[maxforwardspeed]

Basic summary:

I just installed an attic-mounted powered roof vent, trying to follow a video from This Old House

My installation was very similar, except the fan isn't solar. Of course it wasn't until after I installed it that I saw Tinner's website with photos and explanations on how to install this type of vent. Now I'm worried, because maybe I should have left another layer of shingles below the vent, revealing more flashing above. In the This Old House video, they installed the vent with about the same percentage of flashing on top of the shingles. I used a sealant around the circumference of the hole, just like he did in the video.

Here are the pics:

Tinner...anyone...Is this a good enough install to prevent a leak? Or is it so bad that I should preemptively redo it so there's another layer of shingles below the flashing?

FYI, this part of the roof faces East, so I'm thinking wind-driven rain shouldn't be as much of a concern where we live.

 

[joecaption]

Looks like you did a great job.

Where's the sewer gas vents on that roof?
They may just have been out of frame.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Looks like you did a great job.

Where's the sewer gas vents on that roof?
They may just have been out of frame.

Thanks Joe, the plumbing vents are on the other side, out of the frame. So, 1 vote for no leaks? :yes:

 

[Windows on Wash]

Looks good here too.

Shingles don't look great where there are cracked but the install looks decent (for 1:30AM and on an 18 hour day).

 

[tinner666]

Looks good, but it depends on one thing. Those first two shingles on top of the vent. Did you taper their tops away from the vent? If so, you're good. If they're cut nice and neat and following the curve, the tops will likely catch water and run it across the roof and a leak will develop.
(That is a common mistake made by 'pros' and rookies alike.)
Just go back to my page and notice the square cuts as opposed to rounded cuts.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Looks good here too.

Shingles don't look great where there are cracked but the install looks decent (for 1:30AM and on an 18 hour day).

Hah! Well, my bad on the cracked shingles. I had a hard time getting the seals to break.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Looks good, but it depends on one thing. Those first two shingles on top of the vent. Did you taper their tops away from the vent? If so, you're good. If they're cut nice and neat and following the curve, the tops will likely catch water and run it across the roof and a leak will develop.
(That is a common mistake made by 'pros' and rookies alike.)
Just go back to my page and notice the square cuts as opposed to rounded cuts.

Thanks Frank, I want to make sure I know what you mean by "tapered" because I checked your site and am a little confused. Do you mean hold the knife at an angle so that the shingle on top is cut so that the one beneath is further from the hole? I made sure to avoid cutting the shingles to a point, but I don't think that's what you mean.

 

[PatChap]

It looks like a decent install, but I would block out the static vents if your going to use the powered. It can suck air right through the static vent, making both useless. Easy enough to block out from inside if you don't want to remove it, replace the wood etc.

 

[Roofmaster417]

Looks decent,.Hopefully you cut your points out from the shingles (second and possibly 3rd course up the side of the vent)as they meet the back of the vent/flashing.Not doing so can trap debris.Kinda like a closed cut laced valley.Not cutting those points can trap debris causing the valley to leak over time.:thumbsup:

Just curious tho.,.You dinged your roof vent during the power vent installation didn't you. Hahahaha be honest hahahahaha

Sorry Tinner.,.Didn't see you posted about the points/taper.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

It looks like a decent install, but I would block out the static vents if your going to use the powered. It can suck air right through the static vent, making both useless. Easy enough to block out from inside if you don't want to remove it, replace the wood etc.

Thanks Pat, I was wondering about that. I'll block those off. I just have to hope that the soffit intakes will be enough to prevent my gas water heater from back drafting!

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Looks decent,.Hopefully you cut your points out from the shingles (second and possibly 3rd course up the side of the vent)as they meet the back of the vent/flashing.Not doing so can trap debris.Kinda like a closed cut laced valley.Not cutting those points can trap debris causing the valley to leak over time.:thumbsup:

Just curious tho.,.You dinged your roof vent during the power vent installation didn't you. Hahahaha be honest hahahahaha

Sorry Tinner.,.Didn't see you posted about the points/taper.

There was only one shingle on the second course that was going to come to a point, so I cut that square. Is that what you also refer to as "tapered?"

 

[Roofmaster417]

There was only one shingle on the second course that was going to come to a point, so I cut that square. Is that what you also refer to as "tapered?"

Yes,..:thumbsup:

 

[tinner666]

"There was only one shingle on the second course that was going to come to a point, so I cut that square. Is that what you also refer to as "tapered?"
The one that could have been rounded? You did good.

How about the first course that 'could' have been cut square? That first one HAS to be tapered away from the vent, or else the top of it will catch water and leak. I taper them 'from where the unexposed part starts, to near where the top of the shingle meets the edge of the metal, about 1/2" of shingle left on the metal when I finish the cut. About a 20 degree cut, I think. Call either number if I didn't explain it well.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

"There was only one shingle on the second course that was going to come to a point, so I cut that square. Is that what you also refer to as "tapered?"
The one that could have been rounded? You did good.

How about the first course that 'could' have been cut square? That first one HAS to be tapered away from the vent, or else the top of it will catch water and leak. I taper them 'from where the unexposed part starts, to near where the top of the shingle meets the edge of the metal, about 1/2" of shingle left on the metal when I finish the cut. About a 20 degree cut, I think. Call either number if I didn't explain it well.

Hey Frank, I wasn't 100% sure on what you meant by the taper cut, and I'm sure I didn't do anything to the first course other than what you can see in the photo. Is this photo a good example of the "taper" cut that I should have done?
The red line is the cut shape for the first course and the green line for the second.

Sorry, but I'm having a hard time picturing the taper cut you are referring to. Thanks.

 

[tinner666]

No cuts where the red line is. The first shingle would be cut straight, like it is, UNTIL you get to where the green line starts. Then, it gets tapered to where the green line shows.....Follow the green line for the taper of the first shingle. Please call if I can further clarify that. I'm too illerate to explain things well.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

You know, I was just making this new picture because it was beginning to make more sense the more I thought about it, and then I saw that you replied already!

So you are basically tapering the tops of the shingles away from the hole which are hidden beneath the layer above. It's all making sense now :thumbup: So I definately need to recut that first course (red line) from the sounds of it, but should I taper cut the hidden part of the second one (green line) like this as well?

 

[tinner666]

First one gets tapered. The second one gets cut straight up.

The top of the first shingle is right in the water flow and needs a tapered cut so the water can't hit it's top and go off to the side.

The second one will be getting some sideways flow from the top of the vent curve and a straight cut keeps/guides the water down the roof.

I think you're getting it! Good show.:thumbsup:

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Great, thanks for your help! I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend. I just have to try and keep from further cracking the shingles when I take the nails out! At least the seals are broken already, so I've got that going for me.

Now if only they tapered the shingles in the video I watched... Haha, I should have learned by now that when attempting a project for the first time you should plan on doing it at least twice

 

[tinner666]

I keep looking at this photo. You can start that vertical cut on the second shingle about 2" up and into the curve a bit if you want. That'll still give 5" of vertical cut surface to turn water the direction we want it to go which is straight down the roof.
Either way will be fine.

 

[maxforwardspeed]

Well, I was overly eager to get this done so I tackled it today instead of waiting for the weekend. I cut the first course like we talked about, and then the second just straight vertically with no curve at all. I just have two more questions that I thought about as I was finishing, and I circled them in this finished-product photo:

1.) First, the circled area on the bottom. That little bit of a shingle actually came completely detached when I made the taper cut . I probably could have done a better job keeping it in place as I was cutting, but also there wasn't much material to keep it there in the first place. I just applied a bit of sealant where it tore off, and some directly under it. I'm not sure how important that piece is, but I figured it doesn't hurt to have it there to keep the water going down, instead of over towards the edge of the flashing. Also, since I had the shingles off again, I applied a thick course of sealant along the vertical edges of the flashing before re-nailing. Would I be better off just pulling off that little piece all-together?

2.) Lastly, that other boxed area on the top is the cracking damage from the first time I took the shingles off. Breaking those seals was a lot harder than I thought, and that's exactly where they cracked. I also applied a good course of sealant along the original seal (which is also directly beneath the cracking) of every shingle I loosened. There's probably 5 where you can see the crack like in this photo. How bad is this, and how long can I get by with these before having to replace the cracked ones?
Thanks!