leaking conservatory help

[keith]

I've found that water leaks into our conservatory when there 's both rain and strong wind. (OK in normal rain)

I've taken some photos, can anyone help me by suggesting if the seal to the rest of the house looks good or a bit dodgy, or what the best solution should be? The DIY needed for this is a bit beyond my experience at the moment!

Photos are at

The wall above the doors apears to be plasterboard attached to the external wall, with sealant between the plasterboard and a peice of hard wood. Water was dripping through(!) the sealant all along. When I took the sealant away the drip was just in one place, under the apex. Does this point to the seal at the apex of the roof being faulty? Or does it look a bit iffy all along? But since it only happens in strong wind perhaps the water is getting blown in at the sides?

I guess it could be that it's filling up every time it rains but the sealant holds most times (in which case it will leak every time now!) If it needs resealing to the house outsideat the apex , how do I get to it - do I use a roof ladder on the conservatory?

We bought the house 2 months ago, and the conservatory is about 3 yrs old.

thanks in advance

Keith

[keith dulwich]

I've found that water leaks into our conservatory when there 's both rain and strong wind. (OK in normal rain so far)

I've taken some photos, can anyone help me by suggesting if the seal to the rest of the house looks good or a bit dodgy, or what the best solution should be? The DIY needed for this is a bit beyond my experience at the moment!

Photos are at

The wall above the doors apears to be plasterboard attached to the external wall, with sealant between the plasterboard and a peice of hard wood. Water was dripping through(!) the sealant all along. When I took the sealant away the drip was just in one place, under the apex. Does this point to the seal at the apex of the roof being faulty? Or does it look a bit iffy all along? But since it only happens in strong wind perhaps the water is getting blown in at the sides?

I guess it could be that it's filling up every time it rains but the sealant holds most times (in which case it will leak every time now!) If it needs resealing to the house outsideat the apex , how do I get to it - do I use a roof ladder on the conservatory?

We bought the house 2 months ago, and the conservatory is about 3 yrs old.

thanks in advance

Keith

[rob]

in answer to the question above, yes the seal to the house is dodgy, to put it mildly. The seal used is a stick-on type and is S@@T. get someone in to put the proper lead flashings on and they should last your lifetime at least. the stuff on now will last a year or two. It doesnt even cover the end part of the conservatory poor job. nothing else said.

rob

[Grunff]

While I agree that stick on flashing band leaves a lot to be desired, how exactly do you propose that lead flashing is installed in this case? The central principle behind lead flashing is that the upper edge is chased into brick/render, forming a good seal. I see no brick/render surface adjacent to the leaking section!

[Grunff]

Ah, ok, looks like my short attention span got me again :-)

That does look extremely poorly done.

[Mark]

Err

have to say though, that must be the worst Bodge I have ever seen. Worthy of Rouge tradesman award 2003.

[keith dulwich]

OK, I bet his cheeks must be red....thanks for replies, I'm not qualified at all here so that's helpful

We had heavy rain but no wind last night but there's no leak - so it must be the combination of rain & strong wind. Which makes me wonder if water's being blown in somehow rather than just seeping through a a leak.

Having just tripled the mortgage I'm not in a position to spend much now , so I'll:

-See if there's something obvious at the sides that can be sealed

-Hope to manage , with a bucket underneath if neccesary, until the spring

-Look at fixing or having to pay someone then.

Any ideas about what should be done to do it properly - sounds like lead flashing into the brickwork is the best way - and the practicalities of access & cost? If I end up paying a builder are there any well known scams I shoudl beware of?

[Mark]

From the look of your pictures the water is running down the wall and under the (sic) flushing. In the short term you should try and stop this a.s.a.p. as the internal plaster will soon start to degrade to such an extant that it will require replacing. If it was me I would remove that crap flushing and make a temporary seal with a large bead of clear silicon on the *outside*.( the wall/gap should be clean and *dry* for this to work) I did not see your original post, did you have this conservatory fitted or have you bought the house like this.

-- Mark

[keith dulwich]

It came with the house, bought last month. Conservatory is supposedly 3 yrs old, but no guarantee paperwork supplied. Reckon I'm on my own! I would try to put some silicone over as a temp measure, but I can't see how to get to the roof apex - can I use a roof ladder or some sort of board on a plastic conservatory roof?

It's starting to look like its time to get a builder in (cue all sorts of further issues...)

PS it's raining again now & leak is getting worse, even without much wind.

cheers

>

[Mark]

If you're not entirely confident in doing it yourself, get a glassier. A good place to ask would be your local small glass shop that also do double glassing.

HTH and good luck ;-)

-- mark

[Dave]

If its any consolation I have a similar problem at the minute although slightly different circumstances. My conservatory roof is flat against the wall and there is wooden panelling above it. I've experienced the problem existing mainly when there is wind so I assume water is being blown in. I need to replace/place flashing on the roof but problem is it never seems to stop raining here:) Next dry day I may have to go buy a cheap heat gun to dry out then stick the flashing on.

[Mark]

Have a look at HSS Hire Shops

item no:87101 Conservatory roof access system

[Mr.B]

but I can't see how

Why not just slide out the roof panels & put a ladder up inside?