critical area of the roof.
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Drip Edges : The edge of the roof has thin metal flashing that helps water drip off the roof without damaging the home or causing a leak.
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Kickout flashing: Roofing professionals need something to bridge the gap between where step flashing ends and the gutter begins. Kickout flashing directs water away from the wall and into the gutter.
Chimney Flashing
Chimney flashing is a type of roof flashing that creates a waterproof seal to protect your chimney and roof from water damage and penetration. Essentially, chimney flashing functions as weather stripping for your chimney and is made up of three major parts: step flashing, counter flashing—also called cap flashing—and base flashing.
Step flashing is an L-shaped piece of metal that lies under the roofing shingles and along the brick of your masonry chimney.
Counter or cap flashing is also an L-shaped metal piece, but it is designed to cover the step flashing and embedded into a groove cut in the chimney brickwork.
Base flashing is used at the joint between a vertical surface and the roofing surface, in this case the base of the chimney, guarding against water penetration.
These parts, together with caulk create a waterproof seal.
If the chimney flashing around your chimney fails and begins to leak it could cause serious damage to your roofing, attic, and even interior rooms.
The chimney itself could even sustain damage if the chimney flashing begins to leak. As water penetrates the mortar joints between the bricks of your chimney, the chimney’s structure could become brittle and begin to crumble.
Flashing is installed at the point where your chimney meets your roof and is made out of vinyl, aluminum, copper, or steel, depending on your roofing and the surrounding climate.
Roof Flashing Materials
In the past, roofing professionals would use lead, or lead-coated materials, as flashing. However, roofing professionals now prefer other materials:
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Aluminum: Aluminum flashing is easy for roofing professionals to form and is lightweight. However, aluminum must be coated if it is to be used with concrete and masonry, as plain aluminum reacts and degrades when it touches alkaline surfaces. In coastal areas, aluminum flashing should be coated even if it does not contact concrete or masonry, to prevent corrosion.
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Copper: Copper roof flashing is also malleable and takes soldering well. It’s also highly durable and has a long life. On the other hand, it does discolor into a patina, which some homeowners dislike, but others favor. Copper flashing is still routinely found around chimneys.
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Steel: Steel is usually the material of choice for flashing. It’s malleable, has aesthetic value and, when galvanized, is corrosion-resistant.