Sometimes the stuff that looks silly is exactly what keeps the house dry.
That’s been my experience so far. First winter in this house, I wrapped the vent pipe with leftover yoga mat foam and duct tape—looked ridiculous, but no more puddles. Not sure I’d bother swapping boots unless I see real damage.
That’s honestly how it goes—sometimes the weirdest fixes are the ones that actually work. I’ve seen folks use everything from pool noodles to old towels to keep water out, and half the time it’s more effective than the “official” products. As for swapping vent boots, I’m with you: unless there’s visible cracking or you’re seeing leaks, it feels like overkill. Most of the time, those boots last years, especially if you’re not in a spot with wild temp swings.
One thing I do keep an eye on is the sealant around the base. That’s usually where things start to go south first, at least around here (Pacific Northwest—lots of rain, not much snow). If you’re already getting good results with your DIY wrap, I’d just check it every few months and call it good. Curious if anyone’s actually had a boot fail just from winter/summer cycles? I haven’t seen it much unless there was already some damage or a bad install.
I’m in the Midwest, so we get a pretty wide range of temps, but even here I haven’t seen vent boots fail just from seasonal changes unless they were already old or the flashing was messed up. Like you said, the sealant’s usually the first thing to go—mine started cracking after about five years. I just scraped it out and used a polyurethane sealant, which seems to hold up better than the standard stuff. Swapping boots every season sounds like way more work than it’s worth unless you’re seeing obvious issues.
Swapping boots every season sounds like way more work than it’s worth unless you’re seeing obvious issues.
Yeah, I’m with you there. I’m in a spot where we get those wild temp swings too, and honestly, my vent boots have only needed attention when the rubber started to get brittle—usually after a good decade. The sealant’s always the weak link for me. I tried a “green” silicone-based one last time (supposed to be lower VOCs), and it’s holding up better than the old asphalt stuff so far.
I’ve never heard of anyone swapping boots out every season unless they’re using super cheap materials or maybe have some weird roof angle that just collects ice and water all winter. Even then, seems like overkill. I’d rather spend the time checking for cracked caulk or loose flashing than climbing up there to swap out perfectly good boots.
Curious if anyone’s actually seen a big difference with those “eco-friendly” boots or sealants? I like the idea, but sometimes the marketing doesn’t match up with real-world results...
