Front edging is leaking onto bricks and causing damage

Hi folks,

There is rain water leaking through the edging at the front of my house. You can see the water marks in this photo:



The "flat" roof slopes away towards the back. I've gone up there and filled in any gaps in the metal edging material that I could find - it's getting through at a place where two pieces of the material connect. Any thoughts on how to keep this from happening? It's starting to eat away at the bricks.

Marc

 

What did you use to fill the gaps & did you try to put it in the trouble spot that you mentioned?

 

That metal cap looks a little flat, short and inadequate.

It is after a recent rain (particularly with some wind)? It is very easy for rain water to go up 6-8" behind the front flashing from a combination of some wind and interior suction (just slightly lower pressure than outside). Once it is inside the under the tin, it can move and show up in many different places ranging from different area near the top of the walls or at windows/doors on a lower floor.

I have seen this many times on building that were thought to be leaking through the walls or from the roof.

Dick

 

Pulpo: It was an exterior caulk (silicone I believe). And yes, I sealed the spaces where parts connect, but I didn't realize that the water could be coming up from underneath, not just from above.

Concretemasonry: Indeed, this photo is after a day or two of heavy rain and wind. I guess that the water is getting up behind the flashing and then gravity is taking it towards the place where the two pieces connect (one of them must slope). The spaces I found on the top and back of the flashing and sealed up were a red herring.

Any suggestions on a fix for this?

 

I would use roofing tar instead of the exterior caulking.

 

Here's a close(r)-up of the problem spot.



Any ideas on whether or not this is something that can be repaired or if the whole flashing should be replaced? I think I really need a primer on what this stuff is supposed to be doing.

 

I found an image that illustrates the side view of what's going on up there. It seems that at least part of the problem is that the water isn't being directed away from the wall, but is just dripping onto the bricks.

 

From what I can see in that photo, there is no reason to replace anything.

 

I went back up today and the caulking I'd used had indeed broken open slightly. Is it obvious to anyone what's causing so much water to get to that one spot? Could that small breach of the connection between the two pieces of metal on the sunny side ("10 degrees minimum" in the previous image) be the cause of it or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

Use some roofing cement instead of the caulking. Also, look on the roof itself,