Possible water ingress

[tvrosam]

hi. we have a possible problem with moisture getting into the corner of our living room.

It seems to dry out, then soon after rain it seems to be worse.

have a look at the pictures here

The inside picture shows where some of the water sheen can be seen. several splodges indicate where the water has soaked into the plasterboard via a dab of adhesive.

Outside shots show the gutter i have installed to catch anything coming off the narrow piece of roof.

I have put some render and waterproofed it in the corners where there was a crack running vertically in the right hand corner.

What can i do to diagnose this?
My idea is to strip off the plasterboard etc from the corner inside and try to see where it coming from.

any help greatly appreciated.. thanks.

 

[^woody^]

What is that sloping bit of ceiling in the room in the last picture? Is there a pipe boxed in?

 

[tvrosam]

What is that sloping bit of ceiling in the room in the last picture? Is there a pipe boxed in?

Hi. thats the roof line.

 

[KenGMac]

Its not easy to see, but, there is brickwork above the lead flashing on the main roof slope, seen in photo three.

Is the lead flashing taken up onto this brick from the roof slates?

I think I can see some "open brick joints" on this area of brickwork on the right hand side of photo 3, I assume this is the adjacent property?

If there are open joints on the brick then it is just possible that rain water penetrating the brick could percolate down to cause the pattern staining in the positions you have marked on the last photo?.

The slates look new, but, the brickwork appears reasonably old?

Any ideas on the ages of each?

 

[^woody^]

I've got my bearings now.

That roof is a right mess. It would have been better to extend the wall up, form a back gutter in lead which would then channel the rain around onto that extension roof or into the gutter

As it is, there is either a problem with that flashband and lead, the flashing to the vertical sides, or inadequate drip from the lead- letting rain run back towards the wall.

You would be better off spending a day on the roof sorting it out, rather than taking plasterboard off

 

[tvrosam]

Its not easy to see, but, there is brickwork above the lead flashing on the main roof slope, seen in photo three.

Is the lead flashing taken up onto this brick from the roof slates?

I think I can see some "open brick joints" on this area of brickwork on the right hand side of photo 3, I assume this is the adjacent property?

If there are open joints on the brick then it is just possible that rain water penetrating the brick could percolate down to cause the pattern staining in the positions you have marked on the last photo?.

The slates look new, but, the brickwork appears reasonably old?

Any ideas on the ages of each?

Okay, I could do with putting up some more detailed shots of that area...

Have a look at this one.

What looks like brick work is actually the neighbours roof. I assume its quite a bit older than ours, houses were originally 1850's ours has been extended within the last 5 years.

Their roof is the same pitch as ours and sits about 15cm below it.

Your comment has jogged my memory though... I think there is a bit of render or mortar or something in the corner between our roof and where their roof meets their flat roof section. I think its got cracks in it (ill get a few shots from up there this eve if I can)

Maybe rather than hacking it out I can paint it with something like fibrelite (is that right) that will be flexible and waterproof the area.

 

[tvrosam]

I've got my bearings now.

That roof is a right mess. It would have been better to extend the wall up, form a back gutter in lead which would then channel the rain around onto that extension roof or into the gutter

As it is, there is either a problem with that flashband and lead, the flashing to the vertical sides, or inadequate drip from the lead- letting rain run back towards the wall.

You would be better off spending a day on the roof sorting it out, rather than taking plasterboard off

thanks for the reply..

yes it is a mess.. not much access (and not much experience )

I think I understand what youre suggesting... but I dont think I'm quite up to the job of re-arranging quite that much.

What I could do is use lead to re-line the whole area, then more to go from under the edge of the (neighbours) flatroof felt down to the roof line, which should remove any risk of water penetration through the render or the lead thats there now.

The only issue I would have with doing this is getting this new lead up and under the existing lead in the gully (up and right of the little bit of roof were talking about). Again more pics to follow later to show this area.

If I need to start taking off (lots of) tiles to get the new lead in then its probably a pro's job.

 

[KenGMac]

In the last picture posted, am I correct in assuming that the area that I thought was brick is indeed old slates? if so can you see if there is any lead dressed from below the slate up at least a part of the [ I assume ] brickwork that will be the party wall?

If you are getting dampness, what is your neighbour getting in? Are you on good terms with your neighbour? if so you can ask them to have a look @ their roof in this area.

One cheap way of sorting out rain penetration in this situation is to apply a sand / cement fillet, in Scotland called "parging" on your neighbours side of the roof between the brick wall and the roof slates on his roof. This repair can last for several years, even up here and in exposed conditions, used as a cheaper option to lead

 

[tvrosam]

In the last picture posted, am I correct in assuming that the area that I thought was brick is indeed old slates? if so can you see if there is any lead dressed from below the slate up at least a part of the [ I assume ] brickwork that will be the party wall?

Yes it looks like old slate (or asbestos?!?)
no lead dressing or anything like that apparent.
got up the and took some more pics. this one should show what youre asking about..

Untitled

• tvrosam
• 28 Oct 2010
• 1

showing valley and intersection between neighbouring flat and pitched roofs and ours.

I will have to ask the neighbours if they have any problems. I assume (maybe incorrectly) that they would get it sorted if there was a major water problem..


I have posted 3 new pics including the above //www.diynot.com/network/tvrosam/albums/6923

 

[KenGMac]

Hi, Again.

Looks like you went walk about in the dark taking pictures?

I may be being paranoid, or i have been involved in too many "conspiracy theory web pages, but"

The paint that I see on your last posted image is just a wee bit too new for my liking?

I think your neighbour is experiencing shall we conjecture and say some damp problems?

Also I think I see some vestiges of either moss or dirt around the cement that is newly painted, if this is dirt then it can act as a wick and allow water to get in where it is not wanted.

I would suggest a very, very friendly approach to your neighbour to ask if they are having "shall we say problems" in some areas of their property???

 

[^woody^]

From that last picture it seems that someone has patched it up recently and just stuck some self-adhesive flashband on top of lead - this is a recipe for disaster

So this seems to be a known problem which someone has tried to fix/bodge.

However difficult you do really need to get the whole area sorted out from the outside.

 

[tvrosam]

Looks like you went walk about in the dark taking pictures?
...
The paint that I see on your last posted image is just a wee bit too new for my liking?
...
Also I think I see some vestiges of either moss or dirt around the cement that is newly painted, if this is dirt then it can act as a wick and allow water to get in where it is not wanted.

It wasnt that dark.

I think the camera flash may have made the paint look fresher than it is.

Youre probably right about the moss etc.. will have to clean that out.

 

[tvrosam]

From that last picture it seems that someone has patched it up recently and just stuck some self-adhesive flashband on top of lead - this is a recipe for disaster

So this seems to be a known problem which someone has tried to fix/bodge.

Well 'someone' (me) has done that recently to try to combat the problems. It obviously hasnt worked.

Whats the problem with using flashband on lead? (I used a heatgun to ensure the backing was good and sticky before applying it)
And what is flashband supposed to be used for?

However difficult you do really need to get the whole area sorted out from the outside.

This is really what I need to know.
What needs doing and how do I go about it.

Are you suggesting pulling out all the lead and tiles etc in the area and replacing.

Or would simply leading over whats there do the trick? (if so how would i get the new lead integrated properly with the valley?)



Thanks to both of you for you help on this..

 

[Alastairreid]

Are you suggesting pulling out all the lead and tiles etc in the area and replacing.

Its a days work for a roofer.

I would rip out that whole lot, lead, slates and f/band. its a bit of a disaster.

 

[Nige F]

That`s a day`s work for a QUALIFIED LEADWORKING roofer . Not a member of the Travelling community . In fact a long day , I would say . I can do a bit of lead welding and a neighbour runs a specialist leadworking co. Both of us are Plumbers originally . Sussex not Essex , unfortunately