I’ve got a customer with an exterior access panel which, over time, has allowed water to get into the wall and rot out the framing.
I need to build/install a watertight access for them in addition to fix the framing.
Has anyone built a watertight access? I was thinking about building a casing out of p/t wood with a latched door with weatherstripping on the inside.
What do you think, is there a better way or a product out there for this.?
Replies
Water is insidious. Weather-stripping is a good idea as a second line of defense, but I would think about making a cover that prevented water from even getting that far.
Consider how windows are done. Can you mimic that? For example, casing with a rabbet on 3 side (top, left and right) and a panel that slides up and behind it. You could use v-strip weatherstripping to keep it snug and act as a secondary barrier. And of course you would need some kind of latch to keep it from sliding down.
If there's a manufacturer of a ready-made exterior weather-tight access panel, that would be my first choice, but I don't know of any.
If you Google access panels, you will find many sites.
"If all else fails, read the directions"
Think of the access space as an exterior niche... with a superfluous door on it. Basically you need to waterproof the framing as you would a shower niche except the water would have to shed onto the finish surface rather than the substrate.
How about using a laundry box, custom bored to accommodate your needs? Then caulk all penetrations.
Just some thoughts.
Frankie
Flay your Suffolk bought-this-morning sole with organic hand-cracked pepper and blasted salt.
Thrill each side for four minutes at torchmark haut. Interrogate a lemon.
Embarrass any tough roots from the samphire. Then bamboozle till it's al dente with that certain je ne sais quoi.
Arabella Weir as Minty Marchmont - Posh Nosh