Hi
may I please get a suggestion.
When it rains, Roof valley that is meeting down at the at the bottom ofter leaks in to the eves and water enters in to ceiling and wall (baser block wall) etc.
what can I do to fix this please?
Hi @arun11australia,
The first step would be to identify where exactly the leak is getting into the eaves and why it is happening. Have you had a chance to inspect the roof and gutters? How do they act during a heavy downpour?
Are there any small gaps in the gutters? Are the gutters clear of leaves and debris? Are your gutters getting overloaded in heavy downpours? Are the gutters sloping towards the downpipes as they should?
Small gaps can be sealed with things like silicone or waterproofing tape. If, upon inspection, you find that a small gap is the issue, then you may be able to seal it relatively easily with something like this.
If you find there are a lot of leaves built up in the gutters, then clearing the gutters would certainly help. Leaves can block the natural flow of the gutters, causing them to back up and overflow.
If the issues are because the gutters are being overloaded, then you would need to look into replacing your gutters. Deeper and wider gutters can hold a larger volume of water before they overflow, so having larger profile gutters installed could be an option.
If the gutters are not sloping the correct way, causing water to pool at the corner, then correcting the slope of the gutters would be worthwhile.
Simple things like sealing up gaps and cleaning out leaves and debris would be a start. If the issues are more systemic and relate to the capacity or slope of the gutters, then I'd suggest you speak with a roof plumber for their guidance. These are not issues that are particularly simple to fix and the expert advice of a professional would be worthwhile.
Allow me to tag our knowledgeable, members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag to see what they think.
Jacob
Good Afternoon @arun11australia
One of my mates had a leak in his roof that was "untraceable" and drove him nuts. After numerous checking and getting various companies out to look it turned out to be a cracked tile underneath the edge of the valley that was allowing water to enter. As a first step I would check for leaves or something else that is caught and diverting the water off the metal channel. Second step would be to look under those connection points of your awning that go through those tiles. Depending on how they have been sealed they could be allowing water in.
Dave
Thanks You. looking forward to other knowledgeable members to respond.
Hi @arun11australia
The first step is to check the obvious entry points that @JacobZ outlined.
Water ingress can travel some distance from the actual entry point such as a cracked tile then along a rafter to the lowest point. So next step would be to start low and off to one side with a garden hose on a light pressure and work your way up. If no result than do the same from the other side. But before starting this, I would slide back the bottom row of tiles and every 2nd on the next row in the area where the water lies in the eve. This will hopefully enable you to see where water is coming from.
These are the steps I followed when in my last house the eve flooded in one spot during long periods of rain. The tiles in the area and the flashing were all in excellent condition. It ended up being a small crack in one tile several metres away but the water travelled along a rafter. It did my head in for many weeks!
Nailbag
Roof valleys often cause problems; we had one at the previous house and I found myself mixing up colored mortar in a kitty litter tray a few times.
Something I came across myself and when helping others was chunks of mortar that had come loose and ended up at the bottom of the valley.
Mortar doesn't stick well to metal.
Already mentioned here where the water is leaking in can be some distance from where it comes out - ridge tiles.
I usually go in the roof space with a torch and look for damp timber.
Cheers
Hi Alan
thank you. I have gone into the roof space and had a look. There was a damp Timber just under the plastic sheet I have laid up on top of the roof. I have not run in the garden hose and check to see where it’s actually coming from that would be my next project now. there were some leaves at the valley but they may not be a problem but I have cleaned them up anyway there may be the water coming from that broken tile like other members have just mentioned.
Thanks everyone. Few things I’m gonna have to go through now on my coming days off
I have cleaned up the leaves from the valley tried lifting couple tiles but could not see anything obvious
timber Under the roof space is damp just Where the patio post goes into. So I may have to run the garden hose around the tiles to see actually where the water travels into.
Hello @arun11australia
Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your roof leak fixed.
Eric
Hi everyone
I am very happy to share this with you. Apparently leak was not in cracked tile or lead flashing. There is a small hole on the post which is supporting air patio. Whenever it rains, air patio has smal drops of rain dripping on to post and going into that hole. Phewwwwwwww. I have attached photos
I have sealed that hole with aluminium tape. No more leaks now 😆.
Just wanted to ask though, that air pipe has been out side or can i cut it below tile and keep under the tile. That way i can have full tile with no flashing or leaks in future?
Thanks
I'm glad to hear you've found the source of the leak and managed to patch it.
I am not entirely sure what you are asking though. I may have misunderstood, but the support post can't be altered because it is holding up the roof of the patio. As long as the patio roof is there, the post can't be altered or removed.
Hi Jacob
Not the post, if you could please refer back to my original photos there is air outlet pipe next to it. That is what I am wondering if I can cut it and keep it into the roof rather than outside the roof. That way i can remove the flashing entirely and put full tile there.
Apologies for that.
I'd say it is likely that it is a sewer vent pipe, which expels sewer gasses and helps to equalise air pressure in your plumbing system to prevent backflow issues.
I am not a plumber, nor do I have access to the relevant code, but from a quick google search, it seems that a vent pipe must extend at least 300mm above the roof to prevent harmful sewer gasses entering the roof cavity.
So, it seems unlikely that you can alter that pipe, but you could always contact a plumber for their opinion.
thank you jacob. Really appreciate your responses.
