Resources
April 2008
Welcome to April's Faith in Maintenance monthly email bulletin. Every month we will be sending you a short reminder of some of the things that you might do to make sure that your place of worship is in tiptop condition.
Things to do in April:
April is a good time to think about your roofs, as neglect of a faulty roof will quickly lead to damage in other building elements. If damp patches are apparent inside they are not necessarily an indication of where the roof failure is located as water can travel a considerable distance from the point of ingress before it is seen.
Clay tiles, natural slate and stone: Check the roofs for frost, snow and wind damage. Not all colour changes, minor cracks or delamination (flaking) mean that the roof is in poor repair, but debris on the ground from broken slates and tiles might indicate a problem. Have dislodged or missing slates and tiles reinstated before damage occurs to roof timbers or ceilings.
This is a straightforward task but will require a contractor who has the appropriate equipment to allow access to the roof slope.
You should also look out for large areas of
moss, which can harbour damp and cause slates and tiles to deteriorate. If moss growth is a problem it can be
carefully removed by a knowledgeable contractor. Avoid bitumen coatings and spray-on foam at
all costs. These hinder proper
inspection and prevent the re-use of slates or tiles. They also reduce ventilation, thereby
increasing the risk of timber decay.
Ridges and hips: Ridge and hip tiles provide protection to the vulnerable areas where different roof slopes meet. They can be dislodged by high winds or stormy conditions so you should check for missing sections, which should be replaced without delay.
Ridge and hip tiles are often pointed with mortar to provide further weather protection. This mortar will eventually fail and drop out due to the exposed location. Look out for areas of missing pointing and seek guidance on their repair, as water will quickly penetrate any gaps.
Sheet
metal roofing: Flat roofs and roof gutters should
have a slight fall to allow water to drain away. Check for splits and cracks in areas of flat
or sloping sheet roofing as these will let in water even if the defect is only
small. Splits and pinholes in lead can
usually be repaired by ‘burning in' a new piece of lead but this type of work
requires an experienced contractor, who will take the necessary fire
precautions. Mastic or repair tapes can
be used as an emergency measure to prevent water seeping through cracks and
splits; however, these are only appropriate as a short-term solution.
Flashings: The most vulnerable areas of the building fabric often occur where one part of the building meets another i.e. where a vent pipe penetrates through a roof of where the roof meets the wall.
These junctions will often have lead or zinc ‘flashings'
to protect the joint from the weather.
Inspect these flashings to check that they are in good condition,
without holes or splits. You should also
make sure that they are securely fixed.
Sometimes a mortar ‘fillet' is used to protect these junctions with lead
‘soakers' underneath the slates or tiles.
Check the mortar fillets for signs of decay. If they are loose or missing, they will need
to be replaced.
Lastly, remember to clear any early spring blossom fall, leaves and other debris from gutters and rainwater pipes regularly. Even a small quantity of leaf matter can be enough to cause a blockage and allow water to become trapped.
New ‘Spring Clean' Grant Scheme launched by Cadw!
A new ‘Spring Clean' grant scheme, which will help towards maintenance costs of listed places of worship in Wales, has just been launched. A grant of a maximum of £500 per building is available for a range of minor repairs - for example, cleaning gutters and downpipes or securing slipped roof slates. Visit the Cadw website for further details.
Would you like your place of worship to feature in our proposed Faith in Maintenance DVD?
The Faith in Maintenance team have started work on a proposal to create a training DVD with help from Limelite Media, a production company we have successfully collaborated with in the past. We have already secured £25,000 from The Dulverton Trust and are now attempting to raise the remaining £25,000 to allow us to produce 10,000 copies of the DVD, which would then be distributed free to faith groups in the UK.
As with our training courses, the DVD will focus on the idea of preventative maintenance and will help volunteers understand why buildings decay and how the problems caused by broken gutters and leaking roofs can be avoided. At present we are able to provide training for around 1,200 volunteers every year but we hope that a professionally produced DVD will allow us to make our advice and guidance available to a much wider audience, extending the benefits of the Faith in Maintenance project enormously.
If you would like to offer your place of worship as a possible location for filming, please get in touch with us at bulletin@spabfim.org.uk. We are looking for buildings of all shapes, sizes and ages in locations all across England and Wales.
If you are unsure about how to look after your place of worship or have any questions about issues related to maintenance and repair you can contact David John, our Technical Advisor, on the Faith in Maintenance Technical Advice Line. This service is normally available on Fridays from 9.30am until 3.30pm on 0207 456 0916. Information about courses run by the SPAB can be found here. You can also visit our online bookshop, which sells the SPAB's range of Technical Pamphlets and Information Sheets as well as a selection of related conservation and repair titles.
We hope that you have found this email bulletin useful. If you have any comments or suggestions on how we may improve this service please do get in touch with us using bulletin@spabfim.org.uk.
Sara Crofts Faith in Maintenance Project Director
Stave off decay by daily care ~ William Morris 1877
