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Roof Valley Flashing Leak

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Should a roof valley flashing leak?

The sky is the limit when it comes to ‘mystery’ leaks in houses!

We have found many different types of leaks in NZ homes, and some you just don’t expect.

Some people seem to think buying a good old fashioned brick and tile home is a safe bet, and that there is no need for a thermal imaging leak inspection before buying. Not always the case.

The infrared image below shows a huge leak on a ceiling underneath a tiled roof. What caused it? A leak in the valley flashing directly above. The interesting part is there was no sign of the leak on the ceiling!

Dark area shows large water leak
Dark area shows large water leak

The home owners were slightly skeptical about getting a quick scan on their home given the nature of the build, but no matter how solid your walls are (i.e. Brick/block), you can’t stop leaks coming in from the roof area, or in this case a failure in the valley flashing. In addition, they had insulfluff insulation which was saturated and needed to be replaced.

 If you are buying a brick and tile home, don’t overlook a leak inspection first!

Water Leak Dripping Through Top of Window Frame

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How you noticed water dripping in from the top of a window frame?

Is the water coming down from the floor above due to a window joinery failure or roof leak, or has the head flashing failed somehow?

Recently a customer called us because he had water dripping through a wooden window frame. In this case the home was a 1970’s brick and tile. Here’s what we found…

The bedroom on the 2nd floor of the house above the leak had wet carpet in one corner, and the laundry was up there also. Both of these areas were directly above the downstairs window where the water was penetrating through. Within 5 minutes I worked out the source of the leak thanks to my thermal imaging camera and moisture meter. Take a look at these images…

Photo 1 is where the washing machine site. Photo 2 is the room behind the laundry with wet carpet, and photo 3 is the window underneath where the water was dripping through the frame!
Photo 1 is where the washing machine sits. Photo 2 is the room behind the laundry, and photo 3 is the window downstairs where the water was dripping through the frame!

Findings: It turned out to be a plumbing leak behind the laundry/bedroom dividing wall. The interesting part was that the leak in the laundry and the wet carpet couldn’t be seen to the naked eye. These photo’s clearly demonstrate the power of using our infrared camera to hunt down leaks… fast!

Auckland City Council – Building Leak

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Recently I was hired by the Auckland City Council to check a leak that was coming out of a light fitting in one of their buildings.

Below is an interesting infrared image of the light fitting in question, which clearly shows you how water can track ‘sideways’ from the leak entry point.

In addition to this leak, there were several other roof leaks revealed… instantly. That’s the upside to using our thermal imaging camera… the results are instant and can be confirmed using moisture testing equipment on the spot.

Can you see where the leak starts and finishes?

You can see how the leak tracks down towards the light, then does a 90 degree turn... then continues down the wall
The leak tracks down towards the light, then does a 90 degree turn, then continues down the wall

Notice how you can’t see this leak in the right hand image?

Chimney Flue Leak

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Does the home you’re purchasing have a chimney flue?

Did you look on the ceiling to determine if it’s leaking or not?

Below is an infrared photo of what a ‘hidden’ leak looks like in an NZ home. During a routine infrared moisture inspection today in Glen Eden, the thermal imaging camera instantly revealed moisture pooling on top of the gib board around where the flue penetrates the gib board ceiling. The ceiling itself was in perfect condition, leaving the leak going undetected to the human eye. Would your average building inspector have detected this ‘invisible’ leak? (Unlikely).

Although this type of water penetration isn’t a major concern to some investors, it’s still nice to know the leak is there before handing over your money. This infrared photo alone could certainly help your to negotiate the price down (Visual images like this are very powerful when negotiating). The interesting part about this home was the 4 other leaks we found… you couldn’t see any of them with the human eye. The roof itself had a slight pitch on it, but was still failing in multiple areas.

Even though we found several issues with this property, the buyer felt really good about herself in the end, because she had a clear picture of what she was actually buying.

NZ has a very wet climate as we all know, so shouldn’t it be logical to get your next property tested for moisture and leaks? Here’s a photo of why you should consider our unique leak detection service as part of your due diligence.

Can you see the leak around the top of the flue in the infraed image?

Large leak detected using our infrared camera
Large leak detected using infrared

 

Thermal Leak Detector finds Expansion Joint Leak

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The source of leaks vary depending on structure in the area… and some can get really expensive to find!

This leak below was costing the company money by the minute.

Recently I got a call regarding a leak in several suites at a particular Hilton Hotel in NZ (I won’t name which one for privacy purposes). The short story is that it’s been ongoing for months… and I found the issue right away with my thermal leak detector (thermal imaging camera).

During the inspection I noticed that all the leaks were ‘lining up’ with eachother along the top of an interior wall (They couldn’t be seen with the human eye). On the deck above there was an expansion joint running directly along the line of leaks that I detected. This quickly solved the issue for the maintenance crew, because all they could see before I arrived was a single leak near the window… leading them to believe is was a possibly as isolated leak in that area, or some kind of joinery failure.

Here’s a photo of the leaks I found in just one room…

I’ve found many leaks with my infrared leak detector… and 70% of these leaks can’t been see visually!

A thermal imaging inspection could be the fastest way to detect a leak… especially if you need it found in a hurry. They couldn’t rent one of the rooms out due to visual moisture damage… expensive!

Aluminium Joinery Leak

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Aluminium joinery that isn’t straight can cause leaks… and you usually won’t know until it’s too late!

So how far has the leak extended?

Recently I was conducting infrared leak inspections in Picton, Nelson and Blenheim area. One of the home owners had smelt signs of moisture in one of the rooms, but couldn’t see any issues. Within 30 seconds, I had detected a huge leak (see infrared photo below). The aluminium joinery around the window turned out to be the problem. We found the leak entry point, and luckily for the home owner the gib board below the window was still ok and didn’t need to be replaced.

The insulation in this area will be very moist, and will not dry out for some time… so this specific area will be moisture tested again after winter.

Here’s a photo of what window joinery failure can create….

aluminium joinery leak

Suspect a joinery leak?

Leaky Home Bill Ends Up With Forced Sale

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The leaky home saga only gets more interesting as time passes. It’s not so interesting for the lady in the story below, who was part of a body corporate that won a 5 million dollar out of court settlement… yet was still forced to sell her home!

 How do you avoid such problems? The easy answer here would be “don’t buy a leaky home”… but a more realistic answer would be to get it checked for leaks and moisture on a regular basis during the course of your ownership. Getting caught with a leaky home (or any home that leaks for that matter) can be a nightmare to sell, so that’s why you need to stay on top of your homes ‘health’ at all times… no different to going to a dentist for a regular check up. If you detect minor problems behind the wall early enough, you simply fix it or sell it before it’s all too late.

Here’s what you don’t want to happen to your ‘investment’ property 

‘Leak Bill Brings Forced Sale‘

We detect small leaks behind walls before they become a big problem!

Contact us today for a detailed leak detection diagnostic on your property

Which Wall Cladding in NZ is Most Likely to Leak if Not Installed Correctly?

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If your home is leaking, or you think there could be moisture ingress behind the walls, it can also be caused from a small penetration on the exterior wall or the roof. You can view a very interesting picture, and also read about the quickest way to detect moisture ingress in your walls, ceiling and floor here.

Consumerbuild.co.nz has an excellent website that covers all different aspects of leaking homes, and more detail about the claddings used on NZ homes. Find their website here.

Finding a Water Leak and Tracking it to the Source

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How to find a leak before calling a plumber!

Trying to find a leak around the home can be very frustrating and can get very expensive… especially if the leak is behind a wall, or a roof leak. A plumber can usually fix water leaks very quickly, but it’s the actual process to find the water leak that can really cost you big dollars!

When your paying a plumber, roofer or builder to find a leak, they may need to pull down multiple walls to ‘get a better idea’ of where the problem is, and to you, that could mean additional money going out of your pocket to replace the gib board/cladding, plus the painting and plaster work etc to get it all back up to scratch. So what if your plumber/builder is trying to find a leak, and ends up pulling down a wall in an area that has nothing to do with the leak source? It’s easy for someone to pull down a wall, or stick a screwdriver through to ‘test’ if an area has excess moisture, but i’m saying this kind of process to find a leak simply isn’t required. There’s a much faster and non-destructive way to go about it.

leak in ceiling

How to find a water leak in a non-invasive way: 

Leak detection by way of thermal imaging is the key to a fast, neat and tidy leak fix. Why? for starters, we can detect potential leaks penetrating your inside walls within minutes… with both our IR camera and our back up test with a moisture meter. Secondly, we can usually see where the leak is coming from, and where the leak damage ends. After viewing the infrared photos we take, your plumber or builder can go directly to the problem, and not have to tear down your walls in places that aren’t required… saving you money.

Quickest way to find a leak…

Detecting water leaks fast… that’s what we do. We are trained thermographers who specialise in leak & moisture detection using a high tech thermal imaging camera, and pinpointing potential problem areas in your home or office.

Need to find a leak fast? Contact us today!