Metal hut roof leaking

[mrsbruce]

I had finished the ceiling of hubby’s hut, but after a LOT of rain last night, I found a couple of leaks. I dug out a tin of that leak stop roof paint stuff, and got some gloop over the screws/spaces/overlaps on one side if the hut ok.

While doing that, I came to the conclusion that the rain was perhaps being blown in under the roof capping. I considered spraying some expanding foam from the inside, and took a ceiling panel down, but lots of aluminium tape, insulation, etc, in the way. I tried running foam from outside, but being a shortstop, getting to the apex of the roof is ‘not easy’. I could use an extension tube on the can, or maybe create a heath robinson extension stick and trigger pull for the foam can.

Or, and this may be a silly idea, but would using self stick roof felt be an idea, and just cover the whole roof. I know the gaps are there to allow air circulation, stop moisture build up, etc, but that isn't much cop if all the water is being blown in.

Any thoughts on how to deal with this? Usually I am fairly creative with this sort of thing, but just not sure of the best (cheap/easy) approach.

 

[gaz1]

Just expanding foam is enough however not without a gun as not controlable with the amount of foam coming out of it

I got @Burdekin to buy one as I wanted to control the amount I was using on walls and also other places

DOnt bother with the stick on felt its crap

YOu might be able to use foam inserts for under apex part but you would need to go on roof if you do use a board or plank to spread your weight on the roof

EVen a 4ft x 4ft board will spread your weight

 

[mrsbruce]

Many thanks, and after a bit of digging, I have found some tubing which will fit over the foam can tube. This should give me enough reach to get to the ridge.

I’ll keep to the plan of filling the ridge cap from the outside, and I’ll also take your advice over the sticky roof felt (I think I was getting a bit desperate).

Of course, now the rain is starting again.

 

[brightspark]

just squirt a small amount in otherwise it will balloon out massively

 

[fixerupper]

I never have had much success with squirty foam,I never seem to get the angle right ..I don't know if it's just the foam I can buy here but it only seem to work with the can upside down and above the cavity you are trying to fill ....

 

[Seadog]

ust squirt a small amount in otherwise it will balloon out massively

I'll second that. No matter how little you think you're put in it's always twice as much as was needed.

 

[brightspark]

I never have had much success with squirty foam,I never seem to get the angle right ..I don't know if it's just the foam I can buy here but it only seem to work with the can upside down and above the cavity you are trying to fill ....

some of the cans I used had to be held upside down to work .that's what the instructions said

 

[Seadog]

I guess it depends on whether or not they have a dip tube.

 

[gaz1]

alot easier with a foam gun worth every penny if you do enogh jobs with it

https://www.screwfix.com/c/sealants-adhesives/expanding-foam-guns/cat850112

then its your foan cans on top

much easier to work with and use

 

[Gritineye]

And a can of cleaner to squirt through the gun afterwards....

 

[Hitch]

Agree with the comments about the foam guns, much much more control.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

alot easier with a foam gun worth every penny if you do enogh jobs with it

https://www.screwfix.com/c/sealants-adhesives/expanding-foam-guns/cat850112

then its your foan cans on top

much easier to work with and use

This.
Well worth investing in one. Don't forget gun cleaner. It doesn't just clean the gun

 

[Farside]

And a can of cleaner to squirt through the gun afterwards....

You don't need it. Just tighten up the valve and leave it for months.

Months later...

Scrape the end gunk off the tip and wind open the valve a crack, then use the trigger.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

You don't need it. Just tighten up the valve and leave it for months.

Months later...

Scrape the end gunk off the tip and wind open the valve a crack, then use the trigger.

Never works like that for me. Not cleaning after use results in wasted time going to buy a new gun.

 

[Farside]

Never works like that for me. Not cleaning after use results in wasted time going to buy a new gun.

Maybe it's the gun I have, but I don't think it's very different from any others I've seen and that tip was passed on to me by a member of another forum, so I'm not the only one who uses the method.
I've been using this method since I bought this one and only foam gun, so that's six years now.

 

[Gritineye]

Never works like that for me. Not cleaning after use results in wasted time going to buy a new gun.

The easiest way to clean set foam from around the nozzle is to rub it on the end grain of a lump of wood.

Tightening up the valve screw for long periods works fine until until one day it just doesn't......

 

[fixerupper]

I posted my post about the upside down can 'cos mrsbruce spoke about extending the pipe on a can of foam so she could reach up to a ridge of a shed roof ...I think this might be tricky ...unless it was done by standing on the roof...

 

[mrsbruce]

I posted my post about the upside down can 'cos mrsbruce spoke about extending the pipe on a can of foam so she could reach up to a ridge of a shed roof ...I think this might be tricky ...unless it was done by standing on the roof...

I thought you’d all forgotten me there.

It’s an upside down can I will be using. I had gaffa taped it onto the end of an extending brush, with a length of string taped to the trigger. That way I could shove the end of the short tube under the cap, while standing safely(?) on a ladder

The cunning plan would have worked, if I hadn’t forgotten to give the can that last ‘tighten’ to open the valve. I didn’t realise this until I had dismatled my creation, and flounced here to ask advice (duh!).

Two options, rebuild my creation, or add a length of tube to the end of the short tube. The tube will be supported by being gaffa taped to a long pole.

All praise the great god gaffa.

 

[mrsbruce]

Got a spare hour, so rigged up a 5 foot tube onto the little foam can trigger, and managed to get one side of the hut ridge cap filled. Went to the other side, and was pleased to find that there was enough foam squirted already to fill most of that side too. The last 4 spaces didn’t fill, but I figured that that last bit was pretty well protected from the weather anyway.

I’ll give it a couple of days, trim the foam back, and give it a coat of roof leak paint to seal it off. Not sure if that paint will be ok or not, must check.

One thing I will say, such a lash up rig did the job well, but it most definately would have been easier with a proper gun. Sometimes just the weight of the tube would trigger the valve, and I was either getting lots of foam, or what felt like a bit back pressure, or the far end of the 5 foot tube starting to block up.

But job done, more leak stop paint applied, and I’ll eventually paint the whole roof with it just to tidy it up.

Only the fusebox, new wiring, and a bit organising on the inside, and I’m done.

 

[mrsbruce]

Spoke too soon. Checked out the hut this morning, and found a puddle of water. One has a leak from the ceiling, through a bracket one fitted into the plastic panels for the new lights.

I’ve still to cut back the foam, and add another coat of paint, so not panicking....yet.

Could the leak be water running down the ‘hump’ of foam, back into the gap under the ridge?

Bad drawing below to elucidate.

Added pictures, and because of the ‘dip’ in the roof panels to accommodate the tin ‘girders’, the leak could be coming from above OR below the dip.

The whole hut has sagged in the middle a bit over the years, so again, the leak could be from the front of the roof, about 5 feet away. Extend even further the area to check.

Ah..... the joys of trying to track a leak in a metal roof.