CRITTERS & ROOFS - OLDIE BUT GOODIE

Found this old topic tonight. It's fun to read again.

CRITTERS AND ROOFS

Roofing Genius - On several occasions I have found holes chewed in the lead VTR flashings, especially in wooded sections of town. Although I have never seen it, I have heard that squirrels are the culprit. I have heard similar stories about squirrels chewing the sheathing off electrical cables in attics. Any similar stories?

REPLIES

Darryl - We have problems with raccoons and squirrels sharpening their teeth on lead plumbing stack covers, makes for nice bathroom and kitchen leaks.

Terry - We had a family of raccoons feast on a week old EPDM roof on a 6 figure house. Of course we had the heaviest rains in history that night which was the first night the new owner was in the house. Their insurance co. was not too happy with the new ceiling, furniture, oriental carpeting, hardwood floors, ect ,etc,.etc.

Troop - Squirrels are our number one leak cause. They eat the lead completely off the vent pipes. I have one man that does nothing expect leak repairs and 90 percent of his time is taken by squirrel damage repairs. We have started offering squirrel guards for the lead jackets, I bid them in the job as an extra. Roofing Genius - Troop, What is a squirrel guard and what/how is it made? If you substitute copper in lieu of lead for vent pipes does that stop the problem?

Colpaw - I was once called to investigate several leaks around the perimeter of a front entrance of an apartment complex. My memory tells me the roof system was either a smooth surfaced modified or BUR. The roof drained off the perimeter over galvanized steel edge metal. The field of the roof looked great but the gravel stop edge was nearly gone. Squirrels were chewing thru the metal and all run off was going behind the metal, down the windows and into the building. I had to chase squirrels off the roof while I was up there. One would think that ingesting steel shavings would kill any animal! I still wonder if those squirrels had any teeth left.

Mike H - We had a rubber roof on a college campus that was leaking , when we poke over head over the edge, the whole roof is covered with bumps. Squirrel was chewing hole and stuffing hickory nuts under the roof membrane.

Troop- Squirrel guards are pieces of stainless steel screen or mesh wrapped around the jacket and held in place with stainless wire. The squirrels cannot chew stainless and there is no oxidation problem. Copper works but is not as malleable as lead, so does not always confirm to the roof as well as lead. There are also certain chemicals in sewer gas that will condense on the copper and cause a reaction which will eventually corrode it.

Justme - Just put plastic cement around the lead jacks where the squirrels chew. They don't like it that's what I do and I've never had a problem. Learned that one from my Father many moons ago.

Darryl - Just me, that's a good idea, but we have customers that are nit pickers and they do not want to see a black spot on a roof jack on their 500,000 house. We use the same mesh that Troop is talking about the smaller the opening between the mesh the better then varmints can get their mouth open enough to start chewing.