Skylight and Chimney Flashing Repair in Louisville, Ohio
When a roof in Louisville, Ohio, leaks before its shingles wear out, the cause is usually a chimney or a skylight. The owner traces the water, photographs the joint that failed and prices the fix in writing before work starts.
Quick facts
- What is included
- Leak tracing, new step and counter flashing at a chimney or a full flashing kit at a skylight, membrane underneath, and photos.
- Typical time
- A reflash or a same-size skylight swap is usually a one-visit job.
- Permits
- Louisville's permit sheet names reroofing. For flashing or skylight work alone, Planning and Zoning at 215 South Mill Street can say what applies.
- How pricing works
- A fixed written price before work starts. Flashing only. Masonry repairs are named in the report but not done here.
Why do skylights and chimneys leak before the rest of the roof?
Shingles shed water by overlapping. A chimney or a skylight interrupts that overlap with four vertical sides, and the only thing keeping water out along those sides is sheet metal and how well it was layered. Brick and wood framing move at different rates through a Northeast Ohio winter, and snow sits against the uphill side for weeks. Flashing that was fitted well lasts as long as the shingles. Flashing that was only caulked lasts until the caulk lets go.
How does chimney flashing fail on Louisville houses?
A properly flashed chimney has four parts, and each has its own way of failing.
- Apron. The piece across the downhill face. It lifts when the nails holding its lower edge rust.
- Step flashing. L-shaped pieces up each side, one woven into every course of shingles. Roofers in a hurry sometimes run one long strip instead, and it leaks at the first wrinkle.
- Counter flashing. The cap that covers the top edge of the step flashing. It should be let into a groove cut in a mortar joint. When it is only glued to the brick face, water gets behind it.
- Back pan or cricket. The uphill side. A wide chimney needs a small peaked saddle behind it to split the water. Without one, leaves, snow and ice pile up there.
The older houses around downtown tend to have tall brick chimneys, sometimes two, and some no longer serve a furnace or fireplace. An unused chimney still needs sound flashing. The mid-century ranches usually have one chimney low on the roof, easy to reach and often patched with roof cement more than once. The page on roofs in the downtown Louisville Historic District says more about those older details.
What are the signs of a chimney flashing leak?
A stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, damp framing around it in the attic, rust streaks on the metal, or thick black patching where metal should be. If the mortar joints are open or the concrete crown on top is cracked, water may be coming through the masonry itself. The report will say which, because flashing cannot fix a chimney that leaks through its own brick.
Is it better to reflash a chimney or patch it?
A bead of sealant is a patch. It buys a season, sometimes two. A reflash is a repair: the shingles around the chimney come up, self-adhering membrane is run up the brick, new step flashing goes in course by course, a groove is ground into the mortar and new counter flashing is set into it. Done that way, the joint should not need attention again until the next roof.
When the whole roof is being replaced, new flashing at every chimney and wall is part of the job. Reusing old flashing under new shingles is one of the most common shortcuts in roofing, and it is worth asking any roofer about before you sign. See the full scope on the Louisville roof replacement page.
Why is my skylight leaking?
There are three possibilities, and only one is the roof's fault.
- The flashing. Water gets in around the frame and stains the drywall shaft below the skylight, usually at a corner.
- The unit. The seal between the panes has failed, so the glass fogs or shows water inside it, or the frame gasket has shrunk.
- Condensation. On a cold morning, warm house air hits cold glass and drips. It looks like a leak and is not one. A bath or kitchen skylight does this most.
When should a skylight be replaced?
A skylight generally lasts about as long as one roof. If yours went in with the house on one of the 1990s or 2000s streets at the edge of town, it is at that age now. The sensible time to change it is during a reroof, when the shingles around it are already off and a new unit with its own flashing kit drops into the same opening. Replacement on its own is also possible: same-size unit, new flashing, membrane up the curb, and the drywall inside is left alone.
Other leak sources, such as pipe boots and nail pops, are covered on the Louisville roof repair page.
Skylight and chimney questions from Louisville homeowners
How can I tell whether the chimney or the flashing is leaking?
Look at when it leaks. Flashing leaks show up during or right after rain. Masonry that soaks water through cracked mortar or a broken crown often shows dampness a day later and over a wider area. The attic photos in the report settle it.
Should a skylight be replaced when the roof is replaced?
In most cases, yes. The skylight and the shingles around it age together, and replacing the unit during a reroof costs less labor than doing it alone later. If the skylight is only a few years old, it stays and gets new flashing.
Do you rebuild or tuckpoint chimneys?
No. The work here stops at the flashing and the roofing around it. If the brick, mortar or crown needs a mason, the photo report shows the damage so you can hand it to one.
Water showing up near a chimney or skylight?
Get the joint photographed and priced in writing. Calls are answered around the clock.