Orange County
The Mighty Hero of Roofing
Every Orange County roofer knows that roofing has a mighty hero. It’s not the crew members, although they certainly do their share of amazing things. And it’s not the people behind the scenes, fielding phone calls and questions . No, this hero is something that’s an important part of your rooftop; yet, it’s seldom noticed by anyone but the keenest observer. The hero in question goes by the name ‘flashing’. Sounds fast. But this hero’s powers have very little to do with speed. The significance of flashing is its protective powers. Without it, people could find themselves battling roof leaks by the dozen.
In a nutshell, flashing is a roll of thin, moisture-resistant metal. Often made of copper, aluminum, lead, or galvanized steel, it serves as a barrier against unwanted water and other elements. Typically, a commercial roofer will install flashing around roof valleys, skylights, and vents. Bear in mind, installation is no casual affair. Flashing must be precisely placed in order to safeguard vulnerable areas. Once installed, flashing works by collecting pooled water and diverting it away from protected zones.
When protecting a roof valley, for instance, an Orange County roofer will install a strip of flashing beneath the edge of the roof shingles. Any water dripping into the valley will travel down the flashing and into the rain gutter.
Decking is another part of the home that benefits from flashing. For instance, if you owned a beach house in San Clemente, a San Clemente roofer most likely installed these metal strips against the side of the home. This precautionary measure will keep moisture from dripping behind the wooden piece the keeps your deck secured to the house.
If you have any questions about protecting your roof with flashing, be sure to reach out to Luke Roofing. A long-established Orange County roofer, we provide prompt, reliable expertise for every need and situation. Whether you need roofing services in San Clemente, Westminister or anywhere else in OC, you definitely can count on Luke Roofing.
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I wish I would have known more about flashing before I found out it wasn't installed correctly by the prior roofer who installed our replacement roof about 10 years ago. It was installed incorrectly and literally pooled water which now has made a huge stain and a large repair bill. My suggestion, have the roofer explain to you exactly how they are doing the job. Make sure they are able to convey it well. It's not just about throwing shingles up there.
So on commercial roofs it looks like the flashing is the last thing installed. If that is the case, then it would seem that you could replace this without replacing the roof as well if it were damaged. Is this true?
What about vent flashing? I think we have a leak on a vent from our bathroom. Can I just install the flashing over the existing?
So we didn't have flashing installed on our deck and now are sorry we didn't. It's so easy and makes so much sense so that the water doesn't get between the house and the deck and just sit. The damage is considerable and the deck is discolored along where they meet now. Bottom line, don't forget the flashing.
Yep, this is one of the biggest problems we see beside a lack of maintenance of the finish on decks. There are so many corners that can be cut and won't be seen until many years later that with unscrupulous GCs or handymen you can get burned. Make sure to choose a reputable installer.
So installing flashing after the fact is not easy. We should have cut out our siding when building the deck to install a ledger board. You have to make sure moisture cannot reach the house. Rainwater travels every direction believe it or not, so special flashings must be installed. In the past, metal flashing and or layers of roofing felt were popular. But now vinyl “Z” flashing and rolls of vinyl back flashing do a better job.
The best idea is to triple protect the house’s sheathing from moisture using building paper (or roofing felt) with back flashing and also Z flashing which also protects the ledger itself.
There's lot of information online on how to do this right. Make sure to bone up on it or call a pro.
Right over our front door a roof valley comes together that rain collects from a wide area and pours quickly through. The stream comes so fast that much of it splashes directly over the rain gutter that is supposed to catch it. Any ideas on what to do?
Hi Josh, Thanks for checking with us! We'd love to come out and take a look to see what the issue is as that's the only way to know for sure, but the issue might be able to be handled by us installing "kick-out" flashing to control the water flow. Take a photo and give us a call. We'd be happy to talk it through with you.