Roof Leak Around Plumbing Vent

[DKAudio]

I got a new roof around 2 years ago using 30 year architectural shingles. During some rain we got on Saturday night I noticed a water leak in the basement. Turns out it was coming in from the plumbing vent flashing on the roof, went down a the wall on my main floor and all the way into the basement. I went in the attic and cleaned the insulation and placed buckets where it was dripping. I went on the roof and just put a plastic bag under a couple shingles and around the vent and the leak stopped. I don't know the proper installation for this type of vent but I have another plumbing vent and I tried to compare them and they seem roughly the same but the other one isn't leaking from what I can tell. This already created some drywall damage and want to get this resolved before it gets worse. Here are some pictures of the one that is leaking...


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[HayZee518]

use a non hardening roofing cement and seal all around the vent [stack]

[DKAudio]

use a non hardening roofing cement and seal all around the vent [stack]

Good, I already picked some up but was waiting to hear for a response. Are you talking about where the shingles meet the metal flashing?

[HayZee518]

YUP ESPECIALLY THE TOP AND SIDES. WATER IS WORKING ITS WAY UNDER THE SHINGLES AND BEYOND THE FLASHING. i HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH TWO OF MY ROOF VALLEYS

[DKAudio]

YUP ESPECIALLY THE TOP AND SIDES. WATER IS WORKING ITS WAY UNDER THE SHINGLES AND BEYOND THE FLASHING. i HAVE A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH TWO OF MY ROOF VALLEYS

Ok, that's what I assumed was happening. I will seal around all the flashing then since the roofing company didn't do it at all. I will wait a couple days since it is supposed to get in the upper 30's, hopefully all the ice will melt off by then.

Thanks a lot!

[DKAudio]

I'm curious, should this be part of a normal roof installation procedure and should I go after the company? The roof is only about 2 years old but I first noticed the drip this summer during an extremely heavy rain. I thought the lead around the vent pipe just had a gap and water was running down the outside of the pipe and into the basement. I went on the roof and re-shapped the lead around the inside of the pipe. We really haven't had any rain since then until this past Saturday.

[HayZee518]

that sure is a wierd looking vent. what's it for? main stack? kitchen drain stack? also I'm looking at the bottom corners. looks like the installer crimped out the corners. why?
a standard roof boot has a flexible rubber boot that is cut just under the pipe diameter and pushed over the pipe to create a waterproof seal. the flashing extends outward about a foot in all directions. the boot part is angled into the flashing so that any roof angle is supported. roofing compound or silicone is applied to the flashing then nailed down to the sheathing. roofing shingle where they meet the flange has silicone applied to "glue" it down so water doesn't work its way underneath. your call about contacting the contractor.

[DKAudio]

that sure is a wierd looking vent. what's it for? main stack? kitchen drain stack? also I'm looking at the bottom corners. looks like the installer crimped out the corners. why?
a standard roof boot has a flexible rubber boot that is cut just under the pipe diameter and pushed over the pipe to create a waterproof seal. the flashing extends outward about a foot in all directions. the boot part is angled into the flashing so that any roof angle is supported. roofing compound or silicone is applied to the flashing then nailed down to the sheathing. roofing shingle where they meet the flange has silicone applied to "glue" it down so water doesn't work its way underneath. your call about contacting the contractor.

They used the same type around all the plumbing vents (I believe my house only has 3, a main probably 4", kitchen probably 2" and the one that is pictured doing a tub and shower probably 2"). I have no idea why they used that kind and why the corners are flarred/crimped. Mine use a "sleeve" with a lead top that is bent around the top of the pipe to create the watertight seal, they actually re-used the "sleeves" that were there and just put in new flashing.

[DKAudio]

Ugh, can't trust anyone to touch my house...
After many calls, texts and failed scheduled visits to my house, the owner of the company finally showed up yesterday and just gooped a ton of clear silicone on it. I never trusted him so when I got home from working 14 hours yesterday I grabbed a ladder in the dark and went on the roof with a flashlight. I cleaned off the mounds of silicone best I could but it was half cured. So, I'm going to leave the rest because we are getting cold temperatures and snow now. In spring I will try to use the non hardening roof cement and get things sealed up better with the right product. My question is will the roof cement adhere to cured silicone, if not, how can I clean it off?

[pushkins]

Can't say I've ever tried to see if roofing asphalt sealant sticks to silicon, but I bet it does.
Once it's dry you can use a flat blade razor to remove the silicon. There is also a silicon removal spray available, it will help remove the residue silicon.

Roofing asphalt (or any roofing sealant for that matter) should be applied under the shingle and then press the shingle back down onto the metal flashing.

[DKAudio]

Ugh, this is the worst luck ever! Get this...
I found a wet spot on the drywalled ceiling in my bathroom by the corner of an exterior wall. I also see a line of ice on the roof that is now frozing on the shingles in just about the same area. I went up in the attic and moved all the blow in around and do not see anything wet up there. The exhaust for the bathroom fan is insulated all the way to the decking. I have baffles installed between most rafter/joists. There are a couple spaces where the insulation is all the way to the edge blocking air flow but no baffles are installed in these spots. I would say 8 out of every 10 spaces in the attic have a baffle. The ceiling is pretty cold in that corner where there was water but where the exterior walls are in my attic there is only a couple inches of height to the roof deck. After I went in the attic and moved the blow in around the wet spot seems to have dissapeared but it was like that this morning before work and was still there when I got home, I'm worried! Any ideas?

[DKAudio]

Here is a picture, it comes and goes and the drywall feels super cold but not really spongy or anything. Like I said, I found nothing in the attic...I don't get it...


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[pushkins]

You didn't notice any wet underside roof decking ? Is there an ice dam ? you mention frozen water on the shingles right above this area, are you sure your not getting water backing up behind the ice dam and seeping under a shingle edge ?

[DKAudio]

You didn't notice any wet underside roof decking ? Is there an ice dam ? you mention frozen water on the shingles right above this area, are you sure your not getting water backing up behind the ice dam and seeping under a shingle edge ?

Nothing wet on the underside of the decking. No ice dams, that line of ice I mentioned was just a fluke I believe because it was gone in a day and very small. There is no snow build up on the roof yet (been a very odd winter for weather).

I originally thought it was due to the original roof leak, the reason I started this thread. However, it is in a different area of the room. I then thought it was because I moved blow in insulation away for a few days to let the water dry out from the original leak. I assumed heat was escaping from the house and on two cold days we had (10-15 degrees F) it was condensing on the underside of the decking, running down a ways and then dripping on the drywall. However, like I said, the decking was dry. It also seemed like the wet spot was not coming from above because the drywall wasn’t spongy or anything. I really don't understand but it comes and goes. For the past two days I have not seen any spot and no evidence that there ever was water there. When I was inspecting in the attic I moved the blow in and reached as far to the edge as I could to touch the drywall and it felt dry.