Lead Work in Horsford

Expert Lead Work
in Horsford

What leadwork does and why it matters when it fails

Lead flashings are the seals at every junction where your roof meets a wall or changes slope. Chimneys, dormers, valley gutters, abutments against a house wall, and bay window roofs all rely on correctly fitted and fixed lead to keep water out. When lead fails, whether through cracked mortar, a lifted edge, a split in the sheet, or a poorly fitted original installation, water enters the roof structure and can travel a considerable distance before it appears as a stain inside the house.

Dereham Roofers carry out leadwork across Horsford, Dereham, and nearby areas. We cut, dress, and fix lead to the correct code thickness using traditional methods suited to the age and construction of your property.

What you can do while you wait for a roofer

A leadwork failure in wet weather puts your home at risk, but there are practical steps that reduce the damage while you wait for a proper repair.

Contain the water inside the house

If water is actively coming in, place a container beneath the drip point and use old towels around it to manage splash. Do not ignore a slow drip because it appears minor. A small steady ingress can saturate a ceiling, cause plasterboard to fail, and reach electrical fittings if it tracks along a joist. If water is appearing near a light fitting or electrical cable, turn off the circuit at the consumer unit and do not use that circuit until the area has dried out and been inspected.

If a larger area of ceiling is bulging from water pooling above the plasterboard, keep everyone out of the room and do not poke, prod or pierce it - a waterlogged ceiling can come down without warning.

Protect any vulnerable contents

Move furniture, electronics, and anything else of value away from the area below the leak. Loft insulation soaked by a leadwork failure loses its thermal performance and, if it is mineral wool, can take a very long time to dry. If you have access to the loft space, a torch check to see where water is tracking is useful information to pass on to the roofer when they arrive. Note whether the water is running along a rafter, dripping from the felt, or coming in at a specific point - that detail helps with diagnosis.

Temporary measures: what actually helps

A temporary waterproofing spray or sealant applied to a flashing from ground level is largely ineffective because you cannot apply it accurately to the failure point without being on the roof, and the conditions that cause a lead flashing to fail are usually at the back or top edge of the lead, not the face you can see. Emergency roof repair tape, sometimes sold in DIY stores for this purpose, can be pressed onto an accessible split or lifted edge by someone who can safely reach it, but it is a temporary measure only and does not address the underlying cause.

A heavy-duty tarpaulin fixed over the affected area of the roof is the most reliable temporary protection for a serious failure. This is not a job for a homeowner to do alone on a wet roof. If a roofer can attend to fit a tarp before carrying out the permanent repair, that is the right sequence. If the roofer cannot attend until the following day, ask specifically about a temporary cover when you call.

What not to do yourself

This section matters as much as the section above. Several approaches that seem logical can make the repair more expensive or create new problems:

• Do not apply silicone sealant over a lead flashing. Silicone does not bond reliably to lead, it traps moisture beneath it, and it makes the surface more difficult for a roofer to clean and prepare for a proper repair. Leadwork that has been coated in silicone often needs more preparation time before it can be re-dressed or replaced, which adds to the cost.
• Do not attempt to re-press or hammer a lifted lead edge back into position. Lead that has lifted from a wall or ridge has usually done so because the clips have failed or the fixing into the mortar chase has deteriorated. Pressing it back without addressing the fixings achieves nothing and risks cracking older, stiffer lead along a fold line.
• Do not use roofing felt adhesive or bitumen-based products to patch a lead flashing. These products adhere poorly to lead and peel away quickly in weathering conditions. They also contaminate the surface and complicate the proper repair.
• Do not go on the roof in wet conditions without the correct equipment and training. Wet tiles and lead are slippery. Falls from height are a leading cause of serious injury for householders attempting DIY roof work. An assessment from a window, a Velux hatch, or a fixed ladder to the eaves is the practical limit of what is safe without a properly secured ladder and appropriate footwear and training.
• Do not remove large sections of flashing to investigate the leak further. Once lead has been lifted from a chase or shifted from its position, the temporary weathering situation becomes worse, not better. Leave the lead in its existing position and let the roofer assess it in situ.

What to tell the roofer when you call

A useful call to a roofer includes: where on the roof the problem appears to be (which elevation, which feature - chimney, dormer, valley); when the leak was first noticed and whether it is active in all rain or only heavy rain; whether you have any staining or structural damage inside the house; and whether there has been any recent storm damage, such as displaced tiles near the flashing. The more detail you can give, the more accurately the roofer can assess access requirements and materials needed before arriving.

If you can safely take a photograph from a fixed ladder at eaves level, or from an upstairs window looking across the roof slope, that is useful to share. Do not attempt to photograph the flashing from a position on the roof itself.

What a proper leadwork repair involves

When a roofer arrives to carry out the repair, the process for a flashing failure typically involves: stripping the failed section back to sound lead or masonry; cleaning the surface and checking the condition of the substrate; cutting and dressing new lead to the correct code for its position; fixing it with the appropriate clips at the correct intervals; and pointing the chase joint with fresh mortar. For a chimney stack, the back gutter, side flashings, and apron may all need attention as part of the same visit, because failures in one area often reflect the age and condition of the lead across the whole stack.

Lead to Code 4 (1.8 mm thick) is the minimum for chimney flashings. Valleys and parapet gutters typically require Code 5 or 6. A contractor should be able to tell you which code they are using before starting work.

Covering Horsford and nearby

If your leadwork has failed and you need an assessment, call Dereham Roofers for a roof survey. We cover Horsford, Dereham, and the surrounding area. We will tell you what the lead actually needs and give you a clear picture of the work involved before any decision is made.