leaking conservatory - again!

This is a common problem with conservatories built on to brick houses. You are right in your assumption that water is penetrating the brickwork, not through the bricks but along the tiny gapsbetween bricks and mortar, usually in the perps. This runs down inside the bricks until it reaches a lintel, or the damp proof tray above a lintel, then comes out through the weep holes. If the house and conservatory were being built as one, the dpc tray would be above the line of the conservatory roof, so that the water would emerge above it. You are talking quite a job to do that retrospectively but it would sort you out. Alternatives include, repointing, rendering that section of wall above the roof and cladding the wall with uPVC shiplap or similar. Richard, (also ritchieaber via google)

am currently trying OE again for usenet, is there anyway to make it bottom post? can anyone suggest a usenet friendly news reader? thanks

Get your OE fixed here;

Sorry - it's just one I had stored. I don't use OE, so never needed it.

I'm sure someone will have the latest URL.

Bottom posting is just as wrong as top posting. You should interleave your responses with enough quoted context so the reader knows which point you are responding to. That means you will need to edit the article to insert your points in the right place and remove quoted text which isn't relevant. I don't really see how any news reader can do that for you -- you need to do it yourself.

Apparently OEQuotefix makes OE behave better

Gravity. There are various versions you might like to try - I use 2.5 which is the freeware version of the last commercial release, but there is also SuperGravity which handles stuff like yEnc and there's a newer Open Source project that seems to be coming on quite well.

Was that a Bo*****ing Andrew? :-) I do try to snip and edit, I understand what you mean. My biggest gripe with OE is that is assumes I want to top post with my sig etc up there ready. Rich

Best regards,

In my option that flashing is crap, the vertical's have not been cut back so water could be forced underneath. Also the pointing on the rest of the house is looking past it's best, 8 year old christ dont you just love these moden boxes...

Hi,

It could also be the wind blowing water behind the horizontal cuts in the flashing if there is nothing sealing it to the brickwork. Some sealer behind these areas between the lead and the brick might be required if there is none.

Also repointing the wall and possibly applying silicone would be helpful.

If there is water running down the inside face of the outside layer of the cavity wall, the surest way to deal with it is stepped 'cavity trays' above the flashing:

If it's only a couple of drips maybe the plasterboard could be replaced with something waterproof like a tilebacker such as aquapanel, wedi board.

If you can get a leaf blower and hose the wall and flashing in different places while blowing on it, that might reveal something (or the neighbours will call the men in white coats!)

You'd probably also need a roofing ladder that can hook over the apex of the conservatory, and boards to spread the weight, I'm no expert on this though...

Maybe best to do the cheapest and easiest things first but don't get disheartened if they don't work.

cheers, Pete.

First check that your guttering is fine and doesn't overflow in heavy rain. Given that the water appears to be going down the cavity and being forced out by the door lintel, you have 3 choices.

1. Get the water out higher up by installing a cavity tray above the flashing.
2. Stop the water getting in (by fixing/upgrading guttering, or coating the bricks).
3. Use internal guttering from the vents to outside, having cleared the plasterboard out of the way.

But you seem to have considered most of these solutions already...

However, you've really got to remove the plasterboard and see where the water is coming from. It could be from the vents/cavity tray, but it could also be from where the conservatory roof abuts the wall. The flashing steps do appear to be insufficently angled. Rain entering at an angle could easily get behind.

Christian.