[RE-wrenches] to flash or not to flash

Ray Walters ray at solarray.com
Fri Aug 7 13:50:55 PDT 2015


We did a shake roof, and used a quick mount flashing ( I believe) that 
was 18" x 18".  According to the directions, we had to use a roofing bar 
to pull out the nails to insert the flashing up under the shake.  
Missing nails the shakes were not secure on the neds, so we ended up 
using sealant to try and hold the ends down over the flashing.  I felt 
the roof integrity suffered, but of course I can't believe that shake 
roofs are even a viable roofing system, so that's another story.
On asphalt roofs, you need to cut part of the shingle away and also 
remove nails from under the layer above.  THe nails can tear through 
both shingle layers when pulled, and you are now mising some of the 
original roofing structure. You are also pulling apart the adhesive that 
holds the shingles down to the layer below,  leaving them vulnerable to 
wind.  Working with aging shingles on a cold day they may tear or crack, 
while on a hot day you end up loosing some of the gravel.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against flashings, I just question other 
folks insistence that we are not living up to NABCEP values if we elect 
to not use them.

R.Ray Walters
CTO, Solarray, Inc
Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
Licensed Master Electrician
Solar Design Engineer
303 505-8760

On 8/7/2015 12:08 PM, Jay wrote:
> Hi Ray
>
> Can you elaborate on how a large flashing can cause more damage than it prevents?
>
> Thanks
> Jay
> Peltz power
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 7, 2015, at 10:34 AM, Ray Walters <ray at solarray.com> wrote:
>>
>> My opinion is that if the L foot has enough surface area it constitutes a flashing, and that large flashings can actually cause more damage to the roof than they prevent.
>> I also agree that an attachement doesn't constitute a penetration.  I just finished an install on a metal roof with hundreds of screw holes.  We added a few more screw holes, and ours have 20 times the sealant surface area.  We did run a 1" conduit through the roof, and since it was an actual penetration, we used a very expensive flexible boot flashing.
>> Personally, I think we need about a 3"x3" or 4" x 4" L foot with a double stick butyl tape on the bottom, and all will be well.
>> I realize that the OP was referring to asphalt, but I will flash other roof types that don't do well with L feet ( like shake).
>> R.Ray Walters
>> CTO, Solarray, Inc
>> Nabcep Certified PV Installer,
>> Licensed Master Electrician
>> Solar Design Engineer
>> 303 505-876
>>
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