Replacement of turtle/box vents and exhaust vent flashing or paint and reuse?

Roofing/Construction Questions
#1

Finally getting close to my roof replacement (Aug original hail damage found, October materials ordered).

9 pallets of materials were finally delivered last Wed (original plan of roof work on thurs and fri of that week) but was pushed back a week due to other jobs delayed (weather).

Anyway took inventory of the material delivered and compared it to the insurance estimate, a couple items I noticed:

  1. Less material (delivered ~ 7% waste-shingles vs 10% waste paid for by insurance)…which is not relevant.
  2. There was no turtle/box vents (I have 2- I think used for bathroom exhaust) or exhaust vent flashing for my b-vent pipe (gas hot water heater and gas furnace) but there were 2 cans of black spray paint.

I know it is common for the roofers to paint the plumbing vent pipes and flashing, however it is common for them to reuse the vents/flashing even though it is listed on the insurance estimate as a replacement item and just paint the old one. Which is fine if they can be reused.

#2

Can it be done … of course. Should it be done … it’s your house!

Advantages: Saves negligible amounts of money, rids the oceans of pesky roof vents, earns you boasting rights with someone who cares, and … I’m sure there is something else??

Disadvantages: They could fail immediately, they might fail in 2 weeks, they might fail in a month, they might fail when you went on vacation, you have “they might fail anxiety” which means you regret not replacing them.

We always land on the decision derived from information surrounding the things we value most.

#3

Good points. I wanted them replaced and was told they do. I am assuming they bring these separately from the main order.

#4

If they were stocked with the supplier who delivered the shingles, they should have already been delivered. If the roofing contractor has them, they will come with the contractor. If nobody has addressed the supply of new vents and such, you’d better get on the phone.

#5

Don’t jump to conclusions. Personally I order my own plumbing vents (and some other materials) in bulk. Pay half price on them that way. So if you looked at my estimate they wouldn’t show up on the delivery ticket either.

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#6

We internally stock some of the same however this detail should be noted somewhere in the agreement. In our circumstance, we do supply and install. The customer does not interact with the delivery as we arrange all of that on their behalf as part of the master agreement. At the end of the day, it all varies on how the project was set up and whether you have established a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.

#7

When I was running residential with crews, I took delivery of deck, underlay, drip edge, nails, vents, and flashings in pallets and bulk. Usually had 4-5 jobs worth of shingles in the shop also. When we started a job, we were prepared to finish it. Only took a couple of delivery screws ups to teach me that. Get a beautiful day, send 5 roofers home and tell them “Might have material tomorrow” is the fastest way to lose a good crew.

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#8

Absolutely. I have a box truck that is stocked with type b vents, airhawk, plumbing vents, ( all types), caulk, paint, plywood, plank decking, fasteners, ridgevent, dripedge, flashing, watershield, underlayments. This keeps the easy to steal products off the job, till we start. Keeps cost down, buying in bulk and dry. Our jobs are detail specific. 10yrs ago, i would have roofers tell me they could spot our projects because of the sundries we use. Now, pretty much everyone follows the leader.

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#9

We NEVER itemize, even for insurance companies. Award us the bid and leave us alone. I buy truckloads of comp periodically and store. We buy 26 gauge black over brown flat stock 500 sheets at a time and make all of our own flashing with a computerized press brake that cost a lot of money.

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