How to Seal Around Fans When Roofing

When installing a new roof on a home, you need to seal around the flashing of chimneys, vent pipes and fans. One of the most common methods of sealing around fans when roofing is to use roofing tar. Roofing tar is available in small tubs at home improvement stores. It is tar and shrinks and expands with the temperature of the roof. This allows the tar to provide a watertight seal even in extreme temperature ranges.

Tub of roofing tar
Hammer
Broom
4-inch wide putty knife

Instructions

- 1
  Place the tub of tar in direct sunlight for a few hours. This warms the tar inside the tub, which makes spreading it less difficult.
- 2
  Drive in any loose nails with a hammer. Loose nails eventually pull out completely and the shingles curl or fall off. If necessary, add a couple more roofing nails around the edges of shingles that cover the upper part of the fan flashing.
- 3
  Sweep the shingles around the fan and the lower part of the flashing with a broom. This removes small bits of asphalt from the shingles that prevent the roof tar from adhering properly.
- 4
  Open the tub of roofing tar. Scoop up some roofing tar out of the tub with a 4-inch wide putty knife. Apply the roofing tar around the bottom of the fan flashing where it meets the roof. The tar should overlap the flashing and the shingle. Spread the tar evenly with the putty knife.
- 5
  Apply roofing tar over the area where the shingles overlap the fan flashing at the top and sides. Once again, spread the tar evenly, ensuring that it overlaps the shingles and the flashing.

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