Leaking Conservatory Roof: Causes, Checks and Fixes

• The flashing where the roof meets the house wall
• Cappings and gaskets along the glazing bars
• Blocked or misaligned gutters
• Cracked, split or slipped roof panels
• The ridge and hip joints at the top of the roof
• The junction between roof and side frames

Where a conservatory joins the house, a lead or similar flashing covers the gap. If the mortar holding it has cracked, or the flashing has lifted, rain runs down the wall and straight into the conservatory. These leaks often appear along the back wall and are worst in driving rain. It may be a roofing or brickwork job rather than a glazing one, and we will tell you if so.

Each roof panel sits on a glazing bar, with a capping on top and gaskets underneath. Over years of sun and frost, the gaskets shrink and harden, and cappings can lift. Water then runs along the bar and drips out lower down. A reseal of the cappings and gaskets, bar by bar, is one of the most common conservatory roof repairs.

Conservatory gutters fill with leaves and moss surprisingly quickly. When they overflow, water can run back under the roof edge. Clearing them is the first thing to check.

Panels themselves leak when they crack, split or slip down the bars. Polycarbonate sheets become brittle with age, and glass units can crack after an impact. Where a panel has failed, conservatory roof panel replacement swaps just that panel.

Never climb onto a conservatory roof: the bars and panels are not built to take a person's weight. From inside, note exactly where the drip lands and look up for stains or water running along a bar. From the ground or a stepladder on firm ground, look at the gutter and the flashing line against the house.

Try to note when it leaks. Only in driving wind from one side points to flashings or side joints. Every time it rains suggests gutters, cappings or a panel. A drip that appears on cold dry mornings may be condensation rather than a leak at all.

Conservatories get a lot of condensation on the underside of the roof, especially in winter. It can drip and look just like a leak. If the drips appear without rain, condensation is the likely cause, and ventilation helps. Misting between the panes of a glass roof unit is a failed seal; see the misted conservatory roof panels guide.

We trace the leak, then repair the part responsible: resealing cappings, renewing gaskets, replacing a panel or clearing and realigning a gutter. Our existing cost guides show a single roof panel as quoted individually, and capping and gasket resealing as quoted after inspection, because each roof is different. A full new roof is rarely needed to stop a leak. To arrange a visit, see conservatory roof repairs or request a quote.