DIY Project – Roof Leak – The Fix

Once I got the ladder to the backyard, I measured out from the house with a tape measure to eight and a half feet.  I never heard of the 4-1 rule for ladders.  I figured the height of the second story to be about 17 feet.  So, I needed about 4 and a half feet away from the wall.  Why eight and a half feet?  The second story extends 2 feet over the first floor and the second roof has an overhang of 2 feet. (Four feet plus four and a half equals eight and a half feet)

I stood the ladder up near the eight and a half mark facing the house. I extended it as far as I could from the ground.  I placed it against the second story gutter.  I got on the ladder and pushed up on the bottom rung of the fly section, so the ladder extended 3 feet above the gutter.

I moved the ladder a little to get even ground for both legs of the ladder.  I had 2 wooden stakes and I pounded them in the ground next to the feet of the ladder.  My logic was these stakes would prevent the ladder from sliding as I pushed myself off the ladder to get on the roof.

With the plastic bag with the items I needed in my left hand, I started my climb up the ladder.  It was one rung at a time, left foot first, right foot next.  I got to the roof line, and I was ready for the transfer to the roof.  I placed the bag in the gutter. With each hand on the top of the legs of the ladder, I tried to get my leg on the roof.  I felt I could not get my foot on the roof safely.  The ladder was in my way.  After a couple attempts, I decided I needed to lower the ladder.

Down the ladder I went, one rung at a time.  I lowered the ladder two rungs and made my ascension up the ladder.  This time I could swing my leg over onto the roof.  I grabbed my bag and crawled to the vent pipe.  As I got close to the vent pipe, I found most of the gasket missing and there was a quarter-inch gap between the pipe and flashing.

Old Vent Pipe Gaskets

I tore away the old gasket material and put on several layers of roofing cement around the bottom of the pipe.  I pulled down the replacement rubber gasket.  (At first, I thought I had the wrong gasket size, but I eventually got the gasket on the pipe.)  As I got the gasket to the bottom of the pipe, I pushed down around the top of the gasket.  Roofing cement oozed out the bottom edges of the gasket.  Satisfied with the fix, I wiped off any excess roofing cement on the pipe. (No photos, no way.)  I put the caulking gun in the bag with the old gasket material and paper towels and crawled backwards to the ladder.

I extended my left leg over the ladder and found a rung to put my foot on.  Followed by the right foot and a sigh of relief, I made my way down the ladder. Before I put the ladder away, I went into the house to describe my adventures on the roof with my wife, Efiwym.  I showed her the remains of the old gasket material.  She told me she was praying until I came down the ladder.  If she only knew, I was too.

Not a Zen Moment, just a sense of relief.

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