Big rain yesterday/lots of wind too.
My son in laws house has a water leak we are looking for.
one possibility is that the z flashing above a tripple window is “open” slightly, that is, it starts out under the hardieplank siding ok, comes down, turns out, and rolls across the top edge of the window trim top piece ok , but then the small end part that hangs down (about 1/2 inch) in front of the top window trim piece (I need a camera!!) is open about 1/8 to 3/16 inch – that is, its not nailed to the window top board or caulked.
what is standard practice?
Thanks
Replies
Ideally the Z flashing should be "open" (bent in less of a Z) slightly so that the "horizontal" surface slopes away from the house and the front edge of the horizonal section is touching the front edge of the trim. Then no caulking should be necessary.
Also, nails in the flashing should be avoided, except those used to fasten it to the sheathing.
Some windows come with a factory-applied plastic flashing that is fertilizer. The plastic will tend to curl over time and lift up from the top of the window trim, leaving gaps. This should be replaced with real flashing.
It shouldn't be nailed to the top piece of trim. That would create a hole, through which the moisture could infiltrate.
It's real difficult to mess up a drip cap (z-trim). The thing should be firm, but not overly tight, against the trim. It will overhang the trim just a bit, creating a "cap" look (visualize the visor on a ball-cap). It will slope slightly away from the house, and will overhang the sides of the window trim by a slight amount.
I have seen a bead of caulking run under the things... but I definitely wouldn't do it. Moisture naturally develops and the bead of caulking does more to hold the water in, than keep anything out.
On the other hand, it IS very possible that there is no flashing around the window flanges. This would be more my guess, than the drip cap. This fix is a bit harder... requires removing the siding and installing the flashing..
Before I'd do this (remove the siding)... I would try everything I could to determine if the flashing was installed... hopefully he had the house built and paid close attention to the detail?
I also would look for the source of the water infiltration (above the window; possibly as high as the roof or perhaps, in rare occurrences, the soffits). See if you can stop it there. Note: I am thinking a swirling wind and rainstorm when I speak of the soffits.
Also... is it a "leak" or more of a "moisture spot"? A small amount of moisture could be from some kind of condensation.. that has no place to naturally be removed from the house. "Leak"... more like a spot that appears only after a rain (snow) event.
One other thing... water takes the path of least resistance and will follow framing members until it hits a roadblock. For example, it is possible to have a leak as a result of ice damming ... that will back up under the shingles... then manifest itself at a header above a window... after it has traveled down the rafter, over the top plate, and down the stud. If this is the case, there may be a moisture spot on the ceiling above the window... as well as at the header above the window itself.
I guess before I wrote all of this.. I guess I should have asked you to explain in detail the whats, wheres, etc of the leak. Oh well, since I already wrote it... I'll just leave it for general information!
Edited 3/1/2005 10:10 am ET by Rich from Columbus
Edited 3/1/2005 10:30 am ET by Rich from Columbus