You will have to learn how to fix a vent pipe at one time or another. These are usually sealed off to prevent any type of leaks from occurring. However, the flashing that is used to seal the vent pipe will eventually get worn out and will necessarily need a replacement. When this occurs you will really have to find a way to fix a vent pipe with a damaged flashing.
Precautions
Whenever you work to try and fix a vent pipe make sure to wear all the necessary protective gear. You will be removing pieces of metal flashing, which usually have sharp edges. Don?t forget to wear work gloves when handling these metal sheets. If you have a flat roof you?ll be working with more flashing since metal sheets will be used to cover the whole vent and not just certain sections of it.
Materials/Equipment
You should first gather all the necessary tools and materials to fix a vent pipe including damaged flashing. You?ll need pliers, roofing felt, a utility knife, a small broom, trowels, roof cement, roofing nails, replacement flashing, a hammer, some scraps of wood, pry bar or crowbar, and your work gloves. You need to get your handyman skills together since it will take a bit of hard work to fix a vent pipe.
Procedure
The first step to fix a vent pipe is to remove the shingles or any part of the roof located above the chimney. Use your crowbar or pry bar to do this. However, be careful when you remove parts of your roofing. You?re just taking them out so they would be out of the way. You?ll eventually have to put them back when you?re done working on the vent pipes.
The next step is to pry off the damaged flashing. You can use the scrap wood to act as a wedge. You should be able to lift the flashing over the pipe. However, make sure that you don?t budge the pipe out of place. Remove any nails protruding in the work area. Next, fill any holes you find with roof cement. Be sure to sweep away any dirt before applying the cement. Inspect the vent pipe for damage and see if you need to replace it as well.
The next step is to place the replacement flashing over the pipe. Make sure that the protective collar around the pipe is positioned exactly how the old one was placed. Use roofing nails to affix your work and cover the visible nail heads with roof cement.
The last step is to place the roofing back over the new flashing. If ever you have roofing felt you might have to cut new sheets to replace the old ones if they were damaged. You might want to add additional layers over the first one just to be sure.
