Conservatory water leak

Leaburns Daddy

Your all a helpful addicks on here so hoping for some advice. I've come downstairs to alot of water in our conservatory, it seems the water is dripping out of these plastic things in the wall. It's literally a drip per second. It was only built 2 years ago. Anyone got any ideas why this might be happening and if I can stop it? Hopefully got someone coming round but not until 6 tonight so trying to get help if I can before then to stop it.

T_C_E

It looks to me like the sealant is being bypassed.

A-R-T-H-U-R

A little tap should fix that.

charltonkeston

If that's the lintel above the window are they the weep joints we're looking at?
If so that might be what should happen.

Leaburns Daddy

So should water actually come out of them plastic things then? So the builder should have moved or sealed them for water to come out elsewhere and not onto our conservatory floor?

eaststandmike

They are on the outside are they not? If that is the case I am not sure why you have water on the inside, it is obviously finding its way back in. Water tracks to the easiest route.

Leaburns Daddy

They are inside the conservatory dripping onto the floor. I'll get a pic.

Leaburns Daddy

Leaburns Daddy

Todds_right_hook

It looks like water is getting into the cavity above and finding its way out of the week hole. What is the lead detailing likecsbove the conservatory roof

LargeAddick

not seen anything like that before. Why are they there? What purpose do they serve?

eaststandmike

Yes they look like weep holes that allow rain water that gets into you cavity wall to escape, its basically collected by a tray built into the wall and then escapes out the weep holes.

Obviously this was not an issue before the conservatory was built however now it is. That is about the extent of my knowledge on it as I have an electrical background. I had a Google around and found the link below that should explain it a bit more.

https://inspectapedia.com/structure/Brick_Wall_Weep_Holes.php

charltonkeston

So it looks like its coming through from the cavity, either your wall is so wet the water has penetrated the brick and it then running down the inside of the brick or where they conservatory roof meets the wall, a fixing is allowing water to track passed it. If its the later your builder will be able to sort it out easily.

soapy_jones

Agree, perfectly acceptable BEFORE you thought about the conservatory. Hmmmm.

eaststandmike

To be fair one article I read said very high winds can blow rain into the cavity wall hence the weep holes, it was blowing a hooley last night here in Kent so if Leaburns Daddy suffered the same it might be why its a rare occurrence. Normal rain might not be getting in?

Leaburns Daddy

Thanks everyone for the help. I've also been googling weep holes and conservatory's so understand abit better now what's happening now I know them plastic things are actually called weep holes.

Eaststandmike I think you could be right about the weather. This is the first time in 2 years this has happened and with the strong winds and excess rain all being blown into the wall above the conservatory could be causing this.

Obviously not good for the flooring and kids toys that are completely soaked. It seems something to check is the guttering, I've read water can cascade over the top of the gutter and runs down the INSIDE of the cavity wall and out of the weep vent. Another solution is getting cavity wall trays fitted which I know wasn't done when it was built. More corner cutting from the cowboy builder.

I've got water dripping out of 8 weep holes, some of them are 2 drips a second. Does that sound excessive?

eaststandmike

No worries LD, hopefully we are on the right lines. Sadly as with any leak/flood the water takes a time to receed or stop and if you have had a large amount get into the cavity it is probably still working its way down the wall, bricks are like sponges, they hold water.

The only advice I could offer is get some old bed sheets or dust sheets, fold them up so they are about 12" wide and thick and then place them against the wall so it catches the water as it drips out the weep holes.

You will probably need to change the sheets or wring them out but at least you will be containing the water.

Leaburns Daddy

I've got 4 large towels down to try and catch what I can, just had to wring a couple of them out. Also got 2 large pots aswell, bloody comedy here!

I've just been looking at the neighbours and can see water coming out of theirs too but luckily they haven't got a conservatory so there's is going outside. It seems like these weep holes are doing there jobs and I don't think it's the guttering. Might have to look at getting cavity wall trays installed as the solution.

Addickted

eaststandmike said:

Yes they look like weep holes that allow rain water that gets into you cavity wall to escape, its basically collected by a tray built into the wall and then escapes out the weep holes.

https://inspectapedia.com/structure/Brick_Wall_Weep_Holes.php

This. They're doing exactly what they are designed to do.

The only issue is the conservatory has now made these 'inside', when they were never meant to be.

letthegoodtimesroll

Leaburns Daddy said:

Thanks everyone for the help. I've also been googling weep holes and conservatory's so understand abit better now what's happening now I know them plastic things are actually called weep holes.

Eaststandmike I think you could be right about the weather. This is the first time in 2 years this has happened and with the strong winds and excess rain all being blown into the wall above the conservatory could be causing this.

Obviously not good for the flooring and kids toys that are completely soaked. It seems something to check is the guttering, I've read water can cascade over the top of the gutter and runs down the INSIDE of the cavity wall and out of the weep vent. Another solution is getting cavity wall trays fitted which I know wasn't done when it was built. More corner cutting from the cowboy builder.

I've got water dripping out of 8 weep holes, some of them are 2 drips a second. Does that sound excessive?

Wild guess but are there central heating pipes under the floor of a room just above that picture ? Or a radiator ? That you might want to check for leaks ?

Addickted

letthegoodtimesroll said:

Leaburns Daddy said:

Thanks everyone for the help. I've also been googling weep holes and conservatory's so understand abit better now what's happening now I know them plastic things are actually called weep holes.

Eaststandmike I think you could be right about the weather. This is the first time in 2 years this has happened and with the strong winds and excess rain all being blown into the wall above the conservatory could be causing this.

Obviously not good for the flooring and kids toys that are completely soaked. It seems something to check is the guttering, I've read water can cascade over the top of the gutter and runs down the INSIDE of the cavity wall and out of the weep vent. Another solution is getting cavity wall trays fitted which I know wasn't done when it was built. More corner cutting from the cowboy builder.

I've got water dripping out of 8 weep holes, some of them are 2 drips a second. Does that sound excessive?

Wild guess but are there central heating pipes under the floor of a room just above that picture ? Or a radiator ? That you might want to check for leaks ?

Very wild.

In pictures for you @Leaburns Daddy showing the weep holes

Elthamaddick

surely whoever fitted that conservatory should've taken that into account and is liable for any damage (and should come and sort it!)

Addickted

Elthamaddick said:

surely whoever fitted that conservatory should've taken that into account and is liable for any damage (and should come and sort it!)

Good luck with that.

It's a conservatory, not a habitable room.

Leaburns Daddy

Well the builder that built is no longer in the trade, so haven't really got much of a come back. Ive rung him anyway and he hasn't answered his phone. It does seem abit of an oversight that he never noticed or failed to mention what the weep holes were used for, I had no idea what they were until today when I posted here.

Can't believe the amount of rain we've had here and how many times I've had to wring these towels. The flooring is proper soaked

Leaburns Daddy

Todds_right_hook said:

It looks like water is getting into the cavity above and finding its way out of the week hole. What is the lead detailing likecsbove the conservatory roof

Missed this earlier, to be honest doesn't look like lead above it, just looks like some sort of white gaffer tape unless their is lead hidden underneath it. Would that make water dripping out of the weep holes though? I would of thought if water got through that then it would pour from the roof down the walls?

golfaddick

I'm no builder but surely if you are adding any "extension" onto your house then anything that was on the outside should be taken off/capped/re-positioned onto the new outside wall. I mean, you don't have the gutters on the inside of an extension do you ??

Leaburns Daddy

golfaddick said:

I'm no builder but surely if you are adding any "extension" onto your house then anything that was on the outside should be taken off/capped/re-positioned onto the new outside wall. I mean, you don't have the gutters on the inside of an extension do you ??

That's why when you get a builder round you trust and rely on their knowledge to sort these things out. Having been on Google reading about weep holes today it seems I should have been told about fitting cavity wall trays and more recently regulations are changing to fit them as standard for any conservatory/extensions that are built. No help to me now though!

eaststandmike

Leaburns Daddy said:

golfaddick said:

I'm no builder but surely if you are adding any "extension" onto your house then anything that was on the outside should be taken off/capped/re-positioned onto the new outside wall. I mean, you don't have the gutters on the inside of an extension do you ??

That's why when you get a builder round you trust and rely on their knowledge to sort these things out. Having been on Google reading about weep holes today it seems I should have been told about fitting cavity wall trays and more recently regulations are changing to fit them as standard for any conservatory/extensions that are built. No help to me now though!

I bet your internet search history makes good reading, weep holes, cavities and extensions. I would delete that before your wife gets home.

Leaburns Daddy

eaststandmike said:

Leaburns Daddy said:

golfaddick said:

I'm no builder but surely if you are adding any "extension" onto your house then anything that was on the outside should be taken off/capped/re-positioned onto the new outside wall. I mean, you don't have the gutters on the inside of an extension do you ??

That's why when you get a builder round you trust and rely on their knowledge to sort these things out. Having been on Google reading about weep holes today it seems I should have been told about fitting cavity wall trays and more recently regulations are changing to fit them as standard for any conservatory/extensions that are built. No help to me now though!

I bet your internet search history makes good reading, weep holes, cavities and extensions. I would delete that before your wife gets home.

That looks quite mild compared to my usual internet history . Finally the rain has eased off abit, still dripping almost as much but hopefully will slow down when the rain stops.

Thanks all for the help.

A-R-T-H-U-R

A-R-T-H-U-R said:

A little tap should fix that.

Come on, a 'little tap'.
Made me laugh.