Cracked Roof Vent Boot Flashing Repair

I called several roofing companies in my area about the cracked vent boot, but none were available due to the once in 500 year flooding rains that fell on the Atlanta metro area in September. One company said they’d received 600 calls on Monday and most could only put me on a waiting list for a call back. I was quoted $125 to install lead pipe flashing for labor and materials, but no one could promise when they could get to it.

I was able to buy an Oatey Galvanized Base No-Calk® Roof Flashing at Lowes for about $7 that fit a 2″ inch vent pipe. I would have preferred a lead pipe flashing because it’s the best and longest lasting flashing solution that avoids the problem of cracked rubber boots. I can always hire a roofer when they’re not so busy and have lead flashing installed.

Oatey Galvanized Base No-Calk® Roof Flashing

Roof Vent Flashing Installation

Removing the old roof vent and installing a new one is simple:

1. Pry up the roofing nails used to attach the old flashing.
2. Gently lift up the shingles above the flashing.
3. Lift the flashing off the vent pipe.
4. Slide the new flashing over the vent pipe.
5. Tuck the uphill part of the flashing under the shingles.
6. Fasten the new flashing with galvanized roofing nails.
7. Apply a dab of roofing sealant to the nail heads and bottom tabs of the shingles that were disturbed.

The entire job takes less than 15 minutes. It seems easy and it is, unless you have a high and steep roof like mine. A 40 foot ladder is necessary to reach the roof from the ground and I’m not comfortable working so close to the edge of the roof. Time to hire a professional roofer, but none were available on short notice. What to do?

I got lucky and noticed a roofing crew working in the neighborhood. I asked the foreman if I he could install the new vent flashing. He said they were almost finished with the current job and could send someone over in 45 minutes. He asked if I had the new vent flashing, I said yes and showed him the Oatey No-Caulk flashing. He said he would install my flashing and add a rubber rain collar for extra protection for $50.

Two men from the roofing crew a short while later as promised. They setup a 16 foot ladder by the garage and bear crawled up the hip ridges with a big block of foam rubber (i.e. an old couch cushion) wearing regular tennis shoes with amazing agility! Compare this to my Poor’s Man’s roofing shoes in this article. In this photo the roofer is getting into position to start work.

Roofer Bear Crawling along the Roof Hip

Here the roofer has pried up the nails and is removing the old vent pipe flashing.  The block of foam rubber grips the roof so he doesn’t slide off. The new flashing is tucked under the edge of shingle above him so it’s doesn’t slide away.

Removing the old Roof Vent Pipe Flashing

The new flashing is slide over the pipe, tucked under the shingles on the high side, and nailed to the roof.

BASF SONOLASTIC® NP 1 roof sealant is applied to the nail heads and bottom tabs of the roof shingles that were raised to install the flashing. This makes everything waterproof and ensures the shingles are glued to the next row so they won’t be lifted by the a strong wind.

Roof Sealant is Applied to the Nail Heads

Rain Collar – Fix a Leak in the Rain

Rain & Repair Pipe Collars are simply the rubber boot without the metal flashing. It acts like an umbrella to shed water over a cracked boot. A rain collar costs $5 to $10 and can be installed while it’s raining or wet for an emergency fix. No caulking, it stretches over the pipe for a water tight seal.

This is the new roof vent flashing with an added rain collar for extra protection.

New Plumbing Roof Vent Flashing with Rain Collar

Cracked Vent Boot – Post Mortem

The boot on the old Oatey all-plastic vent flashing was severely cracked/split in the places. This broke the watertight seal around the 2″ PVC vent pipe and allowed rain water to leak in and run down the vent pipe onto the drywall ceiling. This vent boot failed after about 10 years on the southern exposure of the roof.

Oatey - Cracked/Split Boot on Vent Pipe Flashing

A side view of the old vent flashing:

Oatey - Cracked Plumbing Vent Boot Flashing

I’ll have all my vent boots replaced with lead flashing when the roofing companies are less busy in a few months. Lead flashing lasts practically forever and almost never leaks because the rim of the lead flashing is folded into the top of the plastic vent pipe for a 100% seamless and waterproof installation. The rubber vent flashing costs $7 compared $30 for a lead flashing. The reliability of lead flashing is well worth it in my opinion.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

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I became aware of a possible leaky roof when I noticed water stain on the drywall ceiling. The water stain occurred during a period of record rainfalls and extensive flooding in the metro Atlanta, Georgia region. My area received about 17 inches of rain in an 8-day period! 17 inches of rain is a lot for an area that would normally less than 4 inches on average in September. With that much rain any roof leak, no matter how small, is likely to be noticed.

Water Stain on Drywall Ceiling due to Roof Leak

Finding the Leak

The main attic is above the room with the water stain on the drywall ceiling. To locate the source of the leak, I got a flashlight and went into the attic. The stain is the corner next to the exterior wall, so I focused my search in that direction. The PVC vent pipe for the basement bathroom plumbing rises through the roof directly above the stain on the ceiling. The vent pipe became an immediate suspect.

Take care to walk only on the wood joists when working in the attic. The ceiling drywall will not support your weight and you can fall through! Move slowly and carefully.

PVC Plumbing Vent Pipe

This is the lower end of the vent pipe – it’s covered by blown fiberglass insulation. The dark bits on the insulation are nut shells left by flying squirrels that sometimes get into the attic during the winter. I catch them in a box trap to take them to the park and set them free unharmed. Last winter, when I opened the box trap to set the squirrel free, he ran out and turned around, sat up and stared at me for while before scampering off into the trees. Whether confused or saying “thanks!”, I’m not sure. But I digress.

Lower End of the Plumbing Vent Pipe

I moved the insulation away to reveal the bottom of the vent pipe and ceiling drywall. The insulation and paper surface of the drywall were damp. I’m getting close to finding the leak.

Insulation Pushed Aside to Reveal the Drywall Ceiling

A closer look at the vent pipe penetration through the roof revealed daylight shining through around the vent boot flashing. This is the source of the water leak! Rain water is coming in around the vent boot, running down the side of the vent pipe and dripping onto the drywall ceiling. Persistent heavy rains caused enough water to leak inside to be noticed.

On the positive side, the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) roof deck is dry and untouched by the leak. If the roof decking were rotted, the shingles would have to torn up and the rotted section of deck replaced – a major repair effort!

Roof Vent Pipe Flashing - Daylight Coming In!

More rain was in the forecast and it might a take a couple of days to get a roofer over to repair the vent flashing. To minimize further water damage, I tied a towel around the pipe just above the horizontal brace. This is only a band aide solution.

Towel Tied Around the Vent Pipe to Catch the Roof Leak

Cracked Vent Boot

Now that I know what to look for, a crack or split in the vent boot is clearly visible in this photo (red square). The vent boot must hug the pipe tightly to form a watertight seal. The roof is about 10 years old and the vent boot has cracked from a combination of the UV rays from the sun, weathering, expansion and contraction from the heat and cold.

Cracked and Leaking Plumbing Vent Boot

The 2″ PVC vent pipe with the cracked boot is shown here in perspective to the house. The roof is a steep 10/12 pitch and the house sits on a hillside. A 40 foot ladder is needed to reach vent pipe from the ground. Time to call a professional roofer to make this repair.

Vent Pipe Flashing with Cracked Boot

This repair is continued in Part 2.

Hope this helps,

Bob Jackson

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Roof Installation

The screw driven through the roof deck from inside the attic is located and a circle drawn in crayon using the Solatube flashing as a guide. Carefully observe the installation instructions say to cut the hole 1/2 inch larger than the marked circle.

A 1/2 hole is drilled through the roof deck at the 7 o’clock position to start the saw blade. Take care not to cut along the circle, but 1/2 inch outside the circle.

Center Screw and Circle Drawn on Roof

The hole in the roof is cut with a sabre saw. Note to self: bring extra saw blades because the gravel shingles dull blades very quickly. I went through two (2) wood blades cutting this hole.

Hole for the Skylight Dome

I’m missing a couple photos for the next steps due to the difficulty of working on the steep roof. For additional installation photos, see this excellent tutorial at deanwolf.net.

Per the Solatube installation instructions, use a pry bar to break the glue tabs of the shingles from the mid-point to the top of the hole, removing roofing tacks and staples as needed. The top half of the flashing will slide under the shingles but on top of the roofing felt. The shingles also need to be cut back about 3 inches from the mid-point and along the top arc to make room for the curb of the flashing.

Installation Tips:

Before applying roof sealant to the underside of the flashing base, do the following:

1) Dry fit the flashing to ensure the path is clear under the shingles and the shingles are cut back enough to center the flashing over the hole.

2) Test fit the top tube assembly to verify clearance through the hole in the roof and adjust the flashing position if needed.

3) Mark the bottom edges of the flashing on the roof with a crayon to quickly and precisely realign the flashing for final installation after the roof sealant is applied.

A bead of GeoCel® 3300 Polyurethane Sealant that came in Solatube kit is applied with a caulk gun to the underside of the flashing. The GeoCel product is “Miami-Dade County approved for hurricane-tough adhesion”.

Geocel 3300 Polyurethane Sealant

The flashing is installed and fastened with eight 2 inch screws. The head of each screw head is sealed with the GeoCel 3300 roof sealant. I also applied a bead of caulk along the outside edge of flashing and underneath the shingles.

Flashing Installed with Screws and Roof Sealant

Next the top tube assembly is fitted and the adjustable knuckle rotated to align with the bottom tube assembly in the bedroom ceiling.

Installation Tip:

An “Attic & Weep Seal Kit Instructions” in a separate package from the main instruction booklet. The foam attic seal must be inserted into the rim of the top tube assembly at this point before fastening the four screws. I discovered this package after I’d already come down from the roof. I had make another trip onto the roof, remove the dome and top tube assembly to install the foam seals.

Remember to peel off the protective plastic liner inside tube before installing the dome.

Top Tube Assembly Installed and Fastened with 4 Screws

The fully assembled Solatube 290 DS (14 inch) skylight.

Solatube Dome, Top Tube and Flashing Installed

This is the top- and bottom tube assemblies at this stage of the project. The bottom assembly is only temporarily installed such that the knuckle on the top assembly could be adjusted.

Solatube Top and Bottom Tube Assemblies

The smaller end of the 16 inch extension tube is inserted inside the bottom tube assembly and taped. Next, the expansion joint seal is taped to the end of the extension tube as shown below. The expansion joint seal is a single-sided tape with a brush-like material on the outer surface. The purpose of the expansion joint seal is to seal out bugs and dust when the bottom tube is inserted into the roof top tube assembly. The bottom tube assembly is test fitted with the top tube in the roof and the knuckle rotated to achieve proper alignment. (I didn’t need the second 16 inch extension tube that came with the kit.) Finally, the bottom assembly inserted through the ceiling into the top tube at the roof and fastened to the drywall ceiling using the built-in “old work” style mounting screws and wings.

Bottom Tube, 16" Extension Tube with Expansion Joint Seal

The glazed diffuser lens simply snaps in place. This photo was taken at night because it’s too bright to photograph it during the day.

Glazed Diffuser Lens

The Solatube 290 DS (14 inch) at work in the morning. The photo taken at 9AM doesn’t quite convey the full brightness the skylight brings to the entire room. I’m very pleased with the improvement!

Solatube at 9AM

The neat thing is at 4PM the skylight produces strong sunlight because I positioned the dome reflector to face southwest to capture the afternoon sun at a time when it doesn’t shine in the windows.

Solatube at 4pm

You can just see the Solatube skylight between the dormers in this photo. The ladder isn’t for getting on the roof, rather it’s to get things I’d dropped out of the rain gutter! Working with a helper on the ground, I used a rope and 5 gallon plastic bucket to ferry tools and materials from the driveway to the roof.

Solatube Skylight Between the Dormers

Final Thoughts

• Solatube Skylight – a high quality and easy to install product.
• A good project for the Do-It-Yourselfer if working on a low pitch roof.
• If working on a steep and dangerous 10/12 pitch like mine, I’d hire a professional.
• My poor-man’s roofing shoes worked great, but only for casual work. The foam soles were nearly worn out after the job. Without them, I could not have climbed the roof.

Poor Man's Roofing Shoes worn out after One Job

Be careful!

Bob Jackson

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Solatube 290 DS 14 inch Skylight

The Solatube skylight comes in a complete kit with everything you need to install it, including roofing caulk and metal foil tape.

Solatube 290 DS Skylight

Diagram on the back of the Solatube shipping box. Click here for the installation instructions.

Solatube Skylight Kit - Everything is in the Box

Working on a 10/12 Pitch Roof (40 degree slope)

My house has a 10/12 pitch roof, meaning it rises 10 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run. This works out to a steep 40 degree slope that is impossible to walk on. I’ve tried climbing it before and I just slide off. If it weren’t for the fact that the area I’d be working has some unique architectural features that made it easier to access, I’d would have given this job over to professional installer. In fact, if I were to do this job again on such a steep roof, I’d hire a professional.

My area was hit by a major hailstorm last spring and several homes in the area had their roofs replaced. I studied how the roofers got around on these steep 10/12 pitch roofs. Roof brackets, toe boards and safety ropes are commonly used – but the trick to staying put is a piece of foam rubber. The roofers take block of foam rubber from a cushion and kneel on it while working to stay put the steep roof. The foam rubber does a great job of gripping the shingles.

Foam Rubber Shoe Soles

A block of foam rubber to kneel on is only part of the solution for working on a steep roof. I knew that soft soled shoes were necessary to get any kind of footing and none of my sneakers would get a grip. Google searches turned up Cougar Paws™ Roofing Boots that use a patented and replaceable sole designed for working on roofs. If I were working roofs all the time, I’d buy a set of Cougar Paws.

Inspired by the block of foam rubber used by the roofers and the Cougar Paws Roofing Boots technology, I decided to a make my own pair of poor-man’s roofing shoes.

I bought a set of foam rubber seat cushions from Wal-Mart for about $10, traced the outline of an old pair of shoes, cut out the foam soles and sprayed the shoes and foam rubber with 3M™ Super 77 Spray Adhesive purchased from Home Depot. I let the 3M adhesive tack up for about 10 minutes for an extra strong permanent bond and glued the foam to the shoes.

Making Foam Rubber Soles for Roofing Shoes

Here’s the materials for the poor man’s roofing shoe:

Poor Man's Roofing Shoes

Locating the Skylight

The skylight will be located on the roof between the two dormers and I needed to take exterior measurements to determine the position of the skylight from inside the attic.

Armed with a block of foam rubber and my home made roofing shoes, I exited the 2nd floor window onto the shallow roof of the covered porch. The foam-lined roofing shoes worked great as I was able to crab walk up the roof, using the block of foam rubber in one hand to maintain my grip. This is a view of the entry to roof. You can see my shoe heel at the extreme bottom right of the photo. I discovered that I don’t like heights.

Climbing the 10/12 Pitch Roof

View roof ridge over the bedroom. A 40 degree roof slope is quite steep! I liked it better if I didn’t look down.

Peak of the 10/12 Pitch Roof over the Bedroom

I took measurements to determine where the dormers are in relation to main roof. The measurements are necessary avoid the dormers when fixing the position of the skylight inside the attic. The key measurements are:

1. The horizontal distance from the main roof ridge to the valley between the two dormers.
2. The vertical distance from the main roof ridge the top ridge of the dormers.

Main Roof and Dormers

Ground level view of the dormers:

Bedroom Dormers

Skylight Placement on the Bedroom Ceiling

A tape measure and carpenter’s square are used to find the center of the wall between the two dormers and draw center line in pencil along the ceiling. A 3-1/2 long screw was driven into the ceiling about 18 inches out from the wall as indicated by the red arrow. This will be the center of the skylight.

Locating the Skylight

Working in the attic above the bedroom, the screw for the center of the skylight is somewhere beneath the insulation.

Attic Area where the Skylight will be Installed

The insulation is brushed away revealing the screw in the ceiling. Several problems are immediately evident:

1. The screw is not centered between the ceiling joists.
2. The ceiling joists are offset and don’t align with the roof trusses.
3. There’s not enough room for me to work so close the edge of attic.

Screw Marking the Center of the Skylight

To remedy these problems, I decided to locate the skylight higher on the roof and verified this location would be clear of the dormers based on the previously made exterior roof measurements. A 3-1/2 inch screw was centered between the roof trusses and driven through the roof deck to mark the center of the skylight on the exterior roof.

The center of the skylight is transferred from the roof deck to the bedroom ceiling by plumb bob and line as shown.

Locating the Skylight with a Plumb Bob

Because the ceiling joists are offset relative to the roof trusses, the skylight in the roof will be offset by 1-1/2 inches to the base in the ceiling. Fortunately the Solatube skylight has two adjustable “knuckles” or joints to accommodate this very situation. I therefore marked only the distance from the edge of the attic as shown.

Distance from Wall Marked

The initial location of the skylight is the screw at the red arrow. The mark for plumb line from the roof is circled in blue. The final skylight location as centered between the ceiling joists is the hole made at the blue arrow.

New Skylight Center in the Bedroom Ceiling

This is the adjusted center of the skylight on the bedroom ceiling:

Adjusted Skylight Location

A 14-3/4 inch hole must be cut in the ceiling for the skylight lens. To do so, a foot long piece of string is taped to a pencil and the string is marked at 7-3/8 inches (the radius is 1/2 the diameter) with permanent marker. The string is wrapped around a screw in the center hole to the mark at 7-3/8 inches to make an improvised drafting compass. The resulting circle is 14-3/4 inches in diameter.

Compass using a String and Pencil

Circle to be cut out for the skylight.

Circle for the Skylight Cutout

The hole in the ceiling is cut with a Rotozip spiral saw. The Rotozip does a wonderful job without cracking or tearing the drywall as a hand saw is prone to do.

Hole for the Solatube Skylight Lens

Per the Solatube Instructions, the bottom tube assembly is temporarily inserted in order to adjust the top tube assembly later when working on the roof.

Bottom Tube Assembly Temporarily Inserted

This project is continued in Part 2.

Be careful!

Bob Jackson

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