If you've spotted a damp patch, a stain on the ceiling, or lifting felt around a chimney, lead work failure is one of the most common causes and Mildenhall Roofers carry out lead flashing, valley, and flat roof lead work for homeowners in Littleport.
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Lead is used on roofs wherever two surfaces meet and need a watertight seal. The most common locations are chimney flashings, step and soaker flashings along the sides of dormers or extensions, valley gutters between two roof slopes, and the upstands around flat roof edges. When lead is correctly installed it can outlast the tiles around it by decades. When it fails, water finds its way in fast and the damage is often well under way before you see any sign of it indoors.
Lead work is graded by thickness, described as a Code. Code 4 is the minimum for most chimney flashings and soakers. Code 5 is used for chimney back gutters, parapet flashings and valley work where more water is handled. Code 6 and above is used on flat roofs and exposed locations where ponding or heavy run-off is likely. Using an underweight Code to cut costs is one of the most common causes of early failure, so it is always worth asking which Code is being used and why.
Chimney flashings are the single most frequent problem. The flashing sits between the brickwork and the tiles and is held in place partly by being tucked into a mortar joint, known as a chase, and partly by lead wedges and pointing. Over time the pointing cracks, the chase opens up and water runs behind the lead rather than over it. The flashing itself may look intact from the ground but be letting water in along its full length.
Step flashings on the sides of chimney stacks or where a lean-to roof meets a wall are slightly different. Each step piece overlaps the tile below it and tucks under the tile above. If the individual pieces shift or lift, or if the soakers underneath them rust through, the overlap sequence breaks down and water tracks along the wall. Soakers are the hidden layer that sit directly on the tile and under the step flashing, and they are often neglected because you cannot see them without lifting the tiles.
Valley lead is another area where poor installation shows up quickly. A valley handles a large volume of water running off two roof slopes at once. Lead valleys need to be laid over a continuous timber or rigid board to support them, dressed to the correct width so that the water is contained at all flow rates, and clipped rather than nailed so the lead can expand and contract without splitting. Nailed valleys crack along the nail holes, often within a few years of installation.
Flat roof lead upstands can fail at the junction with the wall or the drip edge. If the lead is not dressed tightly enough, or if the fixings work loose, water gets underneath. This is also an area where bodged repairs with mastic or flashing tape are common. Those products are not a substitute for properly dressed lead and they rarely last more than a season or two before they peel or crack.
Lead work pricing varies depending on the Code of lead used, the complexity of the job, and whether scaffolding or a tower is needed to reach the area safely. As a general guide, chimney flashing replacement in the UK typically costs between £300 and £700 for a standard stack, depending on size and access. Valley replacement is usually priced per metre run and typically falls between £80 and £150 per metre including lead and labour. Flat roof lead upstand work is similarly priced per metre. These figures are approximate and any quote should set out the Code of lead, the area to be covered and whether any structural or timber work is included.
Scaffolding adds cost but is often unavoidable for safe chimney work. An unsupported ladder against a chimney stack is not adequate for a roofer to work safely and dress lead properly at the same time. If a tradesperson quotes for chimney lead work without mentioning access, it is worth asking how they plan to get there.
We dress all lead by hand. That means cutting, shaping and fitting each section on site to match the actual profile of the tiles, the masonry and the roof structure. Pre-formed lead products exist but they are a compromise and rarely fit the exact geometry of an older or irregular roof. Hand dressing takes longer but it produces a watertight joint that follows the surface correctly.
On chimney work we rake out the old mortar pointing, clean the chase, fit new lead wedges and re-point using an appropriate mortar mix. Where the chase itself has broken down or is too shallow we cut a new one. The lead is dressed and secured before any pointing is applied, so the pointing is sealing the lead in place rather than doing the waterproofing itself.
Valley work involves lifting the tiles on both sides of the valley, removing the old lead or mortar bed, checking the valley board for rot or movement, and laying the new lead to the correct Code with the appropriate clips. We relay the tiles and check the drainage line before finishing.
We carry out lead work across Mildenhall and surrounding areas including Littleport, working on houses, bungalows and extensions of all ages.
If you have identified a lead work problem or you suspect one, there is often a gap between spotting the issue and getting a roofer on site. That gap might be a few days or longer depending on the time of year. What you do during that time can make a real difference to how much damage occurs and how straightforward the repair turns out to be.
The first and most useful thing is to track the water. Every time it rains, note where the damp appears, how much, and whether it is getting worse. Photograph the damp patches on ceilings or walls and photograph any visible lead work from the ground if you can do so safely. This information helps a roofer understand what they are likely to find before they get on the roof, and it can also help you demonstrate to an insurer or a surveyor that you identified the problem promptly and monitored it.
Move anything valuable or water-sensitive away from the area directly below the leak. Mould can begin to develop on plasterboard and timber within 24 to 48 hours of sustained dampness, so reducing the moisture load where possible matters. If you have a loft, check whether water is collecting on the insulation or tracking along a rafter. Insulation that has absorbed water loses almost all of its thermal value and needs to be replaced, not just dried out.
If water is dripping through a ceiling, place a container under the drip, but if the ceiling is bulging, keep everyone out of the room and do not poke, prod or pierce it. A ceiling that fills with water will eventually collapse.
Check your loft insulation and any felt underlayer if you can access the loft safely. If the roof felt is bulging or saturated, it means water has been coming through the tiles or flashing for long enough to soak through. This is useful evidence for the roofer and it helps them understand whether the problem is recent or long-standing.
If the damp is coming through a chimney breast wall rather than a ceiling, the pattern often points to the flashing. Damp that appears on the breast itself, rather than the ceiling immediately around it, suggests water is running down inside the chimney or behind the flashing rather than through a hole in the roof covering. Note where on the breast the damp appears and whether it is worse during rain or consistent regardless of weather. Consistent damp that does not track with rainfall often points to condensation rather than a flashing failure, and the two problems need different solutions.
The temptation when water is coming in is to do something immediately. The products sold in DIY stores for emergency roof repairs include roof sealant sprays, flexible flashing tape, and various mastics and bitumen compounds. None of these are an appropriate fix for failed lead work and most of them make the roofer's subsequent job harder without actually solving the problem.
Flashing tape applied over a failed chimney flashing does not bond reliably to lead that is already dirty, oxidised or damp, and it does not follow the movement that occurs as the stack expands and contracts through the seasons. It may appear to stop the leak for a few weeks, but it typically fails again before the next winter and by that point the roofer has to strip it off before doing the proper repair, which adds time and cost.
Spray sealants are worse. They can be applied from ground level or a low ladder and they feel like a quick answer. In practice they coat the surface without bonding into the joint where the water is actually entering. They do not last and they can trap moisture between the lead and the masonry, accelerating the deterioration of both the pointing and the lead itself.
Mastic pointed into a crack in lead or mortar will move with the structure and pull away. Chimney stacks move independently of the roof around them and any rigid sealant applied across that joint will crack as the two surfaces shift relative to each other. Lead is used precisely because it is soft enough to be worked and to accommodate movement, but it needs to be properly formed and secured for that to work.
Do not attempt to re-point the mortar chase yourself without removing the lead first. Pointing over the top of a flashing that is already lifting or incorrectly fitted simply buries the problem. Water will find the gap between the new pointing and the lead and will continue to track in. The flashing has to come out, be checked, re-formed if necessary, and then re-secured before any pointing is applied.
Climbing onto the roof to inspect the lead yourself carries obvious risks, but even if you get up there safely, pressing or bending lead with your hands can crack it along existing stress lines and turn a small problem into a larger one. Lead that has been on a roof for many years becomes brittle in cold weather and can split under surprisingly light pressure. Looking at lead from a safe position is fine. Handling it is not.
A decent pair of binoculars will let you see the condition of chimney flashings, valley lead and flat roof edges from the ground in most cases. Look for lead that is pulling away from the wall, white staining on the surface of the lead (this is lead carbonate and is normal), cracking along the length of the flashing, or mortar pointing that has dropped out of the chase entirely. Any of these is worth describing when you call a roofer, because it helps them bring the right materials and plan the job correctly before they arrive.
Some lead work problems can wait a few weeks without significant additional damage. Others cannot. If the water entry is large, if it is affecting a chimney breast that contains a flue in regular use, or if the water is reaching electrical fittings, do not delay. A flue that has water tracking down the inside of the breast can cause problems with both the structure and the flue lining. Water and live electrical circuits in ceiling roses or junction boxes are a safety issue that needs to be dealt with immediately, separately from the roof repair.
Similarly, if the damp has been present for long enough that you can see mould on plasterboard or timber, the structural integrity of the material needs to be assessed. Plasterboard that has been wet for a sustained period loses its structural properties even after it dries, and timber that is showing signs of rot needs to be cut back and replaced rather than dried out and left.
These questions do not require technical knowledge to ask and any experienced roofer should be able to answer them clearly before starting work. If a quote does not specify the Code of lead or the method of fixing, ask for that information in writing before you agree to the job.
Mildenhall Roofers carry out lead flashing, valley and flat roof lead work for homeowners in Littleport and the surrounding area. If you have a suspected lead work failure or want an existing installation checked, call us to arrange a roof survey and written quote before the problem gets any worse.
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