Flashing Failure Repair in Kenosha, WI

The Finding at the Wall and the Curb

Four flashing findings are typical. Sealant that has dried, cracked or pulled away from its substrate. Counterflashing that has lifted from a wall. Pipe boots that have split at the collar. Curb flashing at rooftop units that has been crushed or torn by service traffic.

Each one is photographed close up and in context, with a scale in the frame. We note the substrate, whether masonry, metal or a panel, because adhesion depends on it. We also note whether the failure is a single point or runs along a line, which tells us whether to patch or to re-flash the whole run.

A flashing that has failed once is often failing nearby. The log marks the neighboring details as watch items so they are checked next.

Gutters and scuppers, where present, are logged as flashing details too. A scupper liner that has pulled from the wall lets water behind the membrane just as a wall flashing does.

How the Flashing Log Is Kept

The flashing log lists every wall tie-in, curb, penetration and edge detail on the roof, with its type, its condition rating and its photograph number. Details that pass are logged as well as those that fail, so the table shows the whole roof and not only the problems.

Where water has entered, a moisture survey maps the wet insulation around the failed flashing, and a core cut confirms the extent. Water that has been entering for a season can soak a larger area than the stain suggests, and the survey keeps the repair scope tied to the evidence.

The log carries a second column for the date of the last repair. Repeat repairs to the same detail show up as a pattern, and the pattern is the argument for replacing the detail.

Thermal Movement in a Kenosha Year

The thermometer in Kenosha has read as low as minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit, in January 1985, and as high as 105, in July 2012. A range like that makes flashings and sealants expand and contract over many cycles a year. Sealant that is fine in summer may open in a January cold snap, and metal flashing that fits in January may buckle in July.

The same range works on buildings anywhere in the region, from a lakefront storefront downtown to a plant in Mount Pleasant. We log the date of each inspection with the season, so a flashing that opens in winter and closes in summer reads as movement and not as a one-time failure.

Buildings that run a lot of rooftop equipment multiply the count. On a hospital roof, air handlers, exhaust and vents add curbs and boots, and each one becomes a line in the flashing log. A plant in Racine County has its own list of process vents.

Repairs Matched to the Roof System

A flashing repair has to bond to the membrane and the substrate at once. On single-ply roofs, flashing patches are heat-welded or bonded with compatible adhesive. On modified bitumen, the repair is torched or cold-applied with matching sheet. On metal roofs, the repair is mechanical and sealed.

Small cracks in sealant can be cut out and re-sealed. Larger failures call for new flashing, and the scope lists the height, the termination and the fasteners. A skylight and penetration flashing scope adds the curb height and the base flashing overlap.

Edge metal gets its own line. Coping and edge metal that has lifted is re-seated with new clips and a continuous cleat where needed.

Temporary measures are labeled as temporary. A cold-applied patch over a failed corner keeps water out for the week, and the log carries it as an open item until the permanent repair is made.

What the Ratings Mean for the Budget

Most flashing failures fit the repair budget, and a good log keeps them there. A rating table shows details that are sound, details that are marginal and details that have failed. Sound details go on the calendar. Failed details go on the work order.

When a roof has many failed details on a sound membrane, the answer is a re-flashing project, which costs far less than replacement. When the membrane is also failing, the log shows it, and the capital request follows. The seam failure record sits in the same file.

Cost ranges are given per detail type, such as per curb or per linear run of wall flashing, with the assumptions stated, so an owner can multiply by the counts in the log and see the total.

Seasonal Checks for Sealants and Terminations

A fall check tests sealants and terminations before the first freeze. A spring check records what winter opened. Between them, a short summer visit catches buckled metal and softened sealant.

After a high-wind event, flashing gets a second look. The wind damage record shares the same table.

Summer visits look for buckled metal and soft sealant, both signs of heat movement. The January and July extremes are different tests, so the log has an entry for each.

Each seasonal entry names the detail types checked, so a missing entry for curbs or pipe boots stands out in the log as plainly as a failed one.

Close-Out Package After Flashing Work

The file closes with before and after photographs of every repaired detail, the product sheets for sealants and flashings, and a note of the termination method used. A follow-up inspection after the first winter confirms that the repairs held.

Warranty paperwork is updated at the same time. If a repair touches a warrantied area, the file records who made it and with what.