Plumbing Boot Replacement | Tile roof

Today we will discuss plumbing boot replacement. while asphalt shingle roofs normally have plumbing boots that are made of a plastic base and a rubber seal around the pipe, they don't last that long, but neither does the asphalt shingles so maybe there a good match,
But when it comes to a slate or tile roofing system, that has a longer life span then shingles you need a plumbing boot that is more durable and will last a lot longer then a plastic and rubber one would.
For the longest time they have been using lead plumbing boots. Now they last for ever in a perfect world, and even longer if you don't have any squirrels around your house.
See squirrels love to claw and chew on lead plumbing boots and over time can destroy one and cause it to start leaking. 

This is a good example of that. We want to thank Scott Morrow of Scott Morrow Slate & Tile Roofing & repairs out of Atlanta Georgia for letting us use his photos for the purpose of this blog.  Scott Morrow has been in the slate and tile roofing business in the Atlanta | Buckhead | midtown area for over 20 years and has been giving us excellent photos of his work .
Now that being said, there is another option out there for plumbing boot replacement that will fend off them pesky squirrels and it is a plumbing boot made from 20 oz. copper! Not only does it last a long time which helps the wallet, but it looks pretty as well. Scott Morrow has performed a 20 oz. copper plumbing boot install and shared with us the before, during and after photos of it .

This is the before photo. You can see where the squirrels have made a hole in the base as well as took part of the top off. Scott Morrow has already removed the tile from around this pipe and you can see he is not the first one to do this by the two copper straps that are nailed to the left and the right of the pipe.
The reason for these straps is to bent in a hook form around the tile to hold it in. See you cant exactly nail in the last pieces because the other tile above them will be over top the nail holes. this is a common practice. Some actually buy copper hooks and some make them.
Here is the plumbing pipe after the lead boot has been removed. Not very pretty is it? Can you see the penny that the last roofing contractor left? Some roofers will take a penny with the current year on it and put it under there work. But some also say some one just dropped a penny! I like the first version.
OK, so now we have a very pretty 20 oz. copper boot in place of the lead boot. You can see for your self how much better this looks and will compliment any roof.

Now if you look above the copper plumbing boot you can see that Scott Morrow  has taken a piece of felt paper and cut the existing roof felt and slid it under it, while covering the copper boot. The reason for this, is if there is a leak that comes from above the boot some where down the road, say maybe a branch falls and breaks a piece of tile, and water gets under the tile and rolls all the way down to the boot, it wont run under it and in to the house, it will  run over top of the boot.
The felt that they put on the roof before they put tile on it is a second line of defense.

This is the finished Product! Not only does it look great but it will last forever! Again we would like to thank Scott Morrow of Scott Morrow Slate & Tile Roofing & repairs of Atlanta | Buckhead | Midtown who reminds you to Hire a roofing contractor who has slate and tile experience for your slate and tile roof system.