How Does Roof Flashing Work

Protect the eave from ice dams and sideways rain step one in steep slope roofing is the edge flashing.

How does roof flashing work.

Roof flashing is commonly made with aluminum galvanized steel or copper but is sometimes formed with roofing felt rubber or plastic. Valley flashing is visible from the ground. Virtually every house in america has at least one vent pipe or other penetration on the roof. Roof flashing is material that covers joints walls edges and other vulnerable areas to protect against water and wind damage.

The edge of the roof has thin metal flashing that helps water drip off. Cap flashing mortared or caulked into the chimney laps over the top edges of the other flashings to prevent water from running behind them. In this open valley style the shingles over each section of roof do not touch. Drip edges prevent water from seeping under roofing along the edges of rakes and eaves.

Picture your house and the walls. Some of the different types are as follows. Roof flashing is the unsung hero when it comes to roofing. While some skylight manufacturers include flashing in their products sometimes roofing professionals.

Flashing can be made from a variety of materials such as copper roofs aluminum lead or galvanized steel roofing. Details concrete masonry roofing wrb flashing. Two ways to flash roof edges. It is strategically placed at joints such as where your roof connects with walls or around where your chimney protrudes.

This allows water to run off the edges of each roof into the valley flashing and down to the gutters. The sidewalls are the vertical walls along the outer part of your house referred to as the valleys. Continuous flashing protects the joint between a vertical wall and a sloped roof. Closer look at flashing.

It s rolled out into place and then sealed in order to prevent issues like water damage and mold. For pitched roofs regardless of the application or type of flashing used the purpose of flashing is to direct the flow of water that leaks into the intersection down and away from the interior of the structure to the topside of the roofing material. One common method is to lay the edge metal under the eaves membrane and over the rake. Flashing helps close a joint in walls or roofing applications to keep water from seeping into the materials used in construction.

What does it do. They are installed to overlap and form a gap that exposes the valley flashing. Open valleys have metal flashing to protect this critical area of the roof.