conservatory leak - what does this look like?

[keith]

Please can someone help me with a suggestion on what to do about below? (photos at

[e-mail] )

We moved into a 10yr old house in Devon 3 years ago. When we've had both strong rain AND strong wind we get leaks from the conservatory, seems to be out of the brickwork over the house doors. Strong rain alone is fine. We've had the lead flashing where the house joins the conservatory roof replaced, and it won't leak no matter how much I play a hose on it.

But if we get strong wind too (we look out over a valley) it leaks as per the photos .

Someone suggested it's down to rain getting into the bricks and saturating them so much the water just passes down through the bricks. I think image

534 and the shininess/dampness of the whole house face after last night supports this? Suggestion was to put some transparent waterproof coating on all the bricks, or insert a drip tray in the brickwork above the conservatory.

I suppose the other options are to let the hedge grow so high as to disrupt the wind, or get a turbine! Thanks

[Andy]

I note your lead flashing extends right down onto the glass of your conservatory. That may or may not be normal practice, I don't know, but I would keep an eye out for how other conservatories have their lead flashing done and compare and contrast. My guess is that the flashing has been badly designed, and that water streaming down your conservatory windows is channelling back up your flashingunder conditions of driving wind. This may be because the flashing extends down to the glass, and the wind and capillary action may drive the water up under the flashing.

Like I said, have a look at other conservatory flashing techniques and see if yours is some how different. If it is what I suggested the fix would either be to cut back the flashing from contact with the glass, or seal the contact surface between the two.

Andy.

[Andrew Gabriel]

It looks to me like the lead has been wrongly cut to dress it into the brickwork. The vertical cuts should slant backwards, almost at right angles to the roof slope in this case. It's difficult to tell from the camera angle, but some of yours look like they might even be off-vertical and slanting the wrong way slightly. This means water can ingress at each step in the leadwork. I bet if you play a hose on the wall just above the leadwork, water comes through.

You need water teaming down the wall, so it needs to be blowing enough to be soaking the wall under the main roof overhang.

No, I don't think this is the cause. Even pourous bricks aren't that porous, and if they were, they would have been destroyed by frost already.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I agree with both responders.. flashing is done badly. It may be possible to seal it to the bricks with an acrylic sealer and to the glass with silicone.

[Jim Alexander]

There has been a couple of comments about the flashing and they might be on to something. Just checked my own conservatory which is similar except less of a vertical surface above. Was surprised to note that my flashing was behind the roof frame not over it, but then I remembered that it is dessed into a hidden drainage channel which runs into the gutter. That way there is no hidden seal to fail which might be your problem. I have not had any leaks so far.

Regarding the vertical cuts, again can't tell from the photo but you could always grout the vertical cuts with lead sealant and see if that helps.

Jim A

[Phil L]

No, no amount of rain will soak a brick enough for it to leak through.

Whoever has put the flashing on has made a pig's ear of it.... looking at the image of the left hand side flashing,(img 0258) it doesn't even reach the glazing bar at the top near the apex, the opposite side (img0259) is slightly better, but that too is short at the top. Aside from this, the entire thing is wrong, the lead flashing you can see, which is pointed into the brickwork is only part of what should be there - there should be another flashing running the full length which this visible bit covers, the piece that is missing can be put in place now, but I wouldn't use lead if I were you, use a piece of bitumen backed flashband, about 9 inches wide, this goes at right angles, half onto the roof and half behind the lead, you can use lead but it will need fixing to the wall somehow, below the existing lead...there's a diagram here:

[keith]

All, Thanks for your helpful replies. It sounds like I've been taken advantage of by the roof repair people, so I'll know next time. I'll either try to fix as per suggestions, or get another firm to look at it, or see if there's a guarantee in my paperwork.

The "soaking through the bricks" theory has been shot down, so that saves me pursuing that .

I am a bit puzzled though because we had just a flash band when we moved in, that leaked the same way, which is why we had a professional job done. So both roofers have made the same mistake and the fix involves using both lead & flash band & sealant.

How do I get to the roof to seal it? - all I can think of is somehow putting a small hook on end of a ladder and hooking it over the apex.

[Jim Alexander]

While the flashing may well be poor I fear the fundamental problem is the conservatory installation. Have a look at this....

describes the flashing fitting into a channel as I have. There is a video but its Quicktime which I haven't got and couldn't be bothered downloading. Also check out the Ultraframe website for ideas. There are some tantalising glimpses of decent flashing, again dressed into the glazing bar not over it.

For maintenance access I put a piece of chipboard flooring across the conservatory rafters ridge to gutter and crawl very carefully. This is not a guaranteed recommendation but an idea. Maybe support from below as well. And I don't have lead on my wallmost glazing bar.

HTH

Jim A

[Phil L]

The soaker bar mentioned above will probably only be available to synseal customers and compatible with their products...in my earlier post I mentioned using flashband or lead to create a soaker, flashband would probably be easier now that the upper flashing is already pointed in....I wouldn't say the conservatory itself was badly installed, it may have been there as long as ten years, certainly more than three, probably well before these soakerbars were thought up.

[keith]

Thanks for helpful replies. Puzzling thing is that we only got the flashing done because the previous (stick-on) flashing leaked... I'll see if I can get the roofers back, or I'll try the suggestions. Just need to work out how to get to the roof - any ideas?

[keith]

I'll get the roofers back tomorrow, but they're still insisting that the rain is soaking through the bricks.(Which PhilL said was impossible).

I've had a look under the lead and the original leaky stick on flashing is still there underneath, they didn't replace it.

So if I've understood Phil L's helpful picture correctly, if they HAD done this I might have been alright (although workmanship still seems a bit dodgy).

Is there a web link showing how it should be done that I can use as evidence?

[Phil L]

The water drives against the face of the brick - the outside face of the brick becomes saturated (like a sponge) and the remaining water runs down the face of the brick, it can't soak right through the brick and downwards, the roofers are trying it on.

It requires a flashing underneath this skirt that is showing now, I said use flashband for ease, doing it properly, it should be done with lead ideally.

I think it's the glazing bar nearest to the house that's the major problem, the wind must be blowing the water back up over the glazing bar into the channel, they'll either have to seal this channel in or bring the flashing further out onto the roof, thusly:

[keith]

Thanks for another helpful picture. It is coming in where you've suggested, all the way along, although there is plenty of white sealant in that corner where the inside wall meets the "ceiling", and that doesn't look wet. Maybe a previous attempt to stop leaks?