Sunday, August 19, 2007

Cheap Tar is not Always Good Tar

So yesterday, I mentioned that I found a small leak around the chimney. It wasn't enough to get me on the roof at night during the rain, so I put if off until today.

Today, I went up to take care of business, and found a couple of potential areas which could have been letting water seep in. I don't blame the guys who did the roof for me, as they used the material I purchased for them. Part of that purchase included $.99 tubes of roof tar on sale at Menards. Although it might have been good for certain roof work, it wasn't up to the job of filling in small voids around the flashing. It was actually very thin and runny tar, although that may be because it was well over 100 degrees when it was being used. The stuff I used today to go over all the flashing was $3.49/tube from Ace, and was noticeably thicker. In fact, it looked like tar mixed with small fibers. It did a great job in filling the voids and creating a smooth surface to keep water out. At least that's what I say now, since it's not raining and I can't prove otherwise.

I also added a cover for the chimney top which should keep water out. Previously, all I had was some chickenwire formed over the top to keep out birds and debris.

Come on, Mother Nature, bring it on!

3 comments:

Nathan said...

I'm wondering if I don't have the same problem. The seller got the leak from the chimney flashing 'fixed' as he was supposed to before closing, but it's still leaking. It pours down the walls under the paint and makes a little puddle on my mantle. It also makes me shout profanities. I'm hoping it's not too big of a fix... just for the hassle; no way I'm paying for it!

Muskego Jeff said...

If I had the cash, I'd replace the old water heater which is the only thing left which uses the old chimney and replace it with a high efficiency unit that vents out the side of the house. That way I could just remove the freakin' chimney and cover the hole up and be done with it.

Since yours was supposed to be done as part of the house sale, I'd ride them like a donkey until it was done right. Mine is down to a very slow drip, so once it's finally dried out I'll re-work the tar a bit and hopefully be dry.

Smudgemo said...

Bring it on? Careful what you wish for...