Lead sheet repair??

[andytsouth]

Morning
New to forum thank god its UK....dont get the terminoligy.lol

Ok...I have an ex-council house. Why put that there? cos it will give you an indication of the headaches i get with this money pit...
I have been a bad DIYer i spotted a damp patch on a dormer cieling about 3 yrs ago and did nothing about it...
This morning the cieling part of the dormer internally dripped like a tap. I have been onto the flat roof of the dormer and it is layered in lead sheet with a drip roll in the centre. There are some splits in the sheet which have had council repairs in the past..and it looks like all they did was slap some tar on it!!
Ok questions....I read someplaces that you can weld the lead with a heat gun...good or not good?

I mooched around and seen some EPDM rubber goop you can throw on but it doesnt state wether its ok for lead, just felting etc
What are the other options i Have budget constraints are tight so I dont really want to go through the re lining the sheet as i am already having to replace the dormer cieling due to water soaking into the plaster board...
The wood frame looks ok as my Dad-in-law is a chippy and reckons the beams will be ok, however he is old school and still thinks i should get a plumber to do the lead sheeting

So i will have enough headaches for the moment. Is there a cheap'ish repair i can do to stop this mid term? Flashing tape perhaps but im not sure of the holding strength of this?

 

[Nige F]

Hi, The lead can be welded with oxy acetelyne and a special gun...or just about with a brazing gas mini blowlamp and special nozzle......I`ve got the O+A kit in my garage ( old school plumber) BUT if it`s got that many splits already...it`s probably had it ...I would suggest removing it and re cover with Wickes High performance self adhesive felt....Leaflets in store tell how it`s done. I had a moleskin once

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

I used to do lead welding at college years ago and it was quite hard to do plus you need oxy acetylene to do it. The lead will be quite thin and brittle now due to acid rain and, expansion/contraction and work hardening.
The only thing you may get away with along that line is soldering a patch of grade D solder over it. A plumber who qualified before the 1988 water regs came in should be able to oblige if he hasnt threw away is moleskin wiping cloth.

Best way is to renew the lead covering

Another way is to get it felted which wont look as good

Cheapest and botchiest way which is what you are looking for is to use flashband and or some sort of tar compound.
It seems as if you are concerned about the holding strength! Is the lead slipping? If so just nail through it and cover the nail hole with your tarry gunge.[normally to be avoided]. Nailing sideways to the battens and at highest part of sheet under any cover flashing is recommended.

 

[Freddie]

I dont mean to critisise guys but to tell some one to jump up on his roof with an oxy-acet torch and start soldering away with obviously no experience is either a good laugh or stupid incompetence.

You can make good money from these things when they go wrong if you film them and send it off to the television company, i havent seen where a member of the public burns his house down yet, but if you let me know when this starts i will charge my cam corder batteries up ready.

 

[Nige F]

Have I missed something? Did I suggest that the householder should do any "Hot work"? If I really wanted to laugh @ him the mod. would have removed the post...believe me.

 

[andytsouth]

Thanks for the prompt replies

prevention is better i spose. I will take the advice and re felt it i think. the welding it sounds perilous. Knowing my luck ill probably burn the bloody house down!!

I wasnt looking to botch it, just effect a temporary repair until funds allow. but i will have to reverse the priorities and felt it first then replace the cieling later i think.
Do you think it would be best to rip the plaster board down and leave it for a while to dry out . IE felt it then rip the cieling and leave for a while?
The fatherin law told me that the wood would be ok in the beams if it wasnt sitting in a flood of water for years. I think that this has just accumulated over the years and gradually soaked the plaster board so much it cant take it any longer hence the final straw of leaking.

Appreciate your feedback
@Freddie
I havent "obviously no experience"
I happen to be an Aerospace engineer by trade and with over 22 years of engineering experience, feel that if i am capable i will give it a go. I am "obviously" more experienced with regards to H+S aspects of doing a job having been responsible for protecting many peoples lives over the years so they dont....kind of.... fall outta the sky.....let me know which company you fly with next .....i might just forget to put the locking wire in a crown nut and the ailerons will probably fail.

Rearrange( BOOK JUDGE COVER DONT BY A ITS)

I ask questions on boards like this as there are people with a heck of a lot more experience than me doing what they do best. And i will take thier advice thank you. But they didnt in any way tell me to go off an use an OXAC torch....are you aware how big the kit would be to lug around???

Apply some common sense old bean some people are stupid and if they take it that way thats thier problem but from the way i have worded my first post its obvious im not a dunce, i would go around quoting what i did....more like......"got a leak how do i fix it"

 

[Freddie]

A bit touchy arent we ??

You can get small Cocacola size welding bottles to do jobs like this, personally i would have said unless you are ok about jumping all over roofs and also doing a bit of welding i would leave it to the proffessionals, as when melting lead it will just go on you with a half seconds notice especially being as thin as roofing lead is.

There are jobs we all attempt ourselves and there are those which we dont.

I was trying to do you a favour in a round about kind of way, i would just mastic all the leak up for now and call a roofer or someone who has done this work

 

[andytsouth]

A bit touchy arent we ??

After reading some of your posts BWWWHAHAHAH

Yeah right

If you were trying to do me a favour, just tell me the advice, cut the sarcasm of the stupid incompetant running around his roof and setting his house alight so you can go film it, its not wanted!
leave that for the general chat forum IMO
What would be warranted in a forum like is just to tell it straight about what needs to be done.
But there again im not a professional Roofer, Just a 737 avionics/flight systems engineer and couldnt possibly know how to use an oxy torch or mayber im too stupid or incompetant to use a box of matches perhaps.....

in other words sarcasm has its place

 

[Freddie]

A bit touchy arent we ??

After reading some of your posts BWWWHAHAHAH

Yeah right

If you were trying to do me a favour, just tell me the advice, cut the sarcasm of the stupid incompetant running around his roof and setting his house alight so you can go film it, its not wanted!
leave that for the general chat forum IMO
What would be warranted in a forum like is just to tell it straight about what needs to be done.
But there again im not a professional Roofer, Just a 737 avionics/flight systems engineer and couldnt possibly know how to use an oxy torch or mayber im too stupid or incompetant to use a box of matches perhaps.....

in other words sarcasm has its place

But the sarcasm as you put it wasnt aimed at you, it was aimed at the person who gave you the info on how to repair lead, someone with out your brains may have thought thats what he had to do and it is easy and the rest doesnt bare thinking about.

I trained as a fabricater/welder in the 70's for 4 years city and guilds and did every kind of welding and brazing on every metal that you use, but getting up on a roof to do it ? i personally think i would by a roll of lead and replace the lot.

But then again it seems you know it all already so we wont waste our time telling you how and the pitfalls of what can go wrong.

 

[Nige F]

I did a job on one of the National Trust places......Uppark..funny they didn`t ask me back

 

[Freddie]

I did a job on one of the National Trust places......Uppark..funny they didn`t ask me back

We still love you Nige

 

[andytsouth]

Freddie

I never even said the sarcasm was meant for me. I stated its not wanted at all no matter who it was directed at. It appears this is a battle of wits and you have clearly come unarmed!

From what you are stating also you must be the brainisest most intelligent person in here so i bow out to you oh great one
Oh as far as the 70s things have changed a bit over the years and also i doubt you have done what you say to every bit of metal I use.

"i personally think i would by a roll of lead and replace the lot" - - - now thats all you had to say isnt it not coming on and talking about people being incompetant. Possibly the most sensible thing you have stated so far!
lets play it back i asked for advice.....i got it.....you cam in telling people they were possibly verging on the incompetant.....i didnt like your comments so i gave back what i thought was resonable in the circumstances
You then brand me as a know it all pffffft okkkkkkkk
i am very experienced at what i do however i am always learning

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps

I know the goal i want to seek the actions but the input towards the goals is inconsiderate to others
Having been set the same question with your experience i would have asked if i had done any welding etc and then made a judgement on what to say....you TOLD rather than asked( in that we shouldnt do this or that because you thought that you have better knowledge). ask dont tell......it would have been better recieved
or at least say " if you are going to try welding it, please make sure you are safe, and that you have some experience doing this...it could potentially be very dangerous" or something on those lines. coming in this thread and shouting the odds calling people incompetant is just asking to have them retort

 

[Freddie]

I can only type with one finger so my posts wont be so long so here it is---F--k O-f !

Thats the answer you should be getting for being so patronising.

But here's the correct one

I said a roll of lead because i doubt if any builders merchant will sell you a piece to do the job.

You do not need oxy kit to solder lead as the temp from oxy is around 2000 degrees where as lead melts very low may be 200 degrees i am not sure, so a blow torch will do.

But the lead has to be basically spotless for the metal to run, so by the time you have cleaned the lead up it will be even thinner and harder to solder.

If you still want to pursue this way you have to get lead solder sticks which are about 10mm thick and 300mm long and also some lead flux, then heat it gently up and keep touching the lead with your solder stick to see if it will melt

This is an extremely dodgy thing to do as the lead will prbably just disintegrate and the bitumin based felt underneath the lead could easily catch fire etc etc etc.

If it was me i would measure the width of the lead and go and buy a roll to do the job, before i start i would photo it and then remove the lead, when you do this you will see to what extent and what damage has been done which may mean replaceing other things as well.

I am afraid your only other option is to bodge it up or call someone in.

But if you want to do it, it is not that big a job and if you have your wits about you as you appear it is basically common sense, but your best tool will be the photo's and if you are lucky you can use your old lead as a template and maybe re-use some of it if poss depending on how the actual job is. It may only be a small amount of lead needed depending on your leak--you never said where you thought the leak was or if you knew.

It may only be a small leak but being as its been there for some time it may well have done other damage aswell, and you wont know untill you get in and have a look

Any lead left over you can advertise in the free ads

 

[andytsouth]

I can only type with one finger so my posts wont be so long so here it is---F--k O-f !

Thats the answer you should be getting for being so patronising.

and that coming from a person whos postings on this forum is about 85% non advice more in General Chat stirring up arguments instead of offering what i was after ........advice!!!
POT KETTLE BLACK

In future you stay outta my way ill stay outta yours as you were the one who came in here patronising people. I wont lower myself to insulting you as it would be bringing myself to your level lets just say i go on plenty of forums and people as condicending and arrogant as you rarely make headway.

Thank you to the others that gave advice it was gratefully accepted
Why dont you keep your language where you belong...in the gutter Freddie...its not nice, its rude and disgraceful that you can act that way.
I havent sworn once why lower it?

 

[Freddie]

I can only type with one finger so my posts wont be so long so here it is---F--k O-f !

Thats the answer you should be getting for being so patronising.

and that coming from a person whos postings on this forum is about 85% non advice more in General Chat stirring up arguments instead of offering what i was after ........advice!!!
POT KETTLE BLACK

In future you stay outta my way ill stay outta yours as you were the one who came in here patronising people. I wont lower myself to insulting you as it would be bringing myself to your level lets just say i go on plenty of forums and people as condicending and arrogant as you rarely make headway.

Thank you to the others that gave advice it was gratefully accepted
Why dont you keep your language where you belong...in the gutter Freddie...its not nice, its rude and disgraceful that you can act that way.
I havent sworn once why lower it?

Then all i can say mate is----

You come on and misread my initial post which was basically about the safety of the thread poster ie; you, also call me sarcastic when i wasnt, then you automatically think a joke is for some reason at your expense again wrong-----

You then seem to scour where i post just to find some way of justifying you mistaken claim and to pour scorn on what i do which is post on a forum meaning a place where people express their views.

You then inform me i no longer know what i am talking about as it was so long ago.

So i give you maybe the advice you are looking for after all your abuse

Your answer is to remind me what i legally do in my own free time and correct me in my manner after taking crap from you all night

I must say you are very gratefull, and will leave all this stuff on here cause i can honestly say that i cant see anybody bothering to give their free time, knowlege, and advice to such an ungratefull piece of crap on any forum again if they see this

Oh i forgot you are a technical engineer on aeroplanes whoopiefukindoo ! but you cant repair a poxy piece of lead -----I'll catch the bus from now on thanks.