Yes, Spring has sprung! And so has our Spring edition of our Fairfield Home Inspection blog series, Part 2: Tips to Divert Rain Water. We’ve been having quite the rainy Spring here in Fairfield, and we’re doing our part to inform our readers on tips to help with water issues via our Fairfield Home Inspector Blog Series. Our last post, we discussed tips to prevent wet basements. Today, let’s talk about ways to divert rain water from your home.

Let’s take a moment to talk about kick out flashing, and its importance in construction. Kick out flashing (sometimes called diverter flashing) is a type of flashing that diverts rainwater away from wall surfaces when they adjoin directly to a roof. As a home inspection company it’s something we look for on homes susceptible to rain water issues. This flashing provides protection from moisture entry and subsequent damage that can result when it is missing. A missing kickout flashing can allow for water to specifically enter behind the wall siding and possibly the interior of the home as well. During a home inspection process, we’ll look for visible staining below these areas at the exterior siding, or moisture staining at the interior, are indications of rain water intrusion. Left unchecked the moisture has the potential to create severe rot and damage.

Kick out flashings should be installed anywhere a roof and exterior wall intersect, where the wall continues past the lower roof-edge and gutter, and where gutters terminate at the side of a chimney. It is a simple, yet vital, piece of flashing that is either rarely seen or installed incorrectly in many homes throughout Fairfield County.

Attached is a diagram from Carson Dunlop of what it looks like, along with some photos of missing kick out flashings.

Contact Us
Have a question for Longriver Home Inspection of Fairfield? Looking to buy or sell a house in the Fairfield County area? Looking to hire a quality Fairfield Home Inspection Company? Contact us. We love helping Fairfield area potential homeowners throughout the important home inspection process.