Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jun 10, 2010 4:25 pm We have lived in a 3 story townhouse for just over 2 years. It was just over 12 months old when we moved in but had never been occupied. We had a leak in the 2nd floor ceiling (lounge / kitchen) about a month after we moved in. Builder said it was coming from an awning and he fixed that problem. We had no problem until just over 12 months later when once again we had a leak over the same area and in the corner of the ceiling near the window. The builder inspected again with plumber as there is an overhead balcony and the window installer. He resealed around the sides of the balcony and all windows. Checked the awnings and roof which is flat and metal. He cut an area out of the ceiling where the leak had occurred. All seemed ok with water test and then we waited for two lots of decent rainfall. On the second lot of rain we had the same drip through the open part of the ceiling and in the corner area. This time an engineer, the builder and my husband inspected the roof and thought it was the box guttering that the angle of it was causing a capillary effect with a very slow drip which only happened when we had a lot of rain over several hours. They thought they had this fixed and with no further leaking our ceiling was repaired 6 weeks ago. Last weekend we had another leak near the corner of the ceiling, once again the rain had been going for hours. This time the builder found the same box gutter had an inconsistent method sealant around it. That if the rain was directional it could come in and run down sides to 2nd floor window area. The 3rd floor ceiling has never had a leak. I am wondering if this explanation sounds feasible about the box gutter and sealant. This issue has been going on and off now for 2 years and does not happen as I said every time it rains. The builder says he is very frustrated with this problem and so are we. I thought he is still liable for this issue until the 6 years warranty is up. The thing is I am not confident the problem has been fixed. I think he is unsure himself what it is. Have any of you had a similar problem and what course of action can we take if it keeps occurring ? Re: Ceiling leak ? box guttering & sealants. 2Jun 16, 2010 8:53 am Hard to tell. As you said itβs complicated enough to confuse the builder. Just in case your builder is overseeing something β invest $100 or so in calling another builder or two to get their opinion. Most likely each of them will find something new. You can always take it back t you original builder and put through his insurance. Yes, get a builder, make sure he is experienced and a registered building practitioner 5 8935 The two 15mm holes are obviously not compliant. The Dept of Fair Trading would love to see this one! Do the gutters pool water after it stops raining? Although it's… 4 7820 If you make sure all taps inside and out are turned off, what does the water meter show if you leave it for a while. 2 20229 |