Fixing water ingress from Balcony beam

[John74813]

Hi, I have a balcony above my integrated garage, and water seems to be leaking into the blockwork. I have attempted to silicone along the top of the wood and the bottom of the steel beam but the issue is unresolved. The centre of the damp mark lines up (horizontally wise) exactly where the steel beam is. Is there anything else I can do? Or do I need to just silicone it to sh*t. The damp is now much bigger than when I originally took the photos.

I suppose the little red drainage holes in the brickwork may also line up to the damp patch, could that be something to do with it - not quite sure what they are for.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

 

[^woody^]

The drainage holes, "weep holes", indicate a cavity tray is fitted but that's not your issue.

It appears the beam breaches the cavity and water is tracking across it, and that is the fundamental problem.

Even if you apply mastic around it on the face of the wall, that won't stop water potentially soaking into the wall above it, moving down and then across the beam.

Check the cill junction with the door reveal to ensure that's not letting water in.

Otherwise, apart from opening the wall to fit a small cavity tray above the beam, then you could try mastic where you can around the beam and then a clear masonry water repellant above the beam for a metre or so by 500mm wide.

In any case that beam looks really rusty and could do with some treatment and protection.

 

[John74813]

Thanks woody for your kind analysis. Re. the cill junction, is that referring to the cill on the bottom of the balcony doors? i can't seem to see any issue there but I could be missing something. Plus, the two damp spots directly sit in line with the beams.- so that more than likely explains it. Perhaps I'll need to get a specialist in. Not something I want to be messing up. General Builder in this case do you think?

 

[^woody^]

Yes where the corner of the cill meets the wall, is a common place for water ingress if the mastic is split. In fact, check the whole joint going up the wall, and under the cill too. Water getting in here, could potentially move sideways to where the beam is.

More generally, if this has just started to happen, you should be looking for something that's changed - missing mastic, degraded pointing, even something up at the roof eaves like worn underfelt.

Just for caution if someone is minded to remove bricks around the beam ... the beam may extend into the floor void and be cantilevered or sit on the wall somehow, but either way the bricks above it may be holding it down. So any exploration around it should be done with care until its known how it is secured.

Yes a general builder, but one with a little nous, not any old Joe with a hammer and chisel.

 

[John74813]

Thanks Woody. Will check all that. Issue is I won't know until i've "Fixed" it for quite some time as it is pretty wet down there now. Need to see obvious drying and then it getting worse again. The balcony has been there since 2006 and the new balcony doors fitted in approx. 2018. I've only just bought the place but it does seem to be something new happening so perhaps (hopefully) just a case of failed mastic. This is what the balcony looks like and above, but I'll definitely check the mastic around the window frame - should be able to do that myself. Thanks again!

 

[John74813]

I think this all looks ok? Or perhaps it's the bit right next to the cill where water is getting in.

 

[John74813]

In any case that beam looks really rusty and could do with some treatment and protection.

Hi Woody, i've been at it with the silicone filling every gap I can see around the cill and the beam. Now for treating the steelwork - what would you recommend - something like Hammerite direct to rust metal paint? And if so, can I just paint what I can see (with the decking up) or do I need to dismantle the whole decking (removing the wooden joists that sit on the beams) ? Thanks again for your help