A Couple Details That Save Money and Prevent Roof Leaks!

Details in How To Save Money Towards Your Roof. 

1.  Ventilation. Attic

Ventilation is required to get the maximum life out

Of your shingles. In fact, shingle manufacturers

Reserve the right to void your warranty if you don’t

Have it. It will also lower your attic temperatures,

reducing your AC bills in summer and minimize

leak-causing ice dams in winter.

There are many different ventilating products on

the market, but aluminum ridge vents are your best

choice by far. When combined with soffit vents,

they are one of the very best ideas ever invented

for roofing.

The air in the attic heats up and rises… as hot air

likes to do. It goes all the way up to the peak and

exits out the ridge vents. That lowers the air

pressure in the attic which pulls in cooler air from

the shaded soffits. The cycle continues naturally,

cooling your attic, reducing your air conditioning

bills and prolonging the life of your shingles.

For hip roofs that don’t have enough ridge for the

proper amount of ridge venting, a good alternative

is an attic fan. They are very efficient at cooling the

attic but do cost money to operate.

Just don’t try to install one yourself unless you

know exactly what you’re doing. I knew a guy who

was electrocuted putting one in.

A good choice for the intake vents is continuous

ventilated aluminum soffit panels around the entire

house. Be aware that screening over vents

reduces their capacity by approximately 50%.

2. Eave Overhang. There are some

big advantages to having your roof overhang the

exterior walls by a foot or two.

• First off, the overhang provides a natural place

for the soffit vents, which are an important part of

the ventilation system.

• The overhang also helps to keep roof water

from running down the side of the house, causing

siding and window leaks.

• But the biggest benefit is that many roof leaks

which would otherwise be in your home doing

damage to your interior, are now outside, dripping

through the soffit, causing much less damage.

And since the leaks are on the outside of the

home, they are a lot less urgent. In fact,

sometimes a repair can be postponed until the

home is reroofed. The work can be done much

cheaper then, because all of the old roofing

material is out of the way. A thousand dollar valley

repair might cost less than a hundred dollars to fix

some rotted wood.

3.  Flashings at the Walls. There is

an “L” shaped flashing that is installed wherever

there is a transition between the roof and an

adjacent wall.

This flashing typically gets buried under the roofing

and siding, so you don’t see much of it, but it

serves the important function of keeping the

transition watertight.

When it comes time for a new roof, that flashing

should be replaced if possible. It may be damaged

from rust or from the tear-off process. It’s easy to

poke a hole in the flashing while trying to scrape

off the old roofing.

However, the problem in replacing it is that the

vertical part of the flashing is buried under the

siding. Depending upon the type of siding, that can

be a big problem. And regardless of the type, most

roofers don’t like to mess with siding, especially if

they aren’t getting paid extra to do so. The result is

that many times the flashing doesn’t get replaced,

and won’t last the life of the new roof.

The best way to avoid this problem is to install a

two-piece counter flashing over the “L” flashing.

The first-piece is installed several inches up the

wall, before the siding or stucco is installed. It is

designed to receive the lower-piece after the “L”

flashing is installed.

This detail allows easy replacement of this

important flashing. It is more common on

commercial buildings, but the problem is just as

prevalent on residential ones.

Alternately, some roofers install a new “L” flashing

counter-flashed by a surface-mounted “caulkflashing”.

That can work, but it creates a couple of

additional issues:

First, stucco cracks above the caulk flashing can

allow water intrusion behind it. Also, caulk

flashings need to be monitored and maintained

periodically. That’s not the end of the world, but

wouldn’t you agree a maintenance-free detail is

better?

4. An Excellent Way to Flash Your Electric

Mast. The electric service for some homes is

provided through underground cables, but many

areas still provide it through a pipe penetrating the

roof. In the trade, that is called an electric mast

(like the mast on a ship).

On new installations, a pipe flashing is usually

installed over the mast before the electric cables

are hooked up. Unfortunately, the type that is

typically used has a rubber collar. The rubber

deteriorates after several years in the sun, creating

leaks around the pipe.

But it is better than nothing, which is ALSO a

common practice. That’s right, no flashing at all

around the pipe. The roofer just slops some

flashing cement around the mast… and somehow

it passes inspection.

When it leaks, (notice I said WHEN, not IF) it can

rot the wood around the hole. Then the heavy

weight of the electric cables can pull the mast right

over, creating a dangerous and unsightly

condition.

The main problem with installing a new flashing

around an old electric mast is the cables prevent

you from sliding the flashing over the pipe (like you

do with plumbing vent pipes).

Some roofers make a pitch pan around the pipe to

seal it. That’s basically a little metal box which is

packed with sealant. There are some permanent

sealants which will work in that application, but

more commonly the roofer will just pack the pan

with flashing cement. The cement eventually dries

out and shrinks, creating a leak. It also becomes a

maintenance task to repack the pitch pan every

year or two.

That’s not the end of the world, but there is a

better solution. Just take a lead boot (the 2” size

normally fits just right) and cut one side all the way

from the top to the bottom of the flange. Then you

can wrap the boot around the pipe.

Position the boot so the lap is on the downhill side

of the pipe. Seal the lap with a good grade of caulk

and secure the top with a stainless steel hose

clamp. Then just shingle around the pipe like you

would with any other pipe flashing.

But whatever you do, stay clear of those electric

cables… They can kill you.

5. A Clever Solution to the Dryer Vent Problem.

When a dryer is vented through the roof, it is

normally covered with a 4” goose-neck vent hood.

It’s not long before it gets clogged up with lint,

making the dryer work poorly. But these vents are

not designed to be easily serviced. Typically the

vent gets plugged up and a homeowner or

handyman tears it apart to clean it out. Then he

tries to seal the vent back up with duct tape which

fails after a few months, creating a leak. There’s a

much better way to deal with the dryer vent

problem. It costs a little bit more, but it is well worth

it. Here’s what to do…

To start with, use the 10” goose-neck vents

instead of the 4” ones. It’s a lot tougher to clog the

bigger ones. Then remove the flapper valve, if the

vent comes with one. They just rattle in the wind

and get clogged shut with lint.

And use two vents. Cut the top off one and mount

the bottom part to the roof in the normal way. Cut

the bottom off the other vent and slide it over the

first one, securing it with a few stainless steel

sheet metal screws. When the vent needs to be

cleaned out, it’s a simple matter of removing a few

screws to remove the top half.

This method will minimize how often the dryer vent

needs to be serviced… and greatly simplify the

task when it’s needed.

6. Equipment Stands. From a roofing

perspective, it’s better to leave AC units and other

mechanical equipment on the ground. It’s also a lot

less expense and hassle when that equipment

needs to be replaced.

But if it’s going to be on the roof, at least put it on

elevated equipment stands that allow enough

room under them to install and service the roofing.

You shouldn’t have to go to the expense and

inconvenience of disconnecting the equipment to

work on the roof.

Check out Macgregor Roofing at www.macgregorroofing.com