If you've spotted a damp patch on a chimney breast or a stain creeping across a ceiling after rain, failing lead work is one of the most likely culprits - and Fakenham Roofers carry out lead flashing, valleys, soakers and lead-lined gutters across Docking and the surrounding villages.
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Lead is the material used wherever two roof surfaces meet, or where a roof meets a wall, chimney or dormer. Done well, it keeps water out for decades. Done poorly - or left to deteriorate without attention - it becomes one of the most reliable routes for water to get inside a building. Lead flashing, soakers, valleys and lead-lined gutters all fall under this category, and all of them need to be formed and fixed correctly to do their job.
Good lead work should be carried out to BS EN 12588 standards. That means the right code of lead for the right location, correct drips and steps to prevent cracking, and proper fixings rather than a quick sealant bead that will split within a season or two.
Most lead failures don't announce themselves dramatically. Water rarely pours in straight away. Instead it works its way in slowly, soaking into timbers and insulation before you see anything inside the property. Knowing what to look for on the outside can save you a significant repair bill.
The most obvious sign is a flashing that has pulled away from the wall or chimney it was bedded against. This happens when the lead has not been properly tucked and wedged into a mortar joint, or when the mortar joint itself has failed. You'll see a gap between the top edge of the lead and the masonry. Even a small gap lets wind-driven rain straight in behind the flashing.
Lead expands and contracts with temperature changes. If a roofer has laid a single uninterrupted piece of lead that's too long - longer than around 1.5 metres for most applications - it will eventually crack across the width as a result of thermal movement. These cracks are easy to miss from the ground, but they let water through every time it rains. Correctly formed lead is laid in bays with proper overlaps and drips so there's room for movement.
A common problem is lead that has been temporarily sealed with mastic, bitumen paint or silicone rather than properly repaired or replaced. These products don't bond to lead well over time, and they tend to fail within a year or two - often sooner if exposed to frost. If you can see dark sealant run along a flashing line, it's a sign someone has been masking a problem rather than fixing it.
A damp patch on a chimney breast - particularly at high level - is a classic sign of failed chimney flashing. The lead sits at the junction of the chimney stack and the roof slope, and it's one of the areas most exposed to weather and most prone to mortar failure. Damp patches appearing at ceiling level close to a dormer window are similarly suspicious.
White or pale streaking on brickwork below a chimney or parapet can indicate water has been tracking down inside the wall. This is a less obvious sign, but it often means water is getting in at lead level and running down inside the structure rather than appearing immediately inside the property.
Lead valleys - the channels formed where two roof slopes meet - can accumulate moss, debris and compressed leaves over time. This slows water flow and can cause it to back up under tiles. Organic matter also holds moisture against the lead surface, which can accelerate corrosion. A valley that hasn't been cleared or inspected for several years is worth checking.
Understanding what goes wrong helps you ask the right questions when you're getting work done - or when you're trying to work out whether a repair is genuinely necessary.
The single biggest cause of premature lead failure is poor workmanship at installation. Lead work is one of the most skilled parts of roofing. It takes experience to read a detail correctly, choose the right code of lead, and form each piece so it accommodates movement, drains correctly, and holds its fixings under wind uplift. A roofer who doesn't work with lead regularly will cut corners - either consciously or because they don't know better.
Specific errors include: fixing lead directly to wood without a separating underlay (the acids in some timbers corrode lead from underneath), laying bays that are too long, using the wrong weight of lead for the exposure, and using sealant in place of mechanical fixings and proper overlaps.
Step and cover flashings are tucked into raked mortar joints in the masonry and held with lead wedges, then pointed over. When the mortar fails - which it will do over time, especially on exposed chimney stacks where frost gets in - the flashing is no longer held at the top edge and begins to lift. Re-pointing the joint and re-wedging the lead sorts this, provided the lead itself is still in reasonable condition.
As mentioned above, lead moves with heat and cold. On a south-facing roof slope in summer, surface temperatures can reach well above ambient air temperature. If bays are too long or fixings are too rigid, the lead will fatigue and crack over the years. This is a materials-knowledge issue rather than a random failure - it's entirely preventable with correct sizing and detailing.
Good lead work lasts a very long time - many decades when properly installed and maintained. But eventually, even well-fitted lead will thin through oxidation, particularly on surfaces exposed to standing water or regular moss growth. If lead has been on a roof for 50 or 60 years it may simply have reached the end of its serviceable life, and replacement is better value than repeated patching.
We cover lead flashing repairs and new installations across Docking and the nearby villages, including work in and around Fakenham, Holt, Wells-next-the-Sea, West Rudham, Hempton and Sculthorpe. The jobs we take on include:
A properly completed lead installation should be neat and consistent. Bays should be visibly separate with correct overlaps - not one unbroken sheet. Top edges should be fully tucked into mortar joints, wedged with lead clips and pointed, not just leaning against a wall with sealant over the joint. There should be no visible sealant at all on correctly formed lead work - every junction should be lapped or folded.
Where lead sits against masonry, patination oil is applied to prevent the natural run-off from lead staining adjacent surfaces during weathering. It's a small detail, but it shows a roofer knows the material.
Not all failing lead needs full replacement. If the lead itself is intact and in good condition but has lifted at a mortar joint, re-fixing and re-pointing is the right approach. If the lead is cracked, corroded or was never laid correctly in the first place, replacement is usually better value than patching because the underlying problem will recur.
A roofer should be able to explain clearly which situation applies and why. If the recommendation is replacement, ask what code of lead will be used and how the bays will be sized - these are reasonable questions and a competent tradesperson will answer them without hesitation.
If you've seen any of the warning signs above, or if your lead work hasn't been inspected for several years, call us to arrange a roof survey. We cover Docking, Fakenham and the surrounding area and can tell you exactly what's happening and what - if anything - needs doing.
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