Help! Rain coming in above window.

delgirl

Hi there,

was settling into the sitting room for an evening's tv when I realised our windowsill was wet. We thought it was coming in from between the window frame and the wall but it actually seems to be coming through some holes drilled for old Venetian blinds the last owner had there. The house is a 100 year old redbrick terrace covered in render outside. There's a crack in the render outside above this window so afraid that's where the water is coming from. We're having a great week as our central heating has just packed in for the second time after a fix this morning and we now have a bowl on our window catching water while we have a black bag for a curtain so our blinds don't get destroyed! DH's bday tomorrow too! Anyway do you think is it a builder we should call or some other specialist tradesman? Worried about who to get as the house is so old! And I'm guessing we'll have our cup there until next week at least given the time of year. Any advice would be amazing as we don't know where to go from here!

Thanks! D

Carpenter

Hi
Where are you Based

mr_edge_to_you

not sure who'd be your first point of contact to be honest. but i'd start by grabbing a recent copy of the local paper and just ring a guy from the classifieds. there's always lads there - "no job too big or small" that type of thing. best way if you're in a hurry to get it looked at. there is always the risk that you'll get a cowboy but it could also get you sorted quickly. looks like we're going to have this weather for a while.

is the plaster wet (can you see a damp patch) around the window frame?


might be worthwhile posting in the DIY forum too.

delgirl

Plaster is wet just around the old rawlplugs where the water is leaking through, looks like it's seeping back through from there to the window frame. it's just on one side of the window (the other holes left from the old blind are dry) We're in Dublin 8,
thanks for posting back so fast! I've been a boards reader for ages but not a poster til now. D

Carpenter

Hi
For a temp job get some Tec7 tomorrow and apply it yourself it will stick even when wet then worry about it next week

delgirl

Great, Will do that, thanks.

RKQ

It sounds like the wind driven rain is coming in the crack in the render. This water is soaking into the porous brick around the window. The rawplugs are in the brick and are draining the brick. Is the internal plaster wet or damp over the window?

Try sealing the crack with some mastic or similar. If the brick can't get wet then problem solved. If problem persists then it could be a tear in the dpc over the window - water in the cavity is soaking into the brick.

This is just an educated guess. Difficult to say without a site visit. Hope it helps.

mossfort

RKQ wrote: »

It sounds like the wind driven rain is coming in the crack in the render. This water is soaking into the porous brick around the window. The rawplugs are in the brick and are draining the brick. Is the internal plaster wet or damp over the window?

Try sealing the crack with some mastic or similar. If the brick can't get wet then problem solved. If problem persists then it could be a tear in the dpc over the window - water in the cavity is soaking into the brick.

This is just an educated guess. Difficult to say without a site visit. Hope it helps.

i doubt they had dpc or cavities 100 years ago when bricklaying.:D

RKQ

mossfort wrote: »

i doubt they had dpc or cavities 100 years ago when bricklaying.:D

Your doubt is misplaced Mossfort, they had dpc in 1910
They even had cars, electricity and movies. The advantages of cavity wall construction were well known at this time. The 3 bed semi was also becoming popular as the new suburbs were being constructed.

Slate dpc were used by the Georgians and the Victorians so it was certainly used by the Edwardians!

Of course there were no real Building Regulations as such (L. A Bye-laws may have existed in certain towns & cities) so construction standards depended on the Builder / Developer.

I admit I am guessing as to what is causing the water problem for the OP, but it is an educated guess. Nothing can be ruled in or out until all things are checked on site.

Maybe Delgirl will let us know how the problem was resolved?

mossfort

RKQ wrote: »

Your doubt is misplaced Mossfort, they had dpc in 1910
They even had cars, electricity and movies. The advantages of cavity wall construction were well known at this time. The 3 bed semi was also becoming popular as the new suburbs were being constructed.

Slate dpc were used by the Georgians and the Victorians so it was certainly used by the Edwardians!

Of course there were no real Building Regulations as such (L. A Bye-laws may have existed in certain towns & cities) so construction standards depended on the Builder / Developer.

I admit I am guessing as to what is causing the water problem for the OP, but it is an educated guess. Nothing can be ruled in or out until all things are checked on site.

Maybe Delgirl will let us know how the problem was resolved?

you meant a tear in the slate so.
we wouldnt have had it back then down here in galway

delgirl

As the rain has stopped there's no more water coming in for now, have some sealant on it as suggested for now and someone's coming out for a look in a few days, fingers crossed til then!

Thanks for the advice. D

Carpenter

delgirl wrote: »

As the rain has stopped there's no more water coming in for now, have some sealant on it as suggested for now and someone's coming out for a look in a few days, fingers crossed til then!

Thanks for the advice. D

Hi
Did you use the Tec7

Wonky Knees

Not sure if this situation is resolved, but....

I wouldn't use tech 7 on the inside (outside fine) It will only push the problem further on. If the rain is getting in through a crack in the render how is it passing as water through the cavity wall or cavity block? Since this is at the back or front of the house it suggests a problem with the roof, valley, or the capping. The top of the wall may be block on flat. It may have a dpc and then a heavy capping. This type of construction is prone to leaks getting in through the capping. My advice is to get a good roofer out ASAP. He will be able to tell you if it is the roof or not.

Carpenter

fatimamansions wrote: »

Not sure if this situation is resolved, but....

I wouldn't use tech 7 on the inside (outside fine) It will only push the problem further on. If the rain is getting in through a crack in the render how is it passing as water through the cavity wall or cavity block? Since this is at the back or front of the house it suggests a problem with the roof, valley, or the capping. The top of the wall may be block on flat. It may have a dpc and then a heavy capping. This type of construction is prone to leaks getting in through the capping. My advice is to get a good roofer out ASAP. He will be able to tell you if it is the roof or not.

Hi
I did mean to use it outside not inside