Apparently, he figured it'd be an easy DIY fix, you know, just slap some caulk on there and call it a day. But after a heavy storm rolled through, the leaks came back even worse. Ended up causing some serious water damage inside his attic and walls.
The story mentioned how flashing is supposed to redirect water away from vulnerable areas like chimneys or skylights, but caulking alone isn't always enough—especially if it's applied incorrectly or used as a quick fix. I mean, I've done similar things myself... thought I could patch something up real quick and then regretted it later when the problem got worse.
It got me thinking though—I've seen plenty of people recommend caulk as an easy solution for minor leaks around flashing. Is this actually good advice, or is it just setting folks up for bigger headaches down the road? Curious if anyone else has had experience trying to seal roof leaks with caulk and how it turned out.
I feel like we've all been there at some point, thinking caulk can fix just about anything. I tried something similar a couple years back with my own roof—had a small leak around the chimney flashing and figured I'd just seal it up real quick with some exterior-grade caulk. At first, it seemed to work fine. The leak stopped, and I felt pretty proud of myself for saving money on repairs.
But after about six months (and one particularly nasty storm), it started leaking again... worse than before. When I finally climbed up there to check it out, I realized the caulk had cracked and peeled away in places, letting water seep right back in. Turns out, caulk alone just doesn't hold up well against the constant exposure to weather extremes—especially sun, rain, and temperature fluctuations.
What eventually worked for me was removing the old caulk completely, cleaning the flashing thoroughly, and then applying roofing sealant specifically made for flashing and roof joints. Also, I took the extra step of checking the flashing itself for damage or corrosion, because sometimes leaks happen when the flashing itself is compromised—not just gaps around it. If that's the case, no amount of caulk or sealant will really fix it; you'd have to replace or properly repair the flashing itself.
So yeah, caulk can be handy for minor indoor fixes or temporary patches here and there, but for anything exposed to harsh weather conditions like roof flashing, it's usually not enough. Learned that lesson the hard way myself...
Yeah, caulk is definitely overrated for roof repairs. A buddy of mine had a similar issue with his skylight. He slapped on some caulk thinking it'd hold up, and it did—for about three months. But after a couple of heavy rains, he ended up with water stains all over his ceiling. When we went up to check it out, the caulk had turned brittle and cracked badly from the sun exposure.
Honestly, roofing sealant or even roofing tar is the way to go for flashing and joints. Caulk just isn't built to handle the constant beating from weather extremes. Plus, if there's underlying damage or corrosion, no quick fix is gonna last long anyway. It's always worth taking the extra time to inspect the flashing itself, because sometimes the problem runs deeper than just sealing gaps. Learned that one from experience too...
