Rubber boots aren’t pretty, but man, they’re a lifesaver when you’re up there in February with numb fingers and a crowbar. I’ve seen metal collars welded to pipes by rust—had to practically chisel one off last spring. Rubber’s cheap, easy to swap, and if it cracks, you spot it before it floods your attic. Not glamorous, but neither is bailing out the insulation after a thaw. I’ll take ugly and functional over “permanent” any day, especially with our freeze-thaw circus.
- Just swapped my first boot last fall—didn’t realize how brittle the old one was till it basically crumbled in my hands.
- I’m in the Midwest, so we get those wild freeze-thaw swings too.
- Honestly, I thought metal would be a “set it and forget it” thing, but after seeing how fast they rust, I’m sticking with rubber for now.
- Not pretty, but I’d rather spot a crack than find water stains on the ceiling months later.
- The hassle’s not fun, but it beats dealing with a soggy attic... learned that the hard way.
I hear you on the Midwest freeze-thaw. Every spring, I end up on at least one roof, poking around for damage that wasn’t there in the fall. Funny thing is, I’ve seen both rubber and metal boots fail—sometimes it’s just a gamble which goes first. Had a “maintenance-free” metal boot rust straight through after three years... right above a tenant’s closet, of course. Rubber’s not perfect, but at least you can spot the cracks before things get messy. Still, sometimes I wonder if we’re just picking our poison with these things.
Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing—there’s just no “forever” solution with these boots. My house is only a few years old and I already had to patch a cracked rubber one last spring. Metal sounded like the answer, but now I’m not so sure after hearing about the rust issues. Midwest weather just eats everything eventually... I guess it’s more about catching the problems early than expecting anything to last.
“Midwest weather just eats everything eventually... I guess it’s more about catching the problems early than expecting anything to last.”
Isn’t that the truth? I tried one of those “lifetime” silicone boots last year, thinking it’d be set-and-forget, but even that started to degrade after a brutal winter. Have you looked into any of the newer composite options? I’m curious if those hold up better or if it’s just another marketing thing. Maybe the real trick is just making roof checks part of the spring cleaning routine... not glamorous, but probably saves headaches.
