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Mike Guertin
@mike_guertin

30,308 followers

Who has used roll lead for flashing? It was (and still may be) common in the southern New England area for 50+ years I used it. But I've noticed over the last 20 years that lead flashing is failing on lots of homes. Expansion/contraction splitting and corrosion (yes, lead does sort of corrode) leaving gaps and holes in the exposed parts of the lead flashing provides opportunities for leaks. In honor of #internationalflashingawarenessday August 26 (tomorrow) here's my brain dump on lead flashing and why those of you who still use it may want to use something else. Please correct me if I get something wrong with my explanation of the Achilles heel of Lead flashing. Lead flashing can last a very long time. The exposed surface of lead develops a protective layer of lead carbonate as rainwater carrying dissolved carbon dioxide falls naturally. If you've ever installed lead flashing you know that lead is a bright shiny gray color when it's unrolled and turns dull gray in a couple weeks. The lead carbonate layer is the dull gray color. The Lead carbonate layer protects the lead beneath the surface so it can last for hundreds of years. Lead 'corrosion' takes place from the underside. Counterintuitive. It's on the underside that condensation can take place. Condensed water is essentially distilled water. Distilled water is pretty pure - not a lot of dissolved carbon dioxide in it. Without the carbon dioxide in the water (and not much airflow to share it's carbon dioxide) the protective lead carbonate layer doesn't develop. The 'corrosion' is the formation of lead hydroxide. You can see the white powder in the video - that's it. And yes, it not good for you. The scary part is this white powder washes into the gutter and into the surrounding soil. I recommend not installing a rainwater harvesting system to a gutter where there's lead flashing higher up on the roof. Lead-coated copper isn't prone to this problem since the 'underside' of the lead is not exposed. There's copper there instead. #finehomebuilding #flashing #flashingawareness #nationalflashingawarenessday #keepcraftalive #jlclive #jlconline #leadflashing #leadflashings #copperflashing