Stove Installation - Plan B

Over the next few days various formulations of Plan B began to appear in my brain. There was Minimalist Plan B, which was to remove just a few screws from the pipe boot so I could get better access with the silicone caulking gun. Radical Plan B called for losing the pipe boot, re-caulking everything, and sealing over the pipe boot screw holes with some left-over pieces of metal roofing.  Compromise Plan B was somewhere in between.

My wife had other commitments on Saturday, and she made me promise not to go up on the ladder without a spotter, so I recruited her brother, Scott. He has worked in construction and various other building trades, so I was very glad to get his help and any advice he might have to offer. And he's a great photographer, so he would probably get some nice shots for the blog.

The roof had leaked quite a bit, but the bucket had done its job. We assessed the situation on the roof and determined that the Minimalist approach wouldn't cut it. Scott thought we should remove the pipe boot completely, but I felt that half of it seemed to be water tight, and removing it would expose the screw holes. I removed the screws from the side that was leaking, and cut that side of the boot off. I cleaned off the silicone mess and then reapplied more silicone caulking generously.

We ran out of silicone, so we made a trip to the hardware store about 20 minutes away. In addition to more silicone, I bought a wider storm collar and a roll of black flashing tape. Scott advised mass quantities of silicone, so I pretty much emptied the other tube when we got back. It still looks pretty ugly, but it just might work. I'll probably apply more silicone and finish off with the flashing tape.

Here are a few of Scott's pics: