You know those jobs that should be straightforward? A bit of staining down a wall, a suspected blocked downpipe, in-and-out, job done.
Well… I rolled into Lincoln expecting exactly that and ended up chasing a leak that was sneaking in behind cladding thanks to a detail that’s been wrong since day one.
If you want the full on-site detective work (and the moment it finally clicks), watch the full video here:
Arriving on Site: Staining Down the Wall and a Plan to “Crack On”
I’d just arrived in Lincoln and the roofer I was meant to be working with was running late. He’d sent me photos, the symptoms lined up, and I still had to get back to Nottingham later so I did what I usually do: get the machine off the trailer and crack on.
The initial assumption was simple enough: blocked downpipe. Nine times out of ten, that’s exactly what it is.
I set the spider lift up, harness on, screwdriver in hand (because people love screwing downpipes together), and up I went to find the issue and grab photos for the customer.
First Find: The Snapped Downpipe Bracket
Up close, the first problem was obvious: the top downpipe bracket had snapped.
Easy fix… if you’ve got the bracket.
I checked the truck. No spare. Normally I do carry bits like that, but not today — and this is where real-world logistics kick in.
Why “Just Go to the Shop” Isn’t Always an Option
A lot of people say, “Why don’t you just nip out and get one?”
Here’s the reality: my truck and trailer is over 10 metres long, I’ve got a cherry picker set up on site, I’m in an area I don’t know, and one wrong turn can land you in traffic for an hour just to buy a bracket that costs buttons. Sometimes the sensible move is to stop the leak, make safe, document it, and keep the job moving.
If you’re reading this because you’ve got overflowing gutters or a downpipe issue, it’s worth remembering that problems like this often start with simple components failing and when they do, water ends up exactly where you don’t want it. (If you need help with blocked gutters and downpipes, this is the sort of thing I deal with through my gutter clearance and guttering services:
The Bureaucracy Bit: When You Can See Fixes… But Can’t Touch Them
While waiting for the roofer to arrive, I could see other gutters nearby that clearly needed attention. Straightforward stuff. Ten minutes here, ten minutes there.
But when you’re subcontracting into a bigger, bureaucratic setup, you’re often working to specific work orders. No authorisation? No purchase order? You don’t just crack on even if it looks like an easy win.
That’s a world some people struggle to understand, especially online. But that’s the reality of certain contracts: everything has to be approved, sometimes by people who’ve never even seen the building.
And before anyone says “you could do that off ladders”… a lot of these clients don’t want ladder work. They want powered access for safety and compliance. That’s exactly why I’m there with a spider lift in the first place safe access using a cherry picker is often the requirement, not an upgrade. (If you’re ever weighing up access options, this is what I offer through cherry picker hire for roofing and building access:)
Second Find: The Leak That Wasn’t the Gutter
Once the roofers arrived, we moved to the next section of the complex. Another downpipe had come away from the guttering a rawl plug had pulled out, so we grabbed a new fixing and got it secured.
Then we got onto the main event: the leak on the corner.
At first glance, it looks like the usual suspects: something around the roof edge, maybe a flashing detail, maybe water getting under a tile.
We’d already done a “belts and braces” move up top removed a sticky lead alternative and added a saddle to stop water running down the back. Not perfect, but practical given what we had on the day.
But when we looked closer, the signs pointed lower down…
The Real Cause: Tiles Not Discharging Into the Gutter (Water Tracking Behind Cladding)
Here’s what we found:
The tiles weren’t properly going into the gutter. That meant water could run behind the cladding, track down unseen, and show up as damp right in the corner internally.
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it damp evidence behind the cladding, water channelled straight into the wrong place. It was one of those moments where you realise this has likely been happening since the day it was built… and only shows itself properly during driving rain and strong winds.
This is exactly why “it looks fine from the ground” doesn’t mean much. Water will always find the one route you didn’t plan for especially on modern builds with layers of finishes.
The Repair: Making the Best of a Bad Situation (Lead Diversion)
The ideal repair? In a perfect world, you’d strip things back and rebuild the detail so the leadwork sits properly and everything discharges cleanly into the gutter.
But on this visit, with what we had available and the way the cladding and timber framing trapped the area, we went with a practical solution:
- Slice back where needed
- Work lead behind the soakers
- Divert water back into the gutter
- Seal edges to prevent water tracking underneath
Was it pretty? No.
Was it a sensible fix for the constraints? Yes.
And importantly: it should stop water being pushed under the cladding during heavy rain and divert it where it belongs.
If you want to see exactly how tight that detail was (and how we made it work), watch the full video here: it’s much easier to understand when you can see the angles and the water path.
“Why Not Just Glue It?” — A Quick Word on Practical Repairs
Near the end, I mention something that always gets comments: fixing downpipes with screws in the joints rather than gluing.
Gluing might look tidier but it creates a future problem. The next person who needs to clear moss or debris can’t dismantle it, and you’ve effectively turned a serviceable system into a headache. Sometimes the “pretty” fix isn’t the maintainable fix.
A Proper View to Finish: Lincoln Cathedral in the Background
Not every day on a roof gives you a view like this but as we wrapped up, Lincoln Cathedral was sat there in the distance. Not a bad backdrop for a leak hunt.
Over to You
If you’ve ever had a mystery damp patch, a corner leak that only appears in driving rain, or a gutter that “should be fine”… this is exactly why diagnosis matters. The cause isn’t always the obvious bit you can see from the ground.
Have you come across a similar cladding/gutter detail before or would you have tackled it differently? I’d genuinely like to hear your take.
And if you haven’t watched it yet, go and watch the full video and see the problem (and the fix) in real time: https://youtu.be/4P6GkNdhKPw
Also, if you want more behind-the-scenes roofing work, access jobs, and real-world problem solving, follow me online using the links below.
Follow Me Online:
• 🌐 Website: www.dji-uk.co.uk
• 🎥 YouTube: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 🎵 TikTok: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 📸 Instagram: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 👍 Facebook: Dan the Cherry Picker Man
• ⭐ Google Business Page: DJI High Access Services – Google Search
• 🛒 Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/danthecherrypickerman?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_0H3MM4YGDVAPRTXQJAYV_1
My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: Workwear Clothing Supplier | Protective Safety Clothes
About the Author
Danny Iwanejko is the editor, curator, and publisher behind Dan the Cherry Picker Man, documenting real-world roofing and high-access jobs across Nottinghamshire and beyond. Through videos and blog posts, he shares practical problem-solving on roofs, gutters, chimneys, and awkward access work — the kind of stuff that rarely goes to plan, but always teaches you something.
