Hey folks,
I inspected a roof recently and found some vents that had a metal boot attached to flashing but with a thick layer of tar or caulk providing a seal around that joint. Some of them are cracked to the point that there is a gap all the way around the vent. My questions are:
Is this the right way to seal the vent?
The home is less than 4 years old. Should this level of deterioration be expected? I would think these vents should not need maintenance so often.
What material is used to repair this? Is there a better long-term fix?
And what severe climatic weather condition(s) does that home deal with every year?
Once that conditioned is determined, it can next be decided what the best material is to combat the posted condition.
Thanks Kevin, that helps. Would I just smear it all over the existing seal, or do I somehow need to remove all of the existing material and start over? Either way, seems like a messy solution.
Thanks guys. Here’s a close-up of one of the vents. I can’t quite tell what material they used. Russell, I hate to say this but it was done by a roofing contractor. This is one home in a development of 50, so I’m guessing there are others like this.
There are a number of better fixes. No form of caulk, tar or liquid applied snot goes the distance, no matter what it says on the tube.
Traditional ductile lead flashings last the lifetime of the home, then recycle easily:
Rain collars can be slipped over weak joints (plumbing stacks only) to protect the weak caulk from UV damage:
(Though note the irony of the type of flashing the the Oatey picture does not need the rain collar pictured
In theory the roof water barrier below these pipes will be sealed to the pipe, and failure of the caulk/tar won’t have an immediate effect. But even then signficiant water running between the tile and water barrier is one step on the road to deterioration.
There are as many products as there are roofers in your area. We have lots of tile roofs in Florida and one of the products I see a lot of is butyl metallic tape. It will last as long as the metal flashing and is protected by the metal foil on the back of the Butyl tape. Many of the flashing sealants deteriorate quickly when exposed to UV rays.
Good point I assume. The ones I’ve seen have gone the distance… I wonder if older ones get a coating that’s less sweet in taste to the rodents over time?
