Puddling water leaks over foundation
Gentleones,
This one’s a puzzler.
Our 1999 house has vinyl siding atop a poured foundation. A poured concrete deck extends from the rear of the house and is slightly below the height of the foundation wall. (The exact height is unknown as of yet–I don’t have the guts to pull off siding from the bottom up as it’s a technique I haven’t found out/discovered/had explained to me. Anybody?)
Anyway, when the snow-covered roof melts off over the frozen gutters and onto the snow-covered deck, the snow closest to the house melts… with no escape path because the rest of the deck is snow-covered, ice-dammed, and may not have been shoveled off in time to prevent that. (Let’s say I luck out, so to speak, and am on vacation when all of this is happening….)
The resulting lake of water, which is up against the house, has been observed to be at least an inch deep and, of course, flows very nicely under/over/around/between the sill plates. To prevent this flow, what I’d like to do is waterproof the house in such a way that I have a waterproof barrier six inches or more above the deck level.
I’ve given a few approaches some thought:
Cut a slit in the deck parallel to the side of the house with a masonry saw (or something) and embed a piece of copper flashing with epoxy, bend it carefully up against the side of the house, solder at the corners (there are six bends to be dealt with courtesy of a bay window and some other things), and hope for the best. (Hard work, but durable? Epoxy a good choice? Dunno.)
Apply caulking to the intersection of the deck and the foundation (which, come to think of it, may be exactly level with or, worse, below the grade of the foundation wall–that remains to be seen) and insert flashing or ice dam material, running it up the side of the house a ways. (Caulking for a long-term fix? Not likely.)
Buying a new house. (Nope. Not an option. We’re just getting this one broken in.)
Or anything else that sounds better.
Suggestions?
Many thanks,
Bill
Replies
Welcome to BT Bill and so that there's no confusion I don't quite think of myself as a gentleone...
Is it possible you could post a picture of this deck / house intersection?
The vynal.. There's a tool called a zip tool that hooks under the siding and "peels" the siding loose from the starter strip or connecting piece of siding... The one made by Malco comes with very good how to instructions... big boxes carry these tools.. Alsu you my have to peel the next course of sidinf or 2 to expose everything and to get to the fasteners holding the bottom course(s) of vynal...
So peel yur siding and let's see what's under it...There may be a lot more here than simply water proofing the exterior. You may have water / structural damage that has to be contended with..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming....
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Well, thanks! The first step, evaluating just what's under the surface, should be a lot easier knowing that there's a right tool for the job (as it were).
I'll grab one tomorrow and see what we're up against. And if I can, I'll do the picture thing, too.
Thanks!
Bill
Sounds like a freeze thaw situation, the sun is probably reflecting off off/being absorbed by the side of the house, causing the snow ice to melt and then it is freezing again when the sun no longer shines and is creeping over the sill.
You have the right idea about flashing it though, and you will have to remove some siding.
Eric
OK, I finally did it.
I pulled the vinyl off the side (which, strangely enough, didn't require the tool, but I have it just in case!) and looked and now can show you what's going on.
The first picture shows the side of the house without all of the J-channel, siding, and the piece of flashing that was added after construction. It shows the barrier overlapping a piece of galvanized flashing which extends below the concrete. This flashing, I believe, either doesn't make it to the outside of the foundation wall.
The second picture shows the piece of flashing added, the third adds in the J-channel.
The problem appears to be that the water is getting between the galvanized and the edge of the poured deck, shown in the first picture, so I need to fill that space with something waterproof, long-lasting, with a temperature coefficient the same as concrete, which will extend the "waterline," as it were, above the edge of the deck.
Some ideas, and why I don't think they'll work:
1: Backfill the gap with rope caulking, to provide backing, fill the gap with concrete-compatible epoxy, and stick that piece of flashing into the epoxy. I don't think that'll work because the Al flashing has a significantly different coefficient of expansion than the concrete.
2: Backfill the gap with rope caulking, fill the gap with hydraulic cement, and form a curb of the hydraulic cement. Problem is, it's only as good as it is tall--and the water was a couple of inches deep. Maybe this isn't a bad idea after all... Hmmm. If I make it somewhat taller, like 1/2 a course of siding, it'd even look OK. And if I slope the top of it, and flash the top of it.... Hmmm. Lots of work, but viable, maybe. QuickCrete?
3: Install some of that ice dam membrane (say, a 6" wide piece) from the galvanized upward, to provide a waterproof barrier for higher elevations, and backfill the gap with rope caulking and concrete compatible epoxy.
(I'm avoiding silicone caulking because I think rope caulking might be an easier way of just stuffing the crack full to back up the epoxy without getting any sealant on the surfaces to be "joined" by the epoxy.)
I still think the major problem is getting something embedded in the gap, that merely putting something in the crack will eventually lead to one face or the other pulling away from the epoxy.
That's why I'm leaning to the "build a curb" approach.
Thoughts? And sorry it took so long to get back to y'all on this one.
Bill