Advice about conservatory leak, please (photos included)

h.cowell

Hi, can anyone with expertise please let me know what we can do about a slow leak in the corner of our conservatory? We recently had the flashing redone to the left of the glass roof (in the photo) hoping this would cure the problem but it hasn't .

Photo of the conservatory:


Closeup of the top left corner, where the leak is - see the flashing above that has been replaced:


Mildew along the length of the lefthandside, where the wall meets the roof:


We have an oiled filled radiator in the room, plus a dehumidifier. We use both as needed. There are trickle vents too. The condensation can still be bad though and I wonder if that might be causing the problem, perhaps wicking along the join between the upvc and the glass roof? Might be causing the mildew too??? We're at our wit's end with this conservatory and would appreciate any suggestions!

Thanks.

llandyrnog

Hi, looking at your photos it looks like you have a wall with coping stones on it and it looks like the damp problem might be water working its way through a mortar joint in the copings and saturating the all below. Does the flashing go up the wall completely over the whole width of the wall with the coping bedded on top ? or is the flashing just turned in about 20mm under the coping ?

h.cowell

Hi, and thanks for your reply .

I'm not sure about the original flashing, but the new flashing definitely covers the width of the wall in one piece and the coping stones are cemented in place, held with a bracket at the bottom. I watched the guys doing the work and they've done a very neat job. I was hopeful it had cured the problem but it rained heavily yesterday and a new damp patch appeared.

Is it just me, or does the rubber seal on the outside (middle photo) look uneven? I need to get outside and check from there. It wouldn't explain the mildew running the length of the roof panel though.

I'm really at a loss with this and can't keep throwing money at it .

llandyrnog

Hi, What is on the other side of the wall ? Rendered or fair faced ? Have they checked for any hairline cracks were rain might find its way in ? and how does the bottom of the lead flashing finish with the top of the Conservatory ?. Could water be driven in between the bottom of the flashing and the frame of the conservatory ?. I fully sympathise with you, its most annoying when you cant find the answer to one of these. The number of times we have been called out to a problem like this, you wouldnt believe !.As you said before "it rained and the damp appeared again " Its not a condensation problem but an ingress of rain, either driven or seeping.

h.cowell

Thanks again llandyrnog - you are absolutely right, it must be somehow coming from the outside (and, thinking about it, the damp might be contributing to the condensation?).

The wall isn't rendered. There is a gap of about 10 inches and then a smaller wall that belongs to the neighbours. Then a short line of evergreens that you can see the top of in the photo. Long story but we had subsidence in this corner and two piles were driven down to stabilise it (insurance claim). That was during 2010 - the conservatory was essentially rebuilt, so the wall is new.

I suppose it's possible that water is getting in between the bottom of the flashing and the frame of the roof somehow. And presumably it then collects and is worse at the lowest point. The side of the wall is sheltered so I doubt it's getting in there, but we really need to take a good look in the daylight, as best we can (the construction makes it quite restrictive).

Talking it through is helping a lot, thank you again!

llandyrnog

Hi,

If you or your contractor are able to get into a position to turn the lead up and then use a waterproof silicone to seal the point were the frame meets the wall under the lead and then carefully put the lead back into position and then use a clear silicone to the bottom of the lead to the frame. This will effectively give two lines of defense from driving rain. I hope you find a soloution to this because I really know how frustrating it is !

h.cowell

That's an excellent suggestion, thank you . I'll mention it to the company who replaced the flashing. I'm not sure they used sealant when they did the work, but I could be wrong... anyway, it's a promising way forward. I feel a bit happier now!!!

withabix

Where does the flashing terminate when it 'meets' the UPVC frame?

The flashing should go over the profile, however it doesn't seem to on your photos (difficult to tell).

Self-adhesive flashband is often used for the detail you have got, because the backing is a mastic sealant/adhesive and it is more flexible although not as long-lasting.

If the flashing is under or behind the profile, it isn't shedding the water - that's where your problem is.

iveco_man

Hi had same problem on conservatory that i fitted roof pitch was shallow and water was running down glazing bar and tracking back up the underside and penetrating the side wall ...take end cap of and see if water runs down roof and then tracks back into underside of glazing bar.if so i siliconed the end where it was tracking up