Need help with odd leak when it rains
I have a leak problem when it rains real hard from one direct at my house. The side of the house that leaks is bottom half brick (full brick with an air gap between brick and sheathing) and upper 1/2 vinyl siding. The siding appears to overlaps the brick and best I can tell from the ground there is no flashing between the brick and siding.
Best I can tell is when it rains hard (like sideways, LOL) enough water is getting through the siding, running down the tyvek and behind the brick. Here is where the problem lies. The water hits the brick lintels above the two basement block windows on that side and leaks in around the upper frame, where the builder obviously did not flash and merely used spray foam to seal the gap between the lintel and the rim joist. In one location you can actually see the stranes of tyvek poking through the gap too, LMAO.
The bottom of the walls have weep holes and there is no other moisture problems that I can tell (pulled all the insulation from the the rim joist on that side and saw no signs of water). All the weeps in the bottoms of the siding courses apear to be open and the joints are staggered good aswell. Like I said this only happens when it rains sideways on that side of the house for a while, like today and oddly enough does NOT occur on the other side of the house when it rains that way, LOL
I’m looking for suggestions to fix this. I have brain storms everything from drilling weep holes on the out side just above the windows and caulking the inside so the water will either run out the new weeps or be forced to run sideways to the bottom weeps holes to installing Z-flashing at the siding to brick joint to force the water from behind the siding out to the exterior of the brick, and a couple of others that I will not mention here out of embarassment, LOL. But I need to do something as the buckets clash with the decore of my nearly finished basement (I’m glad I started working from the opposite side, LOL)
I’m pretty DIY capable, having grown up with a builder for a step dad and buidling houses with him.
Unfortunatley the builder of my house (build a whole sub) went bankrupt, fled the state and as it turns out did just about every shady thing a builder could do in business (The HOA spent nearly a year getting LEINS removed from peoples houses that the builder used as collateral on another sub, AFTER he had sold the house!), LOL so putting this back on him is out. House is build in 2002 and we are the original owners.
Thanks in advance,
J-
Replies
All you need is a LARGE tarp.
tarp, LOL
Yeah that was my first thought but the wife and the HOA put a kibosh on that, LOL.
J-
"installing Z-flashing at the siding to brick joint"
That's the ticket, assuming there is Tyvek behind the vinyl. You may need to remove the bottom piece of siding, slit the Tyvek, slide the flashing in, and reinstall the siding.... and you may have to get Z flashing made to the size/shape needed.
Thanks Dan, I was hoping that it would that "easy". My other "solution" was to remove the course of brick above each block window unit and install through wall flashing at that point, but the z-flashing at the siding.brick intersection would be much easier.
I have a place near me that I think sells z-flashing that would be big enough and if not my step dad has a siding break so I could always bend some up myself if needed. I also know that there is Tyvek behind the siding, I saw it when they were actually siding my house when built, when I drove by one day to check on the progress.
Thanks
J-
The siding appears to overlaps the brick and best I can tell from the ground there is no flashing between the brick and siding.
Are the face of the siding and the face of the brick on the same plane or is the siding set back with the back of both materials on the same plane?
If the latter is the case, then a flashing needs to be installed behind the house wrap and over the brick at the siding/brick junction.
It's simple enought to remove vinyl siding and perform this. Might be a good idea to remove all the siding and get a good look at the house wrap. Maybe use a rain screen when re-installing the siding.
The water hits the brick lintels above the two basement block windows on that side and leaks in around the upper frame, where the builder obviously did not flash and merely used spray foam to seal the gap between the lintel and the rim joist. In one location you can actually see the stranes of tyvek poking through the gap too,
Drilling weep holes won't help unless there's flashing to catch the water below them. About the only really good option you have is to cut the brick out above the lintel and flash it. But, before considering that, I'd flash above at the vinyl/brick junction and see if that stops it.
the back of the siding is even with the front of the brick if that makes sense. If you look straight up the brick you see the bottom of the first course of siding.
I want to fix this the right way as it obviously was not done the right way to being with. So either it is gonna be flash btwn the siding and brick or remove brick and flash above the windows. I'm capable of doing both myself.
I'll try flashing the siding first as that should only take me a couple of hours.
J-
I can't quite picture the setup, but remember that vinyl siding is not "waterproof" - there are weepholes along all bottom "edges/projections."
And brick isn't waterproof either.
I'm thinking you'll have to pull some brick and flash and wephole those windows