North Walsham Roofers handles lead flashing and weathering repairs for homeowners in Spixworth - and this page tells you what to do while you are waiting for us to arrive, and what to leave well alone.
Lead flashing is the material used to seal the junctions between your roof covering and any structure that breaks through it or runs alongside it. Chimneys, dormers, skylights, and roof valleys all need lead weathering to stay watertight. Lead is cut and dressed to the correct Code specification - Code 4 or Code 5 for most chimney and step flashings, Code 5 for valleys - fixed with clips, chased into mortar joints, and pointed. When it is done correctly, it can outlast the rest of the roof by a significant margin. When it fails, water gets in fast.
A lead failure does not always announce itself immediately. Water that enters at a chimney flashing might track along a rafter for some distance before dropping onto a ceiling. This means the damp patch you can see is often not directly below the source. Knowing this helps you interpret what you are looking at while you wait for a roofer to attend.
Once you have spotted signs of a lead failure - a damp patch on a ceiling, staining on a chimney breast, water around a skylight frame - the temptation is to act immediately. Some steps genuinely help; others cause more harm than good.
The most useful thing to do straight away is to protect the inside of the property from any water that is getting through. Place a bucket or tray under any active drip. If water is sitting on a ceiling and you are concerned it will cause the plaster to collapse, carefully pierce the plaster at the lowest point with a screwdriver to let the water drain in a controlled way rather than pooling and spreading. This sounds counterintuitive but a small, controlled hole is far less damaging than a large area of saturated plaster failing suddenly.
Move furniture, rugs, and anything else of value away from the affected area. Water staining on furniture is usually permanent. If a ceiling or wall is actively wet, keep the room ventilated to allow drying to begin - closed, damp rooms take much longer to dry out and are more likely to develop mould.
If you can see from the ground that a flashing has visibly lifted or pulled away from a chimney or wall, note its position so you can describe it accurately to the roofer. A photograph from the ground with a smartphone camera, or taken through a window, is genuinely useful because it lets the roofer assess the likely scope of work before arriving.
If there is debris visible in a roof valley - leaves, moss, or accumulated grit - and that valley is the suspected source of the problem, the best course of action is to leave it alone and let the roofer clear it safely. Do not attempt to rake or brush debris from a valley from the eaves level; the risk of destabilising tiles or losing footing is real.
This is where most of the damage caused between a lead failure and a roofer's visit actually happens. The instinct to fix things is understandable, but lead work carried out incorrectly creates new problems that are often harder to address than the original one.
Walking on a roof without the correct equipment, footwear, and experience is dangerous. It also risks cracking tiles, dislodging lead, or compressing felt in ways that are not immediately visible. A homeowner who climbs onto a roof to press a lifted flashing back into place may crack the surrounding tiles, dislodge pointing, or further pull the lead away from its fixing clips. Leave the roof surface to the roofer.
Mastic and silicone sealants are not a substitute for properly fixed and pointed lead. They are frequently used as a short-term fix, but they cause specific problems. When mastic is applied over a flashing that then needs to be properly reflashed, the roofer has to remove all of it before new lead can be dressed and pointed correctly. Mastic also tends to hold water against brickwork and mortar rather than shedding it, which accelerates deterioration of the very joint it was meant to protect.
If a contractor who visits you recommends applying sealant as the primary fix on a flashing that is lifting or cracked, treat that as a sign that a proper repair is not being offered. Sealant has a limited role in lead work - it is sometimes used to seal certain edges in specific situations - but it is never a replacement for correctly fixed and pointed lead.
Lead is a soft material and can be manipulated by hand in some directions, but pressing a lifted flashing back against a wall and hoping the old mortar will hold it is not a repair. The mortar behind a lifted flashing has almost certainly failed or cracked - that is usually why the flashing has lifted. Pressing the lead back in place without re-pointing leaves a gap behind it that water continues to use. It also risks cracking the lead at the point where it was already under stress from the original failure.
A small patch of damp on a ceiling can represent several months of slow water ingress that has already reached roof timbers. Wet timber is vulnerable to rot and, in warm conditions, to woodworm. Getting a roofer to look at the lead promptly and also to check the condition of any timber in the affected area is worth doing. Catching rot early means it can be treated rather than replaced.
Having a clear account ready saves time and helps with the assessment. Useful things to note are:
This information helps the roofer go straight to the most likely cause rather than spending time working out what has already been ruled out.
Once a roofer has assessed the situation, the repair or replacement work typically involves removing the failed lead, raking out old mortar from the chased joints, fitting new lead to the correct Code, dressing it to the surface, fixing it with clips, and re-pointing the joints. For a standard chimney reflash, the work may be completed in a single visit. A valley replacement or more complex dormer weathering may take longer depending on the scope. You should expect a clear explanation of what was found, what was done, and what - if anything - needs monitoring going forward.
From our base in North Walsham, we carry out lead work in Spixworth and across the surrounding area. If you have noticed signs of a possible lead failure, call us to arrange a roof survey in Spixworth. We will give you a straight assessment and a clear price for the work needed.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
