Pipe boot leaks.
A small part behind a lot of ceiling stains.

What a pipe boot is

Plumbing vent pipes stick up through your roof. A pipe boot is the flashing that seals around that pipe: a metal or plastic base that slides under the shingles, with a rubber collar that hugs the pipe.

Why they fail

The rubber collar sits in the sun all day, every day. Over time it dries out, cracks and pulls away from the pipe. That often happens years before the shingles around it are worn out.

Once the collar cracks, rain runs down the pipe and into the attic. It can drip for a while before it shows up as a stain on the ceiling.

Signs it might be your pipe boot

• A ceiling stain near a bathroom, kitchen or laundry room.
• A stain directly below where a vent pipe comes out of the roof.
• Water marks on the roof boards around the pipe when you look from the attic.
• A cracked or split rubber collar you can see from the ground with binoculars or in a photo.

How we fix it

We replace the boot and work the new base in under the shingles so water sheds over it, not under it. If the shingles right around it are damaged, we replace those too.

It's usually a small repair. You get pics of the old boot and the new one, and a flat price before we start. Repairs come with a 1-year written workmanship warranty.

When it’s more than the boot

Sometimes the boot is fine and the leak is coming from nearby flashing, a nail that backed out, or a worn shingle. That's why we trace the leak and photograph it instead of guessing. More on how we find leaks.