Resetting or replacing the metal at valleys, chimneys, sidewalls and vent pipes that keeps water out of a Moscow roof.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
Flashing repair resets or replaces the metal that seals the joints where a roof meets a chimney, wall, vent pipe or another roof plane. Freeze-thaw movement works those joints every winter, and the seal often fails at the corners first. A technician checks each joint and repairs the detail rather than covering it with sealant.
Flashing is the least visible part of a roof and one of the most important. It is the thin metal that bends around a chimney, runs up a wall, lies in a valley and wraps a vent pipe, and its only job is to stop water getting into the joint where the roof meets something else.
On the Palouse the joints work hard. Snow sits on the roof and drifts into the valleys, and then a thaw runs meltwater over the metal and into every seam. Freezing at night then pushes the metal and the sealant apart, and the next thaw pulls them back.
A local roofer checks each joint rather than only the one that is leaking. The phone line at (833) 751-2102 is answered around the clock. A visit the same day is possible when a technician is free, but an arrival time is never promised, and a flashing repair is often best scheduled before the next big snow.
Do not climb onto a snowy, iced or wet roof to check a flashing joint, and never stand on a chimney or a loose section of metal. Do not chip ice out of a joint with a tool, because the metal and the sealant are easily bent or torn. Keep ladders on firm, level ground and tie them off at the top when a joint is high. Call a roofer to reset or replace flashing, because a joint that looks secure from below can move under the weight of a person.
The technician checks every point where the roof meets a chimney, wall, vent or other roof plane, rather than only the joint nearest the stain. Water can travel along the framing before it drops, so the leak and the failed flashing may be some distance apart. Each joint is marked and noted so that the repair covers the whole run.
The metal is checked for bending, splitting, rust and lifting, and the sealant is checked for cracks, peeling and gaps. Freeze-thaw movement tends to open the seal first, and then bend the metal once the seal is gone. The technician records whether the flashing is still sound and can be reset, or whether it needs to be replaced.
Flashing that is still sound is reset to its line and fastened properly. Pieces that have split, rusted through or lost their shape are replaced with new metal of the right type and profile. Where the counter-flashing is part of the detail, it is checked too, because a sound base flashing with a failed counter-flashing will still let water in.
Sealant is used where the detail calls for it, and not as a substitute for the correct metal layout. The seal is set so that water runs off the metal and not into the joint, and the technician checks that the lap points the right way. Sealant that has been applied over a loose or badly lapped flashing will fail in the next winter.
After the repair, the technician checks whether water runs away from the joint in the next rain or thaw. A small leak can be hidden by the time of year, so the check is made on a wet day if possible. The area inside the house that was wet is checked as well, and any further damage is noted for you to decide on.
Corners and joints are where the metal is bent, and where the sealant has to hold two different movements. Freeze-thaw cycles pull the metal and the seal in different directions, so the first gap usually opens at a corner or a step. Once the seal has opened, meltwater finds the gap and the damage spreads.
Metal expands and contracts with temperature, and so does the masonry or the roof covering it is fixed to. A cold night shrinks the metal and tightens the seal, and a warm day expands it again.
A sealant can hold a small gap for a short time, but it cannot correct a flashing that has been laid wrong or has moved out of place. Sealant over a loose or badly lapped piece will fail when the next freeze-thaw cycle works the joint. A repair that resets the metal and then seals it will last much longer.
Homeowners often reach for sealant first because it is easy to apply from a ladder. The difficulty is that sealant only fills a gap; it does not make the water go anywhere else. If the metal is lapped the wrong way, the water runs straight under the sealant and into the joint.
The price depends on how many joints need work, the type and size of the flashing, and the height and pitch of the roof at each point. Chimney masonry, skylight kits and the access to the joint also change the work. The price is explained and approved before any work starts.
A single vent pipe boot is a small repair, while a chimney with flashing at several sides, a valley and a skylight is a much larger one. Each joint needs its own check, and each may need a different piece of metal. Steep or high joints take longer to reach safely, and a chimney that needs masonry work is a separate trade.
Snow and water collect at valleys, parapets and roof offsets, so the metal there carries more load and more moisture than the open slope. Moscow's building code addresses snow build-up at those points for that reason. The flashing at those joints is checked more closely because the same snow that collects there also works the metal hardest.
Snow drifts into a valley where two roof planes meet, and the drift can sit there long after the rest of the roof has cleared. The weight is concentrated along the line of the valley, and the metal has to carry that weight while holding the seal.
The permit depends on the scope of the work and the city or county where the house sits. Moscow treats a reroof as a separate permit category, and a flashing repair that is part of a reroof may fall under that category. For work outside Moscow and Pullman, ask your city or county building department what applies to your property.
A repair that resets a few pieces of flashing on a roof that is otherwise sound is usually a small job, and the permit question depends on how much of the roof is being disturbed.
A valley is where two roof planes meet, and it carries the most water and the most snow on any roof. Valley flashing that is too narrow, badly lapped or split along its seam will let water run under the covering. Snow drifts into valleys in winter, so the metal here takes more load than the flat areas of the roof. This repair suits a leak that tracks down the line of a valley.
Chimney and sidewall flashing is the metal that runs up a vertical wall and bends over the roof covering. Freeze-thaw movement works these joints every year, and the corners often fail before the middle. This repair resets the step flashing and the counter-flashing, and checks the mortar or chimney cap where the metal meets the masonry.
A vent pipe that passes through the roof is sealed with a pipe boot or a metal collar. The rubber or metal of the boot can crack in cold weather and pull away from the pipe, and the leak then runs down the outside of the pipe into the attic. This repair replaces the boot or the collar and reseals the joint so that the pipe can move without opening the seal.
Moscow's older neighborhoods have many chimneys, dormers and additions, and each of them creates joints that need flashing. The Fort Russell and Downtown historic districts include century-old houses, and the flashing on those roofs may be older than the covering.
The Palouse freezes and thaws through the winter, and that movement is what makes flashing the most common point of failure on a roof here. Meltwater runs down the slope, refreezes at the joints and pushes the seal apart, and the cycle repeats every winter.
Moscow and Pullman are two cities in two states, with two building departments and two permit systems. Pullman publishes ice-barrier criteria that require ice barrier underlayment, and Moscow's adopted code on that point should be checked with the Moscow Building Safety Division.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Finding and sealing the path water takes into your Moscow or Palouse home, from attic stains to flashing at the eave.
Repair and resealing of chimney flashing and counter-flashing, the metal that keeps water out where a chimney meets the roof.
Repairing membrane seams, drains and edges on flat and low-slope roofs that hold snow and water on Moscow buildings.
Air sealing and ventilation that keep attic heat from melting snow on a Moscow roof and feeding ice dams at the eave.
The most common failures are at chimneys, sidewalls, vent pipes and valleys. Those are the places where the roof meets another surface and where snow and meltwater collect. The corners of step flashing and the seams of valley metal often open first. A technician checks each of these points rather than only the one nearest a stain.
Yes, in most cases. Flashing is a separate component and can usually be reset or replaced without changing the covering around it. The technician will check whether the surrounding shingles or metal can be lifted without damage. If the roof is nearing the end of its life, the repair may be recommended alongside a larger job.
Water runs along framing and sheathing before it drops, so the stain may be some distance from the joint that let it in. Snowmelt can carry water a long way inside a roof before it appears on a ceiling. The technician traces the path from the stain back toward the chimney or the wall, and checks every joint on the way.
Surface rust on sound metal may be cleaned and treated, but rust that has eaten through the metal or split a seam needs replacement. The technician checks the thickness and the seam, not just the color. Rust at a valley is more serious than rust on a sidewall, because the valley carries the most water and snow.
The technician checks the step flashing along the sides, the counter-flashing set into the mortar, and the cap and crown of the chimney above. Cracked mortar or a loose cap lets water reach the flashing from above, so those are included in the check. The crew will explain what they find before recommending any repair to the masonry.
A check after each winter is a sensible routine, and a check after any big storm or heavy snow is worth doing too. The first thaw after a long freeze is when joints are most likely to show a gap. A technician can look at the joints from the ground and from the attic, and tell you whether anything needs attention before the next season.