Rain leaking between frame & infill

[88v8]

As a rule, the overhang of the thatch keeps the rain off the top of the house, which I guess is why I haven't noticed this before, but as I write this seated on the floor of the bedroom, a gale from the north is blowing water against the wall behind me, and along the top of the 4" elm beam level with the window sill (the one with the ugly alarm box) there is a distinct damp patch. The slight yellowing of the white paint below the beam - alas, not whitewash nor distemper but heyho - suggests that this is not a new incursion.

So, the presumed gap on the outside will have to be sheeted over and left until the wood is thoroughly dried out - some months - and then some sort of filler applied.
Resisting the temptation to reach for the sealant gun, I seek guidance on a suitable filler. The adjacent panels are wattle & daub.

In the fields that surround us on three sides there are sheep, and in my workshop there is some fresh NHL5. Does this provide appropriate ingredients, or is there some better solution?

Edit: descending to the kitchen - the windows below the top room - I find many damp beams and panels, with water runing down behind the power sockets. Hmmm. PO had the beam above the kitchen window refaced, one can see the pegs, I presume it had rotted. The whole front has a pronounced belly, so I guess there has been a history of movement and water incursion, a vicous circle that I need to interrupt. Easier said then done when the beams are damp and therefore somewhat swollen, and will therefore shrink and crack any applied filler as they dry. The joys of a period house.

 

[MdB]

We came downstairs this morning to hear water dripping behind our stove...

This wall is a very poor rubble stone wall which we have recently removed a lot of paint and cement externally and repointed in lime. This process means that the wall dries out a lot faster than it did before but I guess also means that it can get wet quicker than before also. When the rain stops lashing down, I'll see if I can borrow a ladder and see if there is anything obvious that needs fixing - however it was only a few months ago that we finished the work so whatever the fault, it is going to be annoying. I guess at the worst case, the problem could be the poor state of the stone and the water is just going straight through it. The solution would be to render in lime but I would hope not to have to do this.

Old houses can be a pain at times... (but we love them dearly)

 

[Baron de Gynes]

What a timely thread.

1. I'm now not so worried about the little weeping through the upstairs frame. Sounds like its normal (and will take aeons to dry out, worse luck).
2. 88v8! What a glorious house! Would I be speaking out of turn for PP to request more photos?

 

[Feltwell]

Can't help much with the actual query, but what a lovely looking house you have there. More pictures please!

 

[middi]

There is no real cure for seepage of wind blown rain between ( external) wattle and daub panels and frame, it comes with the territory.

You must make sure that any gaps are completely sealed - with CHAULK/LIME based mortar - the consistency of which should be appropriate for the gaps to be sealed, it may even need to be applied ( thickly) with a paint brush or thick enough to be " grouted" with a finger.

RESIST any attempt to use modern sealants, whilst they would work extremely well, in the long run the are a false sense of security and will lead to premature rot of timber.

The principal of repair should not be to stop any water being absorbed by the fabric but more to do with the fast removal of water ( by evaporation) after the fabric has been exposed to rain, damp etc... Modern mastics do not allow for this cycle and water will be retained within the base of the beam much longer than should be necessary and premature rot will be ensured.
Some owners are very lucky in that they never suffer from from the problem that you dercribe, all due to default and not design, ie, as the external faces of the frame timbers tend to wear and contract ( slightly), there usually obtain an outward tilt which dissipates accumulated water from their base quicker than a nice/new square beam.
Nevertheless, regulat attention and maintenance is the order of the day with these building with external wattle and daub panels.

It is also worth noting that if the "horizontal" beams are equipped with a chiselled out centered channel on the upper ( and at times lower) surface, the daub, that would normally be held in position with staves and wattles, would infill this channel an avoid ( or minimise) seepage during heavy rain and wind . It all depended on the carpenters of the day, the recognised method of wattle construction within that part of the country and the importance of the building.

Middi

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Fascinating Middi. I often wondered why a groove had been channelled in beams... Even internal ones.

 

[Lime]

There is no real cure for seepage of wind blown rain between ( external) wattle and daub panels and frame, it comes with the territory.


Middi

I'd expect it too in many houses, not just old ones, with driving heavy rain.