A common and important part of a full roof replacement is the process to replace flashing in the roof junctions on your home. Understanding your roof’s anatomy is vital to knowing what exactly goes into this project. An average roofing quote will discuss the need to replace flashing, but what exactly does flashing do? This is the first step in understanding the factors that play into the need to replace flashing in the first place. Flashing is an important part to the water shedding ability of your roofing system. Often, this is the flashy metal material, often copper or another form of metal alloy, that can be found in roof junctions such as where different roof pitches meet, or around skylights and chimneys. This material is installed in these areas to direct water away from vulnerable areas of your roof, while also maintaining strength that different forms of water shedding sheeting do not offer. As flashing is such an imperative piece to your roof’s continued health, there are several reasons that you as a homeowner would need to look into replacement of these areas. As a whole, flashing is designed to maintain its function across the entirety of the lifespan of your roofing system, however, it is not foolproof and can fail under certain scenarios. As always, proper roof maintenance is imperative to maintaining roof health, which can help alleviate some of these forthcoming issues before they even begin.
Replace Your Flashing When It Leaks
While not common, flashing can fail before you need a new roof. As this material covers vulnerable areas of your roofing system, when it does fail, it poses the threat of water entering your home much more easily than shingles that may have failed. Debris and overall age are two of the biggest culprits of flashing failure we see. High winds and accompanying flying objects can damage this material to the point it does not properly shed water. It is good practice to glance over your roof regularly, especially after large storms, to make sure no damage has occurred that can possibly lead to leaks.
Repairs on Your Roof
At some point during homeownership, there may be a time when it becomes necessary to make repairs to things on your roof that are not handled by a roofing contractor. This may come in the form of chimney repair or replacement. It is here that flashing really shines in keeping your roofing system watertight. Any quality mason will know that flashing must be repaired or replaced when doing their work, but it is still best practice to make sure of this before your roof starts to leak and you are left wondering why. This stays true for any work that happens on your roof that involves areas of flashing, like the installation of a bathroom fan and accompanying vent. It is imperative to make sure beforehand that your flashing is repaired or replaced during the new work.
As a whole, flashing is one of the most important and often overlooked area of a roofing system. There should not be many instances that require you to replace flashing outside of a roof replacement, but it is crucial to understand what it does and know the jobs that may impact it. As always, Ranch Roofing is always here to help with our free estimates for any roofing project in the greater Boston area. For more information, or to schedule an estimate, contact us today!