Leaking roof advice

Help · 7 Jun 2009

Hi,

Could anyone please give me any advice on the following, in terms of coping until it is repaired and what the likely problem is. I believe this will be an insurance job and I am a homeowner with no building experience.

There has been heavy downpour since, I guess, the early hours...

Water is dripping into my loft and was discovered after drips came through one of the downlighters in the bathroom. The plasterboard isn't overly wet so isn't saturated and I've now put a container to catch the drips.

From an external inspection (from the garden) the location looks like the water may be getting in somewhere along the drainage where there is a change in the roof's pitch.

Internally, the felt looks like it has worn away (EDIT: the cut looks too uniform - see new pic) so isn't a complete membrane.

Here are also photos of the inside. The beams are clearly wet but they are not saturated, which I guess may suggest that the problem is only when there is heavy and continued downpour.

Many thanks

when it rains, it pours

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scotlad · 7 Jun 2009

can u take pic from outside? looking at pic the wet area on your rafter is at top which would suggest ridging but you say drainage? is ther a dormer in area with a suspect valley?

noseall · 7 Jun 2009

Looks to me like a pair of lay-boards meeting at a ridge blade.

Is there a pitched roof extension, jutting out at 90 degrees from the main roof, forming two valleys? I can see roof trusses as well as cut roof members.

Help · 8 Jun 2009

Hi both,

I will take some pics this evening. My dad had an external look and he didn't think it was the drainage as it was too far over from where the leak was occuring.

noseall: Is there a pitched roof extension, jutting out at 90 degrees from the main roof, forming two valleys?

Yes, I think that is right.

Scotlad: is ther a dormer in area with a suspect valley?

Hi, I'm not sure what you mean, sorry?

thank you both!

Help · 8 Jun 2009

Here are the external shots, the leak is above the small window on the left.

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scotlad · 8 Jun 2009

personally id get your roofer to take the end ridge tile of and remove the big bit cement the ridge tile has been bedded on in valley. check the lead and the roof tile which sits at valley junction. get that ridge tile cut to either follow the line of valley tiles on both sides or cut shorter to leave enough space for water flow in that area from main elevation. wouldnt surprise me if that cement has been causing some form of blockage or making roof tile sit futher up roof resulting in no adequate cover into valley junction at head. hope may of helped you.

noseall · 8 Jun 2009

In the image (far right) the underside of the fibre glass valley is visible from inside the roof. This should not be visible at all, as it should lie on top of a sheet of felt or membrane.

The roofers have not been very careful me thinks....

steveroof · 8 Jun 2009

No lead saddle?

Help · 8 Jun 2009

Thanks guys. I'll get on to the insurers and see if they will arrange for someone to look at it. Lived here for three years and never had a problem and the timber didn't look like it had previously been wet so hopefully it's only a problem with particularly heavy rain.

Thanks again.

noseall · 8 Jun 2009

steveroof said:
No lead saddle?

Seems logical and would only become apparent once the mortar bedded elements inevitably move and/or break down.

--tom · 9 Jun 2009

Isn't the valley set too deep for the surface roof plane? There seems to be far too much compo(sand and cement) such that it will inevitably move and crack along the valley and at the verge.
Is the roof cross battened?

noseall · 9 Jun 2009

--tom said:
Isn't the valley set too deep for the surface roof plane? There seems to be far too much compo(sand and cement) such that it will inevitably move and crack along the valley and at the verge.
Is the roof cross battened?

The roof tiles are Marley 'bold roll', one of the deepest profile tiles Marley (used to

) sell. The roof angle makes the cut all the more deep so this will result in a thick mortar bed at the valley detail.

Roofer · 10 Jun 2009

noseall said:
The roof tiles are Marley 'bold roll'

Note the purpose-made L/H verge tiles, Marley never made them therefore they are probably Redland Regents.

Help · 10 Jun 2009

Guys, thanks for all your advice and nice to see a bit of good-natured debate, too.

I'll update you once we have a resolution, and hopefully a positive one.

best wishes

diynot

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Leaking roof advice

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