Conservatory Advice - Gap around frame and wall

Bitofageek wrote: »

Hi All,

I have a few niggles bugging me about my new conservatory (purchased, fully paid and fitted in Oct/Nov 2017) from a local well established company who supply and fit and they seem to have all the certifications I would expect from a reputable company.

In December 2017, I reported a leak down the inside wall of the conservatory quick response was received, were the fitters returned a couple of days later and used silicone between the frame and render throughout the whole frame from the inside.

In January 2018, I see a dribble in one of the corners of the conservatory So called them again and got a quick response, fitters came out and removed the PVC trimming and about 1litre of water gushed out from behind. The fitters , the manager and a senior fitter On inspection they found water dripping through the nuts and bolts of the frame. So the removed the glass panels and used silicone all the way round which did not stop the dribble. Which left them scratching their heads on what the problem could be.


My background before I continue I am an internal ISO 9001 quality inspector and Metrologist who specialises in troubleshooting measurement variation and measurement uncertainty. I could compile a report using calibrated tools as my disposal so that measurements are traceable to international standards and SI Units as just by looking at the fitment I can confirm they measured from the render rather than the brickwork of the house so when the frame was manufactured rather than having a product that is 5mm ± 2mm gap, the gap is 15mm ± 5mm gap, which I can do before I escalating.

My opinion regarding this problem was that the source was the original source I reported back in December 2017 and had a suspicion that the leak was being redirected to the frame and due to a capillary effect and laws of gravity the water was running along the frame and through the nuts, to confirm this I used a hose and sprayed water in to the air and the wall of the house to confirm my suspicion As I expressed my opinion to the manager he replied with I shouldnt be spraying in to the frame and the rubber gasket above the glass, which I was quite offended by as this indicated he was suggesting I was making this up and making a problem when there wasnt one.

So after a couple of weeks of head scratching and waiting for nature to run its course (waiting for a rainy day) a definitive confirmation of water running in to the house enabled me to call the company and ask them to return for them to see for themselves to which they agreed there is water behind the leading and confirmed the leading will need to be redone.

They came out yesterday (07/03/2018) replaced 1 side of the leading and reworked the other side. What I mean by rework is, peeled back the lead cut deeper in to the render (not sure is they cut in to the block work behind the render) and recemented the leading to the render. I specifically asked them to remove the silicone between the conservatory and the house so I can keep an eye out for any more leaks.


The reason I am asking for advice is, its left a really sour taste from this experience and now the quality inspector inside of me could be being pedantic because this is not my area of expertise. My question is should there be a 1520mm gap between the frame and the house? They advertise on their website that conservatories are energy efficient without compromising on the homes warmth which is why I when down the route of a new conservatory (to replace an existing one which IMO was warmer and did not leak) instead of doing an extension. Cost wise it would have been about the same because I paid extra for Pilkington Activ!!!8482; Blu glass as well as having every window and door replaced to reduce energy bills.


I would really appreciate advice and how I should proceed. I have arranged a meeting at my house to discuss with the manager my concerns but I would like to be more informed about quality standards and workman ship standards for conservatories.

I can't upload pictures as I am a new user, This thread can also be found with pictures on MLR forum.

Many thanks in advance.

Bitofageek wrote: »

Hi Furts,

To answer your first question, i did type 15mm to 20mm as an estimate and not yet measured using a calibrated tool and the hyphen I used disappeared from the post, it also added lots of other random codes like !!!887; to which i had to edit out after posting. To answer the second and third question, it was the wifes decision to upgrade the existing conservatory personally if it was up to me i would have done an extension as it would have added value to the property. Thorny issues aside.

MLR forum is a car forum and under non-lancer chat i have posted this thread with pictures to which the public has access to view, as i am unable to do so here.

I understand what you mean about companies saying how efficient their product is but surely this is misleading and surely advertising standards authority can help clamp down?

The company is FENSA and BSI registered and Member of the Consumer Protection Association which to me meant they are regulated in some way and as I asked previously it's not an area I am familiar with but looks like i may have to read up on some of the standards to educate myself.

The company did provide drawings and to my knowledge came out 3 times to do a survey and their manufacturing is done by Liniar and ALUK who have ISO 9001 accreditation so the traceability aspect was there. From my guess they measure and then do the assembly in their warehouse (i've visited in the past) and then deliver and use a sub-contractor to do the work but all payment are made this company.

Thank you for confirming that sealing from the inside is a sign of incompetence of the sub-contractor they use and for your advice about the compression/dry seal. The lead is on part cavity wall 5% and the rest is on the render where they chipped away for the lip to sit in.

Behind the render is Breeze block , so property developers are getting away with cutting cost but that out of my control by about 30 years. regardless the question is if it's breeze block should the render have been removed for the lead to sit flush or is it ok to make a lip through the render and through the breeze block? should the cavity trays have been installed ?

Basically i'm getting the feeling now that the work is done and because they re-leaded and I honestly thought coming here and sharing my experience would help me clarify if their is a manufacturing fault and if i should escalate but instead I get the feeling i should cut my losses and bodge the gaps because no one GAF.

Looks like Trading standards and CPA is the way forward.

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

Bitofageek, now you know what you know I think this changes the nature of the meeting you have arranged with the company. As Furts says, rectifying the problems can only be done by taking the structure down and re-building it properly. Anything else will be a bodge to remedy each existing bodge, as can be seen with the supposedly fixed flashing. From the limited pictures you've made available they've done a horrendous job and I hope for your sake that the slab on which it sits and any dwarf walls are not built to the same level of quality.