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All You Need To Know About Metal Roof Flashing

Posted on by metrosteel

Everybody agrees that a leaking roof is bad, but what you might not know is that one aspect that prevents a roof from leaking is metal flashing. It’s used to keep water from entering a roof or joint and can be made of a wide range of material, the most durable of which is metal.

So where is flashing found?

Typically flashing can be seen around the base of chimneys and skylights, or any place where you might have an intentional hole in a roof. It can be difficult to shore a hole or intersection up properly but flashing does exactly this while also allowing for possible expansion or movement.

Are there any other alternatives?

In reality no! Historically humans have tried all sorts of other methods such as angling tiles away from the joint or building steps or channels into the sides of the roof to divert water away from the joint, but inevitably, they’ve all failed.

What types of flashing are there?

Just to confuse you there are several types of flashing these include:

  • Roof flashing

  • Wall flashing

  • Channel/Valley flashing

  • Pipe flashing

  • Cap flashing and even…

  • Kick-out flashing ( Designed to deflect water away from lower level intersections)

Each one is designed for a different construction purpose however they all do the same job. That is to prevent water from getting into where it shouldn’t!

Is flashing foolproof?

In a word no! Any type of flashing is prone to wear and tear especially in harsher environments or extreme temperature environments. For example salty air will cause certain types of flashing to tarnish, while extreme heat will cause others to expand and possibly warp. This is why it’s important to have the right material for the conditions. In coastal areas for example, because of the salty air stainless steel flashing is best because it’s more hardy and resistant to these types of conditions.

A word on galvanic corrosion?

Galvanic corrosion occurs when one material corrodes preferentially with another when in direct electrical contact. This is something you need to be aware of when erecting flashing. For example you wouldn’t want to place lead and copper against each other, but you can use lead coated copper without having the same affect.

Here at Metro Steel we fabricate and design a wide variety of metal products including stainless steel flashing. Why not give us a call on 07 3204 1000 for a free no obligation quote.

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