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Water management and enclosure basics · Lesson 3 of 4

Water management and enclosure basics: methods and worked application

A seven-check method adapted from EPA's pen test, the installation sequence at a roof-to-wall eave, three worked checks with units, and how to record the result.

You will be able to: Apply a documented trace-the-water method to a roof-to-wall detail, follow the installation order at an eave and sidewall, and check step flashing size, drip edge length and barrier laps against the code numbers, recording units and sources.

11 min · 12 slides · 7 questions

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Slide 1 of 12

The method: trace the water

Use the seven checks in order on one roof-to-wall detail, and write down what you find.

  • Get the detail and the code edition
  • Trace the rain layer on the section
  • Check every lap, upper over lower
  • Check every edge: slope out, drip clear
  • Check the roof-wall end for a kickout
  • Check sizes against code and maker
  • Record it and ask the designer
Trace the water: the checks in orderFlow from top to bottom: get the detail and the code edition; trace the rain layer on the section; if there is a break in the layer, stop, mark it and ask; otherwise check every lap upper over lower, every edge for slope and drip, the roof-wall end for a kickout, sizes against code and maker, then record it and ask the designer.Trace the water, check by checkGet the detail and the code editionTrace the rain layer on the sectionBreak inthe layer?Stop:mark itand askyesnoCheck every lap: upper over lowerCheck every edge: slope out, drip clearCheck the roof-wall end for a kickoutCheck sizes against code and makerRecord it and ask the designer

Flow from top to bottom: get the detail and the code edition; trace the rain layer on the section; if there is a break in the layer, stop, mark it and ask; otherwise check every lap upper over lower, every edge for slope and drip, the roof-wall end for a kickout, sizes against code and maker, then record it and ask the designer.

The method adapted from EPA's pen test and the DOE and PNNL step and kick-out guide. A break in the layer stops the check until the designer answers.

Sources

Videos for this lesson

What this video shows: One crew's roof-to-wall eave sequence as its description states it: membrane at the corner, drip edge, underlayment up the wall, the kickout in place of the bottom step piece, step pieces with the shingle courses. Its numbers are that crew's practice.

Video: Kickout Flashing by ProTradeCraft, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

What this video shows: Step flashing laid with each shingle course at a dormer, the first piece turning the corner over the base flashing, and house wrap over the step and base flashing, as its description states.

Video: Flashing a Dormer in 4D by ProTradeCraft, on YouTube. Chosen from the video's published description.

Glossary

Pen test
EPA's paper check for continuity: trace the waterproof layers on a section drawing without lifting the pen. A lift of the pen marks a break in the water layer.
Base flashing
In the asphalt shingle section of the residential code, the flashing against a vertical sidewall, either continuous or step flashing, at least 4 inches high and 4 inches wide, directing water away from the wall onto the roof or into the gutter.
Cricket
A small saddle built on the ridge side of a chimney or other penetration. The 2021 residential code requires a cricket or saddle there for any chimney or penetration more than 30 inches wide, measured perpendicular to the slope, covered in sheet metal or the roof covering material. It lists an exception for unit skylights.
Overlap (lap)
The distance one piece of flashing or barrier extends over the next. Under the 2021 residential code, drip edge segments on asphalt shingle roofs overlap at least 2 inches, and horizontal wall-barrier laps are at least 2 inches with the upper layer over the lower.