A joinery business in Batley, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, saved its stock of oak and pine wood doors after Leeds roofing contractor DPR Roofing successfully repaired a large number of leaks by replacing the company’s badly damaged gutter system and roof coverings.
XL Joinery provides high quality doors and associated joinery to some of the most prestigious names in the DIY sector as well as timber merchants and independent door retailers across the country. And when staff at their ‘extra large’ factory in Batley reported a number of leaks, Leeds roofers DPR were called in to inspect the huge roof in more detail.
A two-man survey was carried out – with the help of a powered access boom – which discovered a catalogue of issues that were responsible for the leaks.
Approximately 200 gutter joints were found to be leaking or identified as having the potential to leak – a situation made worse by the fact that most of the gutters were also blocked with heavy silt and vegetation growth.
In addition to this the survey discovered that a previous roofing contractor had made poor quality repairs to the former flue vent outlets using flashband type material which is normally only used as temporary solution until further repairs can be made, however this material had been left in place for some time and had become ineffective against the recent wet weather.
Finally, it was evident that a significant amount of lead had been stolen from the lower roof where there was no pointing to flashings which was allowing water ingression to support timbers.
After presenting their recommended option for repairing the leaks to the guttering and restoring the defective areas of the roof, DPR were given the all-clear to send their most experienced Leeds roofers to the factory on Bradford Road and get to work.
First, the roofers removed all vegetation and silt from the gutters and disposed of it in accordance with current regulations and DPR Roofing’s own Environmental Policy.
The gutters were cleaned to industrial standards before being sealed with a DPR GRP joint. A base primer coat and high quality fibreglass based gutter compound coating were then applied to all joint areas to make the guttering system water-tight and fully functional again.
Next, the team removed all temporary flashband type material from the flue outlets and replaced it with a glass fibre matting system with a bonded compound for ultimate water protection.
Finally, DPR raked out and repointed the lower flashing areas where the lead had been removed to prevent further water penetration.
DPR managing director Darren Rickett said: “As you can imagine, for a joinery business there is a significant amount of high quality and expensive wood on-site and the integrity of this wood is vital to the business so protecting it from damp and putting a stop to the water ingress was the most important thing for XL Joinery which I am pleased to say we did.
“One of the most common causes of water ingress within buildings is poor maintenance of the gutter system.
“Regular maintenance and cleaning will increase the lifespan of gutters dramatically. A annual check or survey will help to spot potential problems before it’s too late and avoid extensive and costly repairs.”