Flashing is weatherproofing material that is placed on your home to prevent a roof leak where the roof is jointed, at an angle or has a vent pipe or something similar protruding from it.
There are several areas of your home’s roof that will form a V shape, creating a canal for water to collect when it is flowing off of your home. Your roof is designed that way to prevent a standing collection of water during a rain storm or while snow is melting. If your roof was flat it would likely deteriorate quickly due to standing water.
With the help of gravity, your roof is destined to shed the water through these valleys.
Flashing is an additional barrier between you and the rain storm. It is installed under the shingles of your roof in the parts that are jointed. It is also added around areas in your roof that have protrusions (like skylights or chimneys) to prevent the accumulation of water at those joints. Flashing forces the water to flow around that particular protrusion and off your roof.
The type of flashing used is dependent on the material (asphalt shingle, concrete tile, metal, etc.) as well as the climate. Typically sheet metal, composite materials, or durable PVC plastic are used. Copper, stainless steel or other metals are selected when a homeowner wants to use the flashing to accent the roof.
Flashing needs to be added to any part of your roof that is jointed or has a protrusion. It is also important at the kick out, where there roof meets a wall in a two story home and creates a junction.
Flashing is also needed at any gable window, dormer window, skylight, hood vents, pipe vents and squirrel cages. It is added when installing a new roof to the main seams and where the roof meets the chimney. The way it is installed depends on the location. It is under the shingles at the angles of your roof and above the shingles where you have protrusions like skylights. Flashing is an important step to prevent leaks in your home.
And there you have it – in a nutshell. A snapshot at one of the most important components of your roofing system.
For more information on the benefits of installing a roof on your home please contact our team at Adams Roofing.
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