[andercat]

My husband was up on the roof of our new home here in The Villages and noticed that the plastic vent pipes that come out of the roof are covered by a piece of lead that wraps around the pipe and is crimped over the top. We have lived in several parts of the country in both new and pre-owned homes and have never seen this before. Does anyone know why this is done here? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

[theorem painter]

Hopefully Frank D'Angelo will respond to this question. He explained it to us when he did our home inspection and he would do a better job of it than me. All I had to do was hear the word snake!

Sally

[Goober III]

To prevent water intrusion into the hole made in the roof’s decking, a lead boot is installed over the top of the plumbing vent, prior to laying your shingles.

[mulligan]

Up north, an aluminum and vinyl sleeve is used to accomplish the same thing. Here, the sun is much more intense, and the UV will quickly destroy the vinyl/rubber portion of the sleeve.

[scottiee]

These are for the plumbing system the drains. They allow air to enter the drainage pipes. Think of a coke bottle turned upside down it would not drain well blub blub now bust the bottom out it will drain fast.

[Gat0r]

The lead stops algae growth on the shingles.

[DangeloInspections]

Thank you for the kind words.....as many have said here, yes, the plumbing vents are flashed different down here then what we typically saw up north. Up north they were usually longer, (sticking up higher from the roof) then down here due to snow. They were usually installed with a rubber or neoprene gasket around the white PVC (or in some places black ABS) pipe.

Down here they are installed with lead flashing boots. The lead is flexible, and the top portion is bent into the interior of the pipe, thus protecting the home from possible moisture intrusion. Any rain that would hit this pipe would either go down the outside of it, and off your roof or into the pipe, where it would simply enter your drain system.

They use the lead here to protect the PVC from the harsh sun. On some of the older homes here in The Villages, I have seen the neoprene type. That has to be inspected well to make sure there is no damage from age, the sun, etc.

Problems with the lead flashings are rare. I DO find problems with them sometimes, even on new homes. On new homes I sometimes find the lead flashing not bent into the pipe properly, thus allowing rain to enter the attic and home. I have also found where the roofer "forgot" to bend the lead into the pipe and then you have even a more serious moisture and pest intrusion problem.

The biggest problem I find with the lead flashings are after a few years. If Palm trees, and overhanging tree branches are allowed to be over the roof, squirrels will get on to the roof and sharpen their teeth on the lead, thus making holes in this lead. I have in the worst cases actually seen almost ALL of the lead gone and the bare pipe sticking out of the roof with a nice donut shaped opening looking right into the attic. Rain gets into the attic, runs down the outside of the pipe and gets into the interior attic and wall. This can cause water damage, staining and mold.

This is why it is important to check the roof during an inspection. With the rare exception of a couple of really steep roofs on a few Premier homes, I always walk all over the roof and check each vent pipe. Squirrel problems are usually found on the older homes, but I have found all of the other problems mentioned during warranty inspections on one year old homes.

Someday when time allows I will post pictures of each of these conditions.

Hope that helps!

Respectfully, Frank

[LI SNOWBIRD]

Originally Posted by andercat

My husband was up on the roof of our new home here in The Villages and noticed that the plastic vent pipes that come out of the roof are covered by a piece of lead that wraps around the pipe and is crimped over the top. We have lived in several parts of the country in both new and pre-owned homes and have never seen this before. Does anyone know why this is done here? Thanks for any ideas you might have.

Your husband was able to go up on the roof! God bless!

[DonH57]

I went up on oursours yesterday morning to stop a couple of palm fronds from rubbing the roof and didn't think to check the vent bootsboots although I checked the gutters.