kaye Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Hi all, i am seeking advice on the best course of action to track down the cause of water ingress into my house. Its a timber frame, nearly 3 years old, triple glazed rational windows. We have large ceiling height windows in the hall at the front of the house. When the wind drives into the front of the house (v infrequently but last night it did) we end up with water coming in through the ceiling above the windows. I have had the window company back a number of times, who have sealed stuff up further to no avail and the timber frame company think it may be coming from the balcony at the side of this ceiling. As a bit of background the timber fame airtight test was done with different windows in this space as the original windows they delivered were incorrect. Hence me suspecting the windows at fault, though the airtight test taped up all the windows and doors. I am wanting someone to come and investigate and wondering what profession would be the best. I am thinking perhaps little cameras up through the light fitting in the ceiling to see if we can see any gaps? does anyone have any suggestions. Is it a job for a surveyor? I didnt have a main contractor on this job so the things that fall between the trades is down to me unfortunately. I am getting a bit desperate now as it happens very infrequently (this is the first time since a storm last march) but is v annoying when it does as i end up catastrophising every time it happens. I would be very grateful for any advice/suggestions from the forum. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Just to clarify did it leak with the previous window too or just this one? Finding someone is hard for these sorts of problems. A small camera into a suitable light fitting is a good approach (switch the power off) You could use a hose aimed at the likely areas one section at a time to see if you can see a path the water is following or narrow the problem down. Oftentimes a leak is somewhere else from where you spot the water. Some pictures of the windows, where the water is appearing and the balcony would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 hi Kelvin, thanks for the reply. The windows that were in originally were only here for a couple of months during the build and boarded up as they were too small for the aperture.it was pre-render. We werent in the house then but I didnt see any leaks then but as it happens so infrequently its not that conclusive. I have attached a photo of the front of the house. The water is coming in above the downstairs lower triple panes in the left of the photo, and appearing somewhere in the middle of the 3 and towards the corner nearest the balcony. You can see the balcony is on the right alongside this. You are so right about water travelling. Do you think surveyors have these little cameras, i would have thought it would be in their tool kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 If it’s coming in there why does the timber kit supplier suggest it might be the balcony? Which window has the window supplier re-sealed? Do you have any construction pictures? Yes a surveyor may well have such cameras. They are cheap enough to buy yourself if you wanted to have a go at investigating it. Around £30/£40 for a cheap borescope and screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 My house is not the same design as yours at all, but myself, and my neighbours, have all had the same leaks. They happen when we have strong south westerlies (and they are strong down here). Leak leak in the same corner of all 3 of us was caused by the lift insulation moving, then somehow soaking up wind driven water. This caused damp patches on the bedroom ceilings. The other leak, similar to yours, is above the downstairs window, and can be a lot of water coming in, a constant drip for hours. This was caused by a crack in the render. This crack (in my house) was not that close to where the leak in the inside was (about 3m away). I 'temporarily' fixed with a squirt of sealant and it has held for several years now. Main thing I learnt was with a timber frame house, water paths can be very long and contorted. My neighbour was a bit miffed when he had new windows fitted and the leak did not go away. The give away to me was that the leak was higher up than the window frame, by about 40mm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 38 minutes ago, Kelvin said: If it’s coming in there why does the timber kit supplier suggest it might be the balcony? Which window has the window supplier re-sealed? Do you have any construction pictures? Yes a surveyor may well have such cameras. They are cheap enough to buy yourself if you wanted to have a go at investigating it. Around £30/£40 for a cheap borescope and screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 39 minutes ago, Kelvin said: If it’s coming in there why does the timber kit supplier suggest it might be the balcony? Which window has the window supplier re-sealed? Do you have any construction pictures? Yes a surveyor may well have such cameras. They are cheap enough to buy yourself if you wanted to have a go at investigating it. Around £30/£40 for a cheap borescope and screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Can you post a very close up picture of the detail from the outside of the top of the leaking window and the bottom of the window above it. I would put my money on the window sill of the window above it and water getting back into the frame when the wind blows. In a dry day get up a ladder with a hose and an observer inside. Spray water first onto the render just above the leaking window, if that does not show water ingress move up a little to be squirting water at the window sill of the window above. Be prepared to spend some time squirting water, it may take time to work it's way through and show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 The timber frame engineer said he thought it was a good chance it was from the balcony. They asked if there were cavity trays on the balcony. We do have those but i am not 100% confident in the job there. The timber frame is wrapped then there is render board and render on top so i struggle to think where it could go in as its a sort of envelope The window folks sealed up the windows on the ground floor and the ledge of the windows above. They have been back at least 3 times to check this and re-do it. This stuff makes you lose confidence in just about everything i think. I will see what decent photos i have of the outside during construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 19 minutes ago, ProDave said: Can you post a very close up picture of the detail from the outside of the top of the leaking window and the bottom of the window above it. I would put my money on the window sill of the window above it and water getting back into the frame when the wind blows. In a dry day get up a ladder with a hose and an observer inside. Spray water first onto the render just above the leaking window, if that does not show water ingress move up a little to be squirting water at the window sill of the window above. Be prepared to spend some time squirting water, it may take time to work it's way through and show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvin Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 (edited) What the timber frame guy is saying doesn’t match what you’re seeing though. As ProDave says get up there with a hose. Pick one area to start with (the balcony would be my choice) and see what happens. You might need to do it over a few dry days though. How quickly does it start leaking after the wind driven rain starts? That might give you a clue as to how far it’s travelling before you see it. Edited January 22 by Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 hi dave. I stuck some tape on the bits of the ledge i thought could possibly be the reason, this was after the last time the window people came out and we had a leak back in march last year. I have since had the balcony decking up and had the joiner fix some leaks in there that were dripping down through the bottom, which seems to have done the trick on that bit. I am thinking i need someone who really knows what they are looking for while i am squirting this water in, else i will make a whole load of mess and not have a definitive answer. I need a brainy builder or a surveyor you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Perhaps the first thing with the hosepipe test is spray the front for a prolonged time, and see if it leaks. If it does not, then spray a lot of water on that side of the balcony and see if it leaks there. At least to start with identify the general area of the leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 30 minutes ago, Kelvin said: How quickly does it start leaking after the wind driven rain starts? That might give you a clue as to how far it’s travelling before you see it. And how long after the rain has stopped. That was one of my clues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaye Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 it's difficult to say how long it takes to appear and its so infrequent. it was chucking it down all afternoon yesterday from about 2pm but i only noticed it after 5pm. It doesnt have to be heavy rain to appear either, just the wind direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodbyegti Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Perhaps you could flood the balcony with some food coloring / tracer dye and see if it shows up inside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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