Don’t think the flashing is properly installed and believe that water is running down either the rafter or sheathing. Can I temporarily, until next spring, use roofing cement and seal the step flashing around the chimney? Should the step flashing be temporarily nailed down with roofing nails and cemented over with roofing cement? What’s the best way to do this?
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That is, without a doubt, the ugliest chimney I've ever seen. Either a two-gallon bucket of roof cement or a stick of dynamite is what's needed.
(It may well be that the leak is through the chimney, vs past the flashing, though.)
bridge
The worst thing you can do is goop it up with roof cement.
Causes nothing but a big mess-o-problem when you go to do it right.
Look up Cricket for a chimney while you're at it-there isn't one-you are trying to damn water above the chimney-which don't work.
And then take a look at masonry-the chimney could be relaid while you work on the flashing (at least to just below roof level)
Unanimous!
Almost the worst flashing job I have evewr seen.
Yes guys - I do remember one to top it!
Barely
While the flashing is incredibly ugly, it does appear to all be there (close as one can see), and it appears to be "schematically" correct -- the pieces are overlapped more or less appropriately. (One can't see, of course, some of the details, especially near the top corners.) While there certainly are many opportunities for the flashing to fail, it's possible the flashing is actually working, after a fashion, and the problem is that water is giving it an "end run".
The two most likely places I can see for such an "end run" are:
On the high side, where lack of a cricket may dam up enough water such that it can flood under the leading edge of the flashing (under the shingles).
The chimney itself, where rainwater may be getting into the beautiful brickwork or between brick and flue (if there is one) and then working outwards below the flashing. (What sort of cap does the chimney have?)
You've never seen a good chieny flashing, have you Dan? What a buncha krappola you just spouted!
And you didn't read what I said, did you?
Go ahead and secure the flashing and seal with silicone caulk. The shingles and mortar joints will have to be removed to re flash the chimney anyway, and the silicone won't make such a mess.
It would be easier to take this down the the roof and rebuild than to fix all that is wrong with it.
There are a few visible places that could let water in and any sealer won't fix them. It looks like either the original flashing was too short to make the bend on the roof, was an attempt at counter flashing or has been cut and some galvanized sheet metal was installed. The brown ooze I see leaking out those beautifully tooled mortar joints makes me wonder if there is a liner in the chimney. If the whole chimney is so poorly built, you may have gasses leaking in the house.
On the left side, pic 2. you can see the top of an added piece of flashing open to the weather. On pic 4, you can see a gap at the top and the last near the apron isn't flat to the roof, wind driven rain could get in. In fact, there are a lot of places where the flashing isn't tight and it's hard to tell if there is an overlap underneath. Both the flashing at the top and at the apron are sad looking. Properly done, the flashing would be interwoven with the roof shingles and not visible except at the apron. Normally, you don't want any nails in the flashing but one away from the chimney, at the top of a flashing that is covered by the next piece is acceptable. It can be eliminated by not bending the flashing all the way to 90 or beyond, as in this case. We use rolled lead for chimney flashing, soft enough to bend and fold corners and a very long, rust free life.
Chances are, this may have been leaking a long time, and probably through the chimney top, too. Hard to tell if the brick work would stand up to cleaning out the mortar to re-flash correctly. You may find rot in the framing around the chimney. Without removing what is on top, it's hard to say what conditions are under and where holes may be open. Don't know where you are but with winter coming, it's past time to knock it down and build correctly. Unless the unseen chimney is 10' tall, or the roof is 60 feet off the ground and inaccessble it wouldn't take an experienced mason a day to fix it. But, there could be underlying issues and the entire chimney may be dangerous and leaking carbon monoxide into the house. Make sure you get a CM detector tonight or open the window.