Leak behind soffit boards

[ax222s]

Hi guys,

A quick update:
Ive taken the soffit boards down and have them drying. (I presume its ok to leave them off for a few days. Gotta be better than leaving them on there and letting the beams/render rot):





That odd rubber thing only extended to the nut. So the water was just getting blown back in!
Ive taken a small section of the rubber off. Do you think its better to come off completely or leave it on? (you can see where the rubber comes out to in the bottom half of this photo):



This is the profile:



I think my plan now is to get some of that metal roof filler stuff and poke it into the gaps.

Do you think I should just leave the soffits off for now? Im not sure what they actually do. I see some houses with them on and other without them.

Thanks

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That odd rubber thing only extended to the nut. So the water was just getting blown back in!
Ive taken a small section of the rubber off. Do you think its better to come off completely or leave it on? (you can see where the rubber comes out to in the bottom half of this photo):

The sheeting looks as if it extends well over the gutter, so leave it off, but bend the edges of the sheets over, to form a drip lip. It leaves me wondering why the rubber was added, and what it was supposed to solve. It was obviously added later or it would have extended further than just the first fixing.

The bolts appear to be generally the correct style of bolts, except the correct ones have an integral seal under the head. Looking at the loosened bolt, it appears to have either a separate sealing washer, or a plain steel washer - could you confirm which it is? If someone has added a steel washer, that will leak and might be the cause of you issue you have.

 

[Alastairreid]

Take the rubber out as it is causing the rainwater to track back.
As Harry said turn the bottom of the sheet down to form a drip. Put the soffit back up or you will have the local wildlife setting up home in your rafters.

 

[Alastairreid]

Looks like there is a rubber washer on the bolt...sitting on the sheet Harry.

 

[pcaouolte]

Remove the fixings nearest the gutter. Remove that rubber. Get some Box Profile Foam Filler to fit 34/1000 Sheets, the fillers are 1 metre long, you need one filler per sheet. Trap the filler between the sheet and the piece of wood which supports it nearest the gutter and replace the fixings. you are trying to trap the filler securely between the sheet and the supporting woodwork to create a seal. Don't try bending the ends of the sheets over, you won't be able to do it successfully.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Remove the fixings nearest the gutter. Remove that rubber. Get some Box Profile Foam Filler to fit 34/1000 Sheets, the fillers are 1 metre long, you need one filler per sheet.

They come as 2x 1m pair.

Don't try bending the ends of the sheets over, you won't be able to do it successfully.

Why? You can almost bend them with your fingers, though to save damage and make a tidy job - use two thin strips of wood or similar, clamped with pliers to make the bend. I did it, to prevent water tracking back along the under side.

 

[pcaouolte]

They come as 2x 1m pair.



Why? You can almost bend them with your fingers, though to save damage and make a tidy job - use two thin strips of wood or similar, clamped with pliers to make the bend. I did it, to prevent water tracking back along the under side.

It depends where you buy them from. You can get pairs or singles from various suppliers.

A simple way to form a drip on the end of the sheets is to run a bead of silicone along the underside near the end. Trying to bend the end of box profile sheets will result in a mess and damage. They are very thin and easy to bend along their length but not easy to bend along the profiled end.

 

[ax222s]

Excellent, thanks guys. Thankfully this week looks sunny. I will get it done this week and post update photos. (something for you to look forward to! )

 

[catlad]

As stated it is very easy to bend the valleys in the sheets to stop the water running back on itself, forget anyone telling you different is nonsense. Don't put the soffits back yet as you can monitor it when it rains, you only need a 5mm bend on the edge of the sheet to form a drip edge. What is the pitch?

 

[ax222s]

As stated it is very easy to bend the valleys in the sheets to stop the water running back on itself, forget anyone telling you different is nonsense. Don't put the soffits back yet as you can monitor it when it rains, you only need a 5mm bend on the edge of the sheet to form a drip edge. What is the pitch?

Yesterday I removed that rubber thing and cleaned all the gunk out of the gutter. Ive left the soffit off so hopefully it will dry. (we've got a few days of dry/breezey weather which is ideal). I also bought some eave fillers which will arrive on wednesday.

Not sure what the pitch is. Ill go out there at lunch and take a couple more photos and estimate the angle. Its a very shallow angle.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

They are very thin and easy to bend along their length but not easy to bend along the profiled end.

Sorry, but you are wrong. You can almost bend it with your fingers to form a drip loop.

 

[pcaouolte]

Sorry, but you are wrong. You can almost bend it with your fingers to form a drip loop.

The OP has lots of information now, they can decide what they think is the best way to resolve the problem.

 

[ax222s]

Ive just taken some photos. This will give you an idea to context and the roof pitch:




A related concern I now have is if the water is tracking back into the cob where the roof line meets the wall. Im assuming they put flashing along that roof line. When I cleaned the gutter out yesterday there was half a bucket of cob sediment



Im not sure if the above photos will spur more posts. Youve been very helpful and I have a clear understanding of what the issue is now and how to fix. (Feel free to comment further, but dont feel you have to).

While Im at it... I noticed damp forming behind the compost bins. I dont have anywhere else to keep them. If I leave them there, what will the negative effect be and over what timescale? Should I move them fairly urgently, or do you think theyll be ok left there for a few years? (of course I would rather have no compost bins than 2 compost bins and a wall that needs rebuilding!).

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ive just taken some photos. This will give you an idea to context and the roof pitch:

The pitch to my eyes looks absolutely fine, my only concern is the lack of overhang, between the end over the gutter and the face of the wall - hence the suggestion of bending the lip down to form the drip loop.

Obviously there as been a problem in the past, which is why someone has tried to resolve it with the rubber sheets and exacerbated the issue. As said - bend a drip loop at the sheet ends. 6mm wide, bent down at the end, just along the lower part of the profile, where the water channels to, will make a massive difference to the problem.

 

[ax222s]

Ugh! Ive just tried fitting the foam filler (for my 34/1000 profile sheets) and theres too much slack on the thin section! (the highers sections fit fine):



Ive contacted the foam filler company and they say its not the right measurements for their 34/1000 profile.

I presumed all 34/1000 profiles would be the same measurements?!