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Flashing Repair
Flashing and Chimney Repair: what it covers
Quick answer
Flashing turns water at a joint, such as a chimney, a wall, a vent or a skylight. A roofer checks each joint, resets or replaces the flashing that is bent or lifted, and seals it with the product the detail calls for.
Flashing is small and easy to overlook. It is the metal or membrane at the joints of a roof, and it is where water is forced to change direction. A piece of step flashing that is bent by wind, a counterflashing that has pulled out of the masonry or a vent collar that has split can each let water in under a covering that looks perfectly sound.
In a storm the flashing takes the force first. Wind lifts the lap, debris strikes the metal and a tornado can bend a whole run out of line, which is why the flashing is checked as part of every storm inspection in this city. The FACTS sheet records tornado damage in Muscogee County in 1997, 2007 and 2009, and each event is a reason to look at the joints.
This page explains where flashing fails, how a roofer checks it and what a sound repair looks like. The work is precise, and the quote lists each joint so the work can be checked.
Flashing work is at the roof edge or on a pitched slope. Do not climb a steep roof to look at a chimney. Let the roofer do the close work with fall protection.
A ceiling stain at a wall line, a chimney or a skylight that grows after rain
Step flashing bent up, lifted or pulled from the wall after a storm
A chimney cap or counterflashing that has come away from the masonry
Cracked sealant or split rubber around a vent pipe or skylight curb
Rust, dents or a torn seam in metal flashing
Water staining on the attic framing at the point where the chimney passes through the roof
A chimney stain that shows after a storm on the north side
What homeowners notice
A ceiling stain appears at the chimney wall after a storm. The covering looks sound from the ground, and the homeowner is not sure where the water is getting in.
What we do
The roofer checks the attic at the chimney, finds a dry stain line on the rafter and then walks the roof. The counterflashing has lifted from the masonry, and the base flashing is bent at one edge. Both are reset and sealed, and the joint is tested with water while someone watches the ceiling.
What to expect
The test shows the leak has stopped. The record names the joint, the parts reset and the product used, and it is kept with the storm inspection.
half a day typical visit
Options
Types and options for flashing and chimney repair
Chimney flashing and counterflashing
The metal around a chimney and the counterflashing set into the masonry. Often the largest flashing job on a house roof.
Wall and step flashing
Where the roof meets a wall, the flashing is stepped with the courses of covering. The usual joint to fail after wind.
Vent and skylight flashing
Collars on vent pipes and the curbs under skylights. Small jobs, but they repeat on every penetration.
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If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent flashing and chimney repair, send the form and we'll call you back.
Why does flashing fail when the covering is still sound?
Because flashing is a joint, and joints move, age and crack with heat, cold and wind. The covering can be sound while the joint leaks.
Flashing is metal, rubber or membrane, and each expands and contracts with the temperature. The sealant that holds it moves with the material and cracks where the movement is greatest. Over time the joint opens and water follows the opening under the covering. The shingles beside the flashing can look perfect while the joint behind them lets the water through.
Wind adds to the problem. It lifts the lap of a flashing that was marginal in calm weather, and a storm can bend it out of line in a few minutes. That is why the flashing is checked after a storm as well as in a routine look.
Movement from heat and cold cracks the sealant first
Wind lifts a marginal lap in a storm
A sound covering can hide a failed joint
How is a chimney flashed correctly?
The base flashing laps the covering below it, and the counterflashing is set into the masonry above so that water runs down over the base and not into the joint.
A chimney is flashed in two layers. The base flashing laps the covering on the downhill side and wraps the chimney, and the counterflashing is set into a groove in the masonry above it. Water that runs down the chimney face is shed over the base and out over the covering, and it does not find the joint.
When the counterflashing has been set in mortar only, or the groove has cracked, the joint opens. The roofer resets the counterflashing, re-seals the groove where the product allows and checks the base lap.
Base flashing laps the covering downhill
Counterflashing set into the masonry above
Groove and mortar checked for cracks
When should flashing be replaced rather than repaired?
When the metal is split or rusted through, when the lap was set the wrong way from the start, or when it has been patched several times.
Most lifted or cracked joints can be reset and sealed. Flashing that is rusted through, split along a fold or patched more than once at the same joint needs replacing, because each patch adds another joint that can fail. A roofer who replaces the flashing says so in the scope, names the material and explains the lap.
Ask for the detail to be written down so the next roofer can see what was done and how the joint was lapped.
Metal rusted through or split along the fold
Flashing patched more than once at the same joint
A lap set the wrong way from the start
Our process
How our flashing and chimney repair visit works
Check each joint from the attic
The attic is checked at each penetration and wall join. Staining, daylight and wet framing are marked and matched to a joint on the roof.
Lift and inspect the flashing
Where it can be lifted safely, the flashing is checked for its lap, its nails and its sealant. The lap should shed water over the covering below it.
Reset or replace the metal
Bent or lifted flashing is reset to its line, and damaged pieces are replaced with the same material. The flashing is fitted so water runs over it and not behind it.
Seal and test the joints
The sealant the detail names is applied to a clean, dry surface, and each joint is tested with water from above while someone watches the ceiling below.
Record each joint
The record lists each joint by position, the repair made, the material used and the test result, and it is kept with the storm inspection.
Muscogee County
Why flashing and chimney repair is different in Chattahoochee Valley
The 2007 EF-2 tornado in the FACTS sheet had its heaviest damage in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard, just north of US 80, which is a reason to check the flashing on roofs in that part of the north metro first.
The 1997 F1 tornado damaged a roof on Martin Luther King Boulevard and the gymnasium roof at Hardaway High School, and joint damage is part of that record.
Flashing on houses in the Alabama towns across the Chattahoochee is repaired by the same method. The roofer confirms the local rules for each side of the river.
Where we work
Flashing and Chimney Repair across Muscogee County
Tornado damage on a roof shows in a pattern: lifted and displaced covering, exposed or displaced decking, bent flashing, damaged ridge and gutters and damp framing below.
Read the guide
FAQ
Flashing and Chimney Repair FAQs
Can I seal a vent collar myself?
Sealing a split collar is not a fix. The roofer replaces the collar, a small job that is done quickly with the right part.
Why is there a stain at my chimney after rain?
Usually the flashing or the counterflashing has opened at the masonry. The roofer checks both and resets or replaces what has failed.
Does flashing repair need a permit?
Usually not for a small joint repair, but the rules depend on the scope. Ask the roofer and the local permit office.
How long does flashing last?
It depends on the material, the exposure and the sealant. The roofer can say what the material is expected to do, but cannot promise a period without seeing the joint.
