Leak Investigations at Council Office in Kent

Overview

Following the recent replacement of the main roof at a council office building in Kent, the client began to experience water ingress in several areas within the property. We were appointed to determine the source of the leaks and establish the integrity of the newly installed roof.

Our Approach

We carried out a detailed investigation to pinpoint the exact source of the leaks while assessing the overall performance of the new roof.

To do this, we used a combination of non-invasive and minimally invasive testing techniques, including:

Electronic Leak Detection (ELD)

The roof’s waterproofing membrane was tested using our electronic leak detection equipment. This locates any breaches in the waterproofing and provides a fast and accurate assessment of the membrane’s integrity.

Borescope Inspections 

Small holes were drilled into the wall to allow a borescope inspection of the cavity walls. The condition, detailing and performance of the trays could then be established.

Findings

Testing confirmed that the new roofing system was performing as required, with no faults or breaches detected in the waterproofing membrane. However, inspections of the cavity trays alongside simulated rainfall testing to brickwork indicated some issues with the detailing of the trays including, some failed joints and missing stop ends.

Conclusion

Our investigation provided the client with clear evidence of the source of the leaks and also confirmation that the new roof was performing as expected. Targeted repairs to the cavity trays could then be planned and implemented.  

Our client was very satisfied with the outcome and appreciated our methodical approach in getting to the bottom of the issue quickly and conclusively.