Hi. I live in suburban detroit, michigan. I am trying to replace the tripod and lead in wire for our roof-top tv antenna. I am wondering if anyone can tell me how this was put together. go to
They are probably just the brackets that came with the tripod and are screwed or laged into the roof sheething. When your tar and gravel roof was installed they just gooped over everything to seal it up. The lead wire enty point may have been done through an upside down 4" handy box.
You have a few options.
1) If its not leaking, just abandon it and install a new antenna. Use sandbags to secure it so you do not need to penetrate the roof.2) if it is leaking, remove everything down to the sheathing. Roof cement then spread out the gravel. Use the sandbag trick.
3) Remove everything, install new tripod brackets, roof cement, replace gravel.4) Remove everything, repair roof with roofing cement, replace gravel. Install a new antenna on side of house with stand off brackets lagged into side of house.
5) Remove everything, repair roof with roofing cement, replace gravel. Install a new antenna on to chimney with wrap around bands or masonary anchors.If it were me, I would do option #5. You get the asthetic benefit of having a less visible antenna AND you no longer have a potential for a leak. Find a new route for your new antenna wire that does not interfeer with the roof. it may mean more wire but thats cheaper than damage caused by a leak. it looks like you have a very small attic. Run the cable from the chimney to the closest gable end and enter there and then follow the path of the old wire if need be. Also, your new wire will likely be 75OHM coax, not 300 Ohm flat wire like it looks you old antenna used. Good luck if shopping at radio shack. They may have everything you need but you will likely have an idiot helping you. I have heard good things about
Thanks for the reply. I guess its not visible from the angle of the pictures, but the wire enters through something similar to the location the antenna tripod feet go. Nothing leaks right now, I just want a new antenna, and I want to re-do everything right at once. I am hoping i can just drill out the wire entry point and run a new line. I would like to do the chimney wrap idea, but the chimney is 15' long, so that isnt an option. Hopefully a roofer or someone who knows about flat roofs will be able to identify the square metal things. I am wondering- Maybe they are actuallly large squares {roof tar-------------|antenna foot|-------------roof} of that makes sense.
Does anyone have any ideas?
The square metal thingies are called pitch pans. Basically, there will be a lag bolt or lag eye with the guy wire attached buried down in that tar. They make the connection and literally fill up the pitch pan with hot tar. The pitch pan was probably nailed to the decking and hot mopped in.
To replace the antenna, your choices will be try to reuse or extend the existing guy wires and adapt to the existing pole (cut off above the pitch pan and couple on the new antenna pole) or to have a roofer set new pitch pans, you set new equipment, he comes back to fill pitch pans. You can leave the originals or remove and reshingle as you see fit.
(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.