When you find a leak in your roof it’s often at the site of some flashing. This could be at the edge of your roof, but it’s more often seen around chimneys, pipes, and vents. Another place you’ll see it is in the valley where two rooflines meet one another. Flashing can get damaged over time, and when it does become damaged it might not seal up the way it used to. That can allow water to get in underneath it, and that can lead to some serious problems with water damage to your roof and potentially to the rest of your home, as well.
You don’t have to hire a contractor to repair your roof flashing, though. You can do it yourself with a little bit of know-how. If it’s the edge flashing that needs fixed you don’t need to remove the old one. You can put new flashing on top of the old flashing and attach it with asphalt flashing cement. Make sure that it goes up under the shingles and that it covers any spots that are damaged. Not putting it under the shingles can leave a lip where water will back up and cause a larger leak than the one you already had. If flashing is too bent or broken to be covered over, it may have to be removed before you put new flashing in the same area.
If the flashing around pipes and vents, or your chimney, is damaged, it will have to be fixed. The best way to do that is to replace it, but you don’t have to. If there isn’t too much damage you can put new flashing over the old or you can seal up the flashing with roofing tar or liquid asphalt. You can buy tubes of this and put it in a caulking gun or you can buy larger amount of it in tubs and buckets and put it on with a brush.
No matter how you decide to repair your roof flashing you’ll want to make sure that you take your time and do the repair correctly. When you rush through something like that you have a lot higher chance of having the repair fail or actually doing more damage to your roof in the process, so take time with what you’re doing and your roof repair will last for a long time to come. You won’t have leaks and worries to address, and you won’t have to worry about damage to your home from water getting in.