Diss Roofers carries out lead work for homeowners in Stowmarket, covering chimney flashings, valley linings, soakers and lead flat roofs - and if you are waiting for us to attend, this page tells you what is safe to do and what is not.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Lead is used wherever a roof surface meets a vertical structure or where two roof slopes meet. Chimney flashings, valley linings, dormer flashings, soakers beneath slates, apron flashings over bay roofs and lead flat roof coverings on extensions and porches all fall under this category. Lead is the material of choice because it conforms to irregular surfaces, lasts for decades when correctly installed, and does not corrode under normal conditions.
When lead work fails, water usually enters the roof slowly and often goes undetected until the timber structure is already wet. A failed chimney flashing can drip into the roof void for weeks before a ceiling stain appears. Acting promptly when you first notice a sign of a problem limits the secondary damage.
If you have spotted a problem with your lead work - a damp patch inside, visible lifting or cracking on a flashing, or debris knocked from around a chimney - there are sensible steps you can take while you wait for a professional to attend. There are also things that look helpful but are not.
If water is coming in, protect what is underneath it. Move furniture, place a bowl or bucket under any drip, and lay down plastic sheeting or old towels to protect floors and ceiling plaster. Do not ignore a small drip because it seems minor - the volume of water reaching the ceiling is always less than the volume entering the roof, and the rest is soaking into timber joists and rafters.
If the water appears to be tracking across a ceiling rather than dripping in one spot, the entry point is probably uphill from where the wet patch appears. A chimney flashing failure often presents as a damp patch on the ceiling some distance from the chimney, because water follows the line of a rafter before dropping. This does not change what you need to do inside, but it is useful to know so that you point the roofer to the right area when they arrive.
If you have loft access and it is safe to enter (secure boarding, nothing blocking the hatch), a torch check of the roof timbers near the chimney or valley can help you assess how much water has come in. Wet rafters, staining on the underside of the felt, or active dripping are all useful things to report to the roofer. Do not attempt to reach or touch any lead work from inside the loft.
If insulation is wet, do not move it around - wet insulation loses its performance and can dry back out if left undisturbed, but shifting it spreads the moisture. Leave it in place and let the roofer assess it when the leak is fixed.
Take a look at the flashing from ground level if you can. Binoculars help. Look for lead that has lifted away from the brickwork, gaps in the mortar pointing, or missing sections. Photographs are useful - take several from different angles if you can get a clear view. A roofer can often assess what is needed from a good photograph before attending, which saves time.
If debris - slates, ridge tiles, or pieces of mortar - has come down and is lying around the chimney base or in the gutter, leave it where it is for now. A roofer can assess whether it is connected to the lead problem when they arrive.
This section matters as much as the one above. Several things that seem like sensible first responses actually make the situation worse or more expensive to fix.
Aerosol expanding foam and brush-on sealants are sold as emergency roofing repairs. They are not suitable for lead flashings. Sealants do not bond reliably to lead and typically peel off within one season, often pulling debris with them and leaving the gap worse than before. Expanding foam is extremely difficult to remove cleanly from brickwork and lead, and its presence can mask the true extent of the failure from the roofer who comes to fix it properly. Do not use either product on a lead flashing.
Roof access without the correct equipment - scaffold, a properly secured ladder, appropriate footwear and a second person on the ground - is dangerous. The slope, the surface underfoot and the height combine to make falls from roofs one of the most serious causes of serious injury in domestic situations. A tarpaulin thrown over a roof by an inexperienced person can also cause more damage if it is not properly weighted and lifts in wind. Leave roof access to a qualified roofer with the right equipment.
Pushing fresh mortar into a gap around a flashing looks like a sensible temporary measure. It is not. Mortar does not bond to lead. It will crack away with the next frost or temperature change, often pulling the lead slightly further out of position as it goes. The correct remedy is for the lead to be re-wedged into the joint with lead clips and then pointed in with appropriate mortar - which requires the old mortar to be raked out first. A mortar patch applied on top of the old joint makes that raking-out job harder and does not stop water getting in.
Damp patches on ceilings near chimney stacks or valleys sometimes dry out between rain events and appear to have resolved themselves. They have not. The lead has not resealed itself. The water will return with the next rain, and each cycle of wetting and drying weakens the ceiling plaster and the timber above it. A dry damp patch is still a damp patch.
When a roofer attends for lead work in the Stowmarket area, the job typically starts with getting proper access to the affected area, either by ladder to a low slope or by scaffold on a main roof. The lead is stripped back, the mortar joints are raked out, and the condition of the underlying timbers and felt (or EPDM on flat sections) is checked before any new lead goes down. New lead is laid in sections no longer than 1.5 metres, clipped to allow thermal movement, dressed tightly to the surface, and then pointed in with mortar matched to the brickwork.
A chimney flashing set in Stowmarket typically costs between £300 and £700 depending on chimney size, access requirements and the condition of the brickwork. Valley relining runs from around £80 to £150 per linear metre. Lead flat roofs on bays or porches typically cost from £100 to £180 per square metre.
Lead soakers are small individual pieces of lead - one per course of slates or tiles - that sit beneath the tile surface at a wall junction. They direct water away from the gap between the roof surface and the wall. They are always used alongside step flashings and are not visible from outside once the tiles are relaid. If your property has a chimney abutment and you are not sure whether soakers are present, this is worth asking your roofer to check when they attend, particularly if the flashing has been relaid before without lifting the adjacent tile courses.
Lead flashing seals the junction between a roof surface and a vertical structure such as a chimney, dormer or wall. Without it, rainwater drains directly into the gap and into the roof. Lead is used because it can be shaped to conform to uneven masonry, lasts for several decades without corroding, and can be repaired or replaced in sections without disturbing the whole roof.
Diss Roofers works across the area, including Stowmarket and nearby places. If you have a lead work problem that needs attention, call us to arrange a roof survey and a clear written quote before any work begins.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
