Poll: Shingle roofs

Has anyone ever seen a step flashed sidewall leak under any circumstances?

With only 1-1/2" or 2" turned up. After the roof deck settled and the CF did not cover the tops of the SF. On a slate roof where the SF were cut as if they were to be used on shinngles, which get nailed through the shingles...(On slate, you make them about 3" longer to extend well above the slate for nailing.) I've seen them not nailed and slid down. Too short and nailed tight which lifted the bottom edge and reduced the headlap. Copper SF that were under slate and eroded all the way through. SS SF that eroded all the way through. SF that was bent 90 or more, and gaps were evident on the vertical legs. SF that just wasn't pushed in tightly at all. SF on I&W that didn't hug tight enough and gaps were left. Same for felt.

Mistaken for step flashing leaks. Deadend valleys not extended past the corner boards and leaked below.

Correctly installed, no leaks with or without felt or I&W

Yes, the previous roofer had nailed the step in a crack between the 1x's. The nail was too close to the bend and instead of using a new piece or caulking the hole, he just put another nail in higher to catch the wood. This was about 4ft up on a 28ft long side wall with NE exposure. Only leak on the house, was getting redone because of age. otherwise have never seen properly installed step flashing leak.

One other problem is when they cut the shingles tight against the siding. No where for the water to go.

I,m with these guys . . . siding leaks and gets behind step flashing, especially if no wrap. I've had a couple of jobs where I stripped an entire wall above the leak, installed wrap, lapped over the step flashing and re-installed the siding. That was the only fix that worked.

I've seen many stepflash leaks. But never on the roof. It's at the bottom where the flashing wasn't transfering the water to the outside of the siding. The roofer kept the flashing against the wall and hoped the sider would put a little caulk on it.

Plenty of times. mainly it had nothing to do with the flashing or shingles. It is almost always water getting behind the siding and then running down the wall and run behind the stepflashings, into the lower ceiling.

Not a properly done one. But I've never seen a properly done 4 x 4 hemmed wall flashing one leak either.