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I’m looking for some advise on which would be the best material for stopping leaks on a low pitch metal roof. The roof has one 22′ run at a 1/12 and a 6’6/12 kickup. The house is rectangular and has 6 skylites. My leaks are coming in around the skylites but they are caulked very well. I think the water is coming through the inteface of the two pitches at the valley. I’m thinking of trying moonroof or some hot tar to seal the skylites and valley. I would appreciate any advice in this area. Thanks, Rob
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Replies
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Robert,
Tough to advise without some more info. Is the 6.5/12 roof also a metal roof, or is it shingles? Is it a standing seam metal roof, soldered, or something else? If the skylights aren't on curbs, they should be. You need to determine how far the lower roof goes up under the upper roof and of what material it is. Just putting some hot tar or the equivalent up there is not the proper way to fix it, no matter what the situation is.
Red dog
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Robert,
There is no roofing equivalent of "Fix-a-Flat". You can't buy a leak free roof in a can. Find a competent roofer and barter your services for his if you're too frugal to spend some of your brokerage commissions to pay him for his time.
Skylight flashings, flashing at the pitch break, panel seams, face nails and/or screws, ridge metal, all these things need to be inspected by someone who actually knows what to look for. A pretty caulking job has little to do with whether or not the flashing was installed properly.
The internet is great, but sometimes you have to deal with the locals.
Good luck, John
*This is why I do not install Skylights on low pitch roofs. Had one on a flat roof once, and made the homeowner sign a full release. It leaked. Oh well.JRS is right on. The leak is because of improper flashing. If the installer has to depend on caulk, then the window will leak. I have two suggestions, one really bad, and one is the right way.1. Dump a bunch of tar over the darn thing. Hey, it will look like crap, and may or may not work.2. Remove the window, and get a proper flashing job done. This may involve custom galvinized fabrication, mainly at the top header.
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I'm looking for some advise on which would be the best material for stopping leaks on a low pitch metal roof. The roof has one 22' run at a 1/12 and a 6'6/12 kickup. The house is rectangular and has 6 skylites. My leaks are coming in around the skylites but they are caulked very well. I think the water is coming through the inteface of the two pitches at the valley. I'm thinking of trying moonroof or some hot tar to seal the skylites and valley. I would appreciate any advice in this area. Thanks, Rob