Water Behind Wood Siding

In this video this old house general contractor tom silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding.

Water behind wood siding. At yanish we find water damage behind the siding of roughly 1 in 6 homes. Lack of gutters installed on the top roof of the home. The siding made from portland cement sand cellulose and other additives is available with smooth or simulated wood grain finishes. The most common causes of water damage behind vinyl siding include the following.

Water passing over wood and other building materials but behind the vinyl siding can easily pick up pigments that stain the foundation wall outside. It is a misconception that vinyl siding doesn t need a water resistant barrier system. Check to be sure weep holes are open along bottom of window openings. So if this happens you will need to remove or replace the siding quickly before rot sets in.

How to prevent water from flowing under vinyl siding. The damage can compromise a building s structural integrity. Tracking down the leaks in a vinyl sided building. If the builder failed to install a weather barrier this sort of staining is more likely.

Inspect the area above the leak including both indoors and out. Water can also seep in behind faux stone and other external walls around your home. As water flows off the roof it is important that it is channeled away from the headers using flashing. Rainwater from missing or improperly placed gutters can end up behind siding.

Here the biggest danger is water seeping in behind your siding and causing permanent damage to more vulnerable materials. Although vinyl is impervious to water when installed as directed by the manufacturer vinyl siding as a whole is not completely watertight. This is especially true during wind driven rain when high air pressure forces water to flow through small openings at siding joints overlaps nail holes and other gaps see photo. While wood siding brick vinyl and other exterior finishes may appear watertight in fact all residential cladding systems allow some water to penetrate.

It easily hides beneath siding materials and often shows no obvious signs to untrained eyes. Not all have wood rot but the damage would progress to rot in time. Planks are 12 feet long x 5 16 inches thick and they come in a half dozen widths which means weather exposures can vary from 4 inches to 10 3 4 inches. When siding is put back behind the gutter the lowest piece of flashing running down the pitch of the roof above must be fashioned to divert water into the gutter not behind the siding.

Allowing mold to continue to grow under your siding can have a number of consequences.