Water ingress detection: roof, terrace, façade, basement

Signs of water ingress

• a stain on the ceiling under a roof or a terrace that grows after rain;
• damp on a wall exposed to driving rain, or around a window;
• a basement that takes on water after a storm;
• marks that change with the weather rather than with water use in the house.

Water ingress or something else?

A damp patch is not necessarily water ingress. A pipe leak, condensation or rising damp produce similar symptoms. Moisture mapping, the link with the weather and pressure testing of nearby pipes settle the question.

How we locate water ingress

• Targeted water testing: we wet one precise area (a flashing, a terrace outlet, a threshold, a window frame) and watch whether water comes through inside. Dyed with fluorescein, it is unmistakable.
• Thermal imaging: damp areas of a ceiling or insulation show up colder, revealing the extent and path of the water.
• Endoscopy: to look into a suspended ceiling, a lining or a cavity without dismantling.

Flat roofs and terraces

On a flat roof or a terrace, water rarely gets in through the middle of the surface. Weak points are at the upstands against the walls, around outlets, at joints and at the thresholds of French windows. We test these areas one by one to isolate the one letting water through.