Part H · the register

Lead Flashing on an Older Kirkwood Roof Needs a Plan Before Tear-Off

Many pre-1978 Kirkwood roofs still carry lead pipe boots or flashing. Here is what to check and ask before the old metal comes off.

Many houses in Kirkwood were built before 1978, and a lot of them still carry their original metal at the roof penetrations. The vent pipes, the base of a chimney and some of the wall flashing may be lead rather than the aluminum or galvanized steel a newer roof uses. When the shingles come off, that old metal comes off with them, so it needs a plan before the first course is pulled.

Town roofing

Lead has been used on roofs for a long time because it is soft, it bends around a pipe, and it lasts for decades when it is left alone. Lead pipe boots, sometimes called lead jacks or collars, were shaped to sit around a vent stack and were sealed to the shingles with tar or mastic. Over years of freezing and thawing, the sealant pulls loose and the metal itself cracks where it flexes. A lot of the leaks that get chased on older roofs start at one of these collars and not in the open field of the roof, which is why the penetrations deserve their own look.

Lead is also a health issue during removal. Cutting, scraping or sanding old lead gives off dust, and lead dust is harmful to children and to pregnant people in particular. Old collars are often stiff with corrosion, so the crew may cut them free rather than lift them whole. That cutting is where dust is made, so the way it is done matters as much as the roof plan around it. A crew that treats the old metal as ordinary debris has skipped that part of the job.

Federal lead-safe renovation rules, run by the EPA, apply to many renovations of pre-1978 housing that disturb painted surfaces. Whether a particular roof job falls under those rules depends on the work and on the firm doing it, so the honest answer is to ask the roofer in writing how they handle the question, instead of assuming either way. Ask who on the crew is trained for lead-safe work, what containment is set up on the ground, and how the old metal is bagged before it leaves the property.

Houses of different ages across the city carry different metal, so the age of a house tells you where to look, not what you will find. A 1950s brick house and a house built in the 1990s may have very different penetrations, and a repair in between may have replaced some of the original work without anyone writing it down. The walk before the proposal is the only dependable way to learn what is up there.

What you can check yourself

You can do a first look without touching the roof. From a window, or from the yard with binoculars, look at each vent pipe and at the base of any chimney. You are checking for a collar of grey, dull metal around each pipe, a flat sheet of lead where the chimney meets the roof or a wall, and any splits or cracks where the metal bends. A collar that has gone chalky at the edge or has tar smeared over it is worth noting. Take photographs with the date on them and keep them with the rest of your roof file.

Do not climb up to pull a collar off, and do not scrape or sand it yourself. If you find lead, say so when you call a roofer, and ask them to note each one in the written scope before anyone quotes a number.

How the work should be written

A written scope for a roof with old lead should say what metal is coming out, how it will be handled on the ground, and what replaces it. A new collar of modern material, or a new lead collar if you want to keep the original look, is a material choice you can make before the order goes in. Keys installs Atlas and Malarkey shingles, and penetration flashing should appear as its own named line in the proposal, not buried inside a general roof price. Keys documents the old metal and the damage with photos and measurements and puts that written scope in the homeowner's hands before the work starts.

Ask the roofer to show in writing whether the old metal goes to a recycler or into the dumpster with other debris. Lead that goes in with ordinary debris ends up in a landfill and can be a problem for the hauler and for the lot where the dumpster sits. Ask, too, how long any old metal will sit on the property before it leaves, and whether it will be stored off the lawn and out of the reach of children.

When to keep the old metal and when to replace it

A lead collar that is still sound and sealed can sometimes stay if the crew can work around it without cutting it. A collar that is cracked, split or pulled away from the stack will leak again, and a collar that has been tarred over many times is usually not worth another coat. If the collar stays, the proposal should explain how the shingles will be woven around it and whether a sealant is part of the method. If it goes, the replacement should be named with a material and a size.

Lead is not the only old metal on these roofs. Older roofs may also show galvanized steel valleys, step flashing or counterflashing that has rusted through, and the same questions apply: what is it, how will it come out, and what replaces it. The tear-off is what settles the question, which is why a proposal should say what happens if the crew finds the old metal in worse shape than the walk showed.

What it costs

Cost depends on how many penetrations there are, how much old metal has to come out, how carefully it has to be removed, and what replaces it. There is no single number that fits every Kirkwood house, and this page will not invent one. What you should see in a proposal is a separate line for old-metal removal and a separate line for each replacement collar or flashing, with the material and size written out. A lump sum that says only flashing or penetrations is harder to compare with the other bids on your table.

Ask whether the price assumes the old metal can be reused. If the proposal assumes reuse and the crew finds the metal cracked once the shingles are off, that becomes a change, and you should know the process for that before the change happens. Ask how an extra collar found on the roof will be priced and whether the crew will stop and call you before doing the extra work. A proposal that answers those two questions in writing saves a phone argument later.

What to ask

1. Which penetrations on my roof are lead, and how did you confirm it?
2. Will the old metal be cut free or lifted whole, and where is the dust controlled?
3. Does your crew follow the EPA lead-safe renovation rules for this job, and who on the crew is trained for it?
4. Where will the old metal be bagged and stored, and when does it leave the property?
5. Is each collar and each flashing a separate line with a named material and size?
6. If a collar is found cracked after the shingles come off, what is the price, and who calls me first?
7. Will the scope, photos and measurements for the old metal come to me in writing before the start date?

Ask the roofer to put the answers in the written scope, because a verbal answer about lead is hard to hold anyone to once the ladder comes down. If you want a second look at your penetrations before you decide, Keys Roofing can be reached at (314) 220-2333.