In the past when installing doors and windows a vapour barrier warp was install to prep the area before installation, however lately I have noticed that some installer apple either a ice sheild membrane under the sile or a metal flashing should I be doing the same???
George
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Replies
Yes
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All windows and doors leak at some point. Sill pans, whether bituminous, metal, or plastic, will protect the house from the leaking and windblown water.
Mike
I would assume a simple product to use would be Ice Sheild, layed under the door or window frame, and extend out just over the exterior finish??
George
That is the simplest approach.
It depends where you're located. I'm used to building on the New England coast, where you have to plan for frequent "horizontal rain." Wind will find any tiny cracks and blow water in. The problem with a simple ice and water membrane pan is that there is no dam on the inside. Sure, if water drips straight down through the window it will sit on the membrane but usually when the window is leaking, it's blowing pretty hard outside.
A technique I just learned at a Joe Lstiburek seminar seems like the best and easiest way. Frame your rough openings 3/4" taller than normal. On the rough sill, put down a clapboard, sloping out. On the inside edge of the sill nail on a 3/4" x 3/4" strip. Wrap all this with ice and water membrane and up the side jambs. Now you have a sill pan that will drain to daylight, has a dam to stop windblown water, and won't build out your opening too much or cost too much.
The conventional technique is to seal the membrane tight to the housewrap, but what I like to do is leave a strip of the backing paper on and run the membrane over the siding, a couple of courses down from the window sill. That lets the pan drain to daylight as quickly as possible.
Mike,When you set your door frame on the dam, how is the threshold supported? Am I picturing you description wrong? Is the 3/4"x3/4" strip behind the threshold? Or, underneath. I'm assuming underneath. If it is behind, how do you transition the flooring? If it's underneath don't you end up with a gap? I would greatly appreciate clarification as I am looking for a better way to seal door openings.Thanks,OttEdited: Sorry, I just reread the thread and realized that you were talking about windows not doors. I am still very interested if you have methods for door openings.
Edited 6/3/2007 2:11 pm ET by ottcarpentry
For doors, on this job I tried Jambsil. Won't do that again. Best I've found is custom copper pans. Next best is lead. Third best is ice and water shield, with the inside portion scrunched up to make a dam. Fourth best is same as third, except your dumba** coworker cuts off the excess you want to make the dam out of.
Best of all is to protect exterior doors with some sort of roof overhang, so they don't get slammed with water. And use the copper pan.
We have to follow manufacturer's installation instructions...the inspector has to be provided a copy. Some, like Jeld Wen lines are a major pain. JLC had a great article on applying the window tape on brick moulded windows, time consuming, but it works.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law.
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa.
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Which manufacturer's doors do you prefer--for fiberglass? for steel?
Honestly, I have issues with all of 'em<G> Actually the doors from almost any manufacturer are fine, it's the frames that kill me. Headers longer or shorter than the sills, wild mortices, mis-placed latch and strike mortices, staple blow outs, astragals too long...etc, etcBut, ThermaTru steel and fiberglass can be passable (depends who and what distributer put them together), Integrity can be great or awful, Marvin is usually ok, Norco (Jeld Wen) just plain sucks, but their Pozzies have been nice... the best luck I've had is with Simpson wood doors. And then, it seems like the more expensive the door, the worse everything is!so, what was the question? <G> I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Well, she talks to all the servants
About man and God and law.
Everybody says
She's the brains behind pa.
She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
Yes! If you want a quality installation. On the sill we use the membrane and a copper pan.