• Diverter Flashings have several different names, sometimes there called a kickout or turnout flashing
• Diverters guide water away from the wall areas
• Diverters are NOT the total problem or answer- too much credit or blame is given to the diverter flashing.
• Not all diverters are created equally

Red Arrows Show Diverter or Kickout flashings

Red arrows show diverter flashings aka- kickout or turnout flashings

Diverters are a visible flashing that is part of the installation of the roof.  For diverters to be added after the exterior is completed require remove of the roofing and exterior wall cladding, in order for the diverter to be installed correctly.  A retrofitted diverter will not be effective if it isn’t installed how it would have been installed during the original construction of the home, without any of the exterior wall cladding in the way.

In the next picture, stucco was removed for the diverter flashing installation but the new diverter flashing doesn’t tie into the stucco or roof exterior correctly.

In this next picture, the stucco was removed by saw cutting through the stucco system which leaves no way for the stucco contractor to tie into the new roof flashings, or the stucco systems moisture barrier or wire lath.  While the stucco and roofing was removed to do this diverter installation it still doesn’t tie into the stucco and roofing correctly and will fail.

Diverters get too much credit and too much blame.  Since a diverter flashing is not covered up like most parts of a homes moisture barrier, if a diverter is missing or if obvious failing, it gets 100% of the blame.  The fact is a diverter flashing usually isn’t the completed answer to fixing a leak below a roof to wall connection.  There are many components that tie into the area that are part of the problem or solution.  The soffit, fascia, roof, wall cladding, and the 2x fascia board all have to be tied into each other using proper overlapping techniques or chances are the roof will continue to let water behind the exterior.