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Hi folks,
A client has a chimney with a 4-year-old aluminum cricket that has had multiple leaks. It’s on a standing-seam metal roof (maybe 100 years old).
Several different roofers have applied various shmears to stop the leaks. There is a fair amount of tar and quite a bit of silicone, yet the seams continue to pull open in spots.
She has given me the go ahead to rebuild the cricket from scratch if I think it’ll stop the problems for good, but I’m not a professional metal-bender, and fear I won’t construct a cricket that is as good as the one that is there, so I would prefer to get the existing one in good shape.
My questions are:
1) Should I try and remove the existing layers of goop before re-fastening the loose parts and re-sealing, or should I just shmear on some more stuff?
2) What’s the easiest way to remove the brittle tar and silicone?
3) What’s best to use as a sealant: tar? silicone? something else?
4) Should I try that fiberglass material over the whole thing, that stuff that you embed in and cover with rubberized paint? (similar to AcrylMax).
Thanks in advance,
Steve
Replies
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Steve,
Leave the junk on if you want to patch. Use an
elastomeric and fabric, sta-kool.com is what I use
but they are others.Do not use silicone if the metal is galvanized or painted steel. It will eat holes pretty quick. If you recricket use butyl
tape and Lexel to seal.
kk
*Steve, you said aluminum, right? If the cricket is of any size, it's not difficult to imagine leakage being created by expansion/contraction. I agree with kk to a point ... I'd be inclined however, to remove some of the old patchwork before using the products he recommends. Try a heat gun and a putty knife. The silicone needs to go for sure, and you may have difficulty gaining adhesion where it was used before.If you build anew, consider subbing the job to a roofing company. A good metal flashing mechanic can do wonders for a reasonable price, and you can get a guarantee on the work.Good luck, Steve T
*Steve: I agree with Steve T. Go find a good sheetmetal shop or roofing company & sub it out. Strip the existing and go back with new. You might get lucky with the existing and fix it but the odds are against you or any one else that tries to fix it. If you elect to repair you are taking the responsibility for future leaks and the workmanship (or lack thereof)of the existing mess. If you estimate your time to repair & a callback or two the cost of new may be less expensive than the attempted fix. The other thing is that with a new flashing that does not leak you will have a satisfied & happy customer. This is the way we approach these types of repairs when faced with them. Experience has taught us this. Ron.
*Steel in contact with aluminum? Exposed to rain? Sounds like electrolysis is at work here. As long as this condition exists you will have leaks. A new cricket in a compatable material is the fix.
*Steve, et al,Thanks for the help. The standing seam is painted steel. What would be my selection of compatible metals? Would copper be a good choice?Steve
*SteveYou won't go wrong by using i exactly the same material for the crickett-small coils of galvalume or painted steel should be available for the making of custom flashings from any supplier of steel roofing.Also look for other repairs needed in the immediate area, sounds like poorly attached roof panels are moving enough to keep breaking caulked joints!! Maybe there is no framing close enough to the chimney to attach the roofpanels to, or maybe the panels are jammed up tight to the chimney, and any expansion of the masonry is causing slight buckling of the panel, then again, you might remove all the goop and find the original crickett just wasn't installed well.-pm
*Steve, everyone that has replied to you is wrong in not telling you to be sure the cricket is not installed on top of the metal roof on the "uphill" side. All goop will eventually fail if it is applied on top of a cricket that is installed on top of metal roofing on the uphill side.
*R Hayes,I must be missing something here. Crickets are always installed on the uphill side of the chimney so as to prevent water from shooting down the roof's slope and pooling against the back side of the chimney. Crickets divert the water away from the chimney's backside (the side facing the roof's ridge line). This side faces uphill.What uphill are you talking about?Davo
*Hi Steve,Don't try to patch an old patch job. Tear off the cricket, see what the roof looks like underneath it, and go from there. By the way, crickets aren't always necessary. If you think it is, then get a new one built. Its that simple. Forget the "goo route." Like R Hayes said, Goo will go "bye bye" sooner or later. You want your work to last as long as the roof lasts don't you? Then forget the goo.Davo
*R Hayes,I must be missing something here. Crickets are always installed on the uphill side of the chimney so as to prevent water from shooting down the roof's slope and pooling against the back side of the chimney. Crickets divert the water away from the chimney's backside (the side facing the roof's ridge line). This side faces uphill.What uphill are you talking about?Davo