Water Behind Siding

At yanish we find water damage behind the siding of roughly 1 in 6 homes.

Water behind siding.

Water damage is risky business. Inspect the area above the leak including both indoors and out. This old house general contractor tom silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding. There are many brands to choose from.

Water passing over wood and other building materials but behind the vinyl siding can easily pick up pigments that stain the foundation wall outside. The siding made from portland cement sand cellulose and other additives is available with smooth or simulated wood grain finishes. The damage can compromise a building s structural integrity. Wrinkled housewraps are manufactured with small corrugations in the surface a feature that is designed to turn the material into a drainage plane behind the siding.

If the builder failed to install a weather barrier this sort of staining is more likely. When water and snow create moisture behind it the siding no longer offers the protection necessary to keep your home safe. It easily hides beneath siding materials and often shows no obvious signs to untrained eyes. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding.

See below for a shopping list and tools subscr. 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. Walls longer than 16 feet. 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.

There s no universal agreement on how effective these very shallow undulations are in allowing water to drain away. It also performs the important function of protecting the interior walls from the outside elements. Check to be sure weep holes are open along bottom of window openings. Not all have wood rot but the damage would progress to rot in time.