"Caulk definitely isn't a permanent fix, but sometimes it's all you've got at 2 AM, right?"
Haha, been there... my first winter in this house, woke up to a steady drip at 3 AM. Found out later insulation was jammed right up against the soffit vents—zero airflow. Quick fix was pulling back insulation and resealing flashing sleeves with caulk, but it only lasted a couple months. Ended up replacing the sleeves entirely after researching it (mixed opinions everywhere, I know). Honestly, resealing felt like a bandaid solution; replacing them gave me peace of mind. No drips since, fingers crossed.
Had a similar issue last fall—noticed water stains forming around the bathroom vent after heavy rains. Turns out the builder had installed cheap plastic flashing sleeves that cracked over time. Tried caulking first, but like you said, it felt temporary at best. Ended up swapping them out for metal sleeves and haven't had issues since. Curious though, did you notice any improvement in attic ventilation or moisture levels after pulling back the insulation from the soffits?
Metal sleeves definitely hold up better long-term, good call on that. But honestly, pulling back insulation from soffits doesn't always help ventilation as much as people think. I've seen cases where it actually disrupts airflow patterns and causes uneven cooling in the attic. Better approach is usually adding proper baffles or even adjusting the venting itself. Did you notice any temp differences up there afterward? Curious if your attic felt more balanced or if it just stayed about the same...
"pulling back insulation from soffits doesn't always help ventilation as much as people think."
Gotta disagree slightly here—I've actually had decent luck pulling insulation back a bit. Not a miracle fix, but it did noticeably reduce condensation issues in my attic. Baffles are great, sure, but if you're tight on cash or just need a quick DIY fix, adjusting insulation can still help. Didn't notice any weird temp swings either... attic felt pretty balanced afterward. Guess every attic's a bit different though.
Had a similar issue myself—my attic used to drip like a leaky faucet at night, drove me nuts. Pulled insulation back a bit, helped some, but honestly adding a couple extra roof vents made the biggest difference. Guess every attic has its quirks...
