By Monte Leeper
Untitled Document
Q. We just had new vinyl siding put on our house. The
professional siding company told us it would “button up” our
leaking window and wet wall problem. It hasn’t. We have mold and
mildew on our walls, near the bottom, and the rain we’ve had caused
our carpet to get wet. We don’t have a basement, and live on a raised
floor slab, so I’m pretty sure it isn’t from groundwater, which
is why we sided. What can we do?
A. I’ve looked at many homes since the onslaught
of heavy rains in the past few months, and I’ve seen a common theme:
the lack of waterproofing techniques employed by
“professionals.” That term refers to people who get paid for
their services. Many think “professional” implies that they
know what they’re doing. Their spokesman, usually the owner, probably
does know how to do the job right, but I have found over the years that
there are those who are most concerned with the appearance of the work,
hoping to get paid quickly and move on. They gamble that any problems will
be minimal and you won’t call them back. They also gamble that their
employees have done at least an adequate job, or that the weather for the
next 20 years looks good.
The most important thing to remember about exterior
materials — brick, stucco, vinyl siding, wood or stone — is
that they all need waterproofing materials behind them and around them to
prevent water intrusion. Water gets in, as you’ve seen, because
during those intense downpours, the atmosphere is so saturated and the air
pressure so extreme that moisture moves in every direction, so the openings
where water drips from also have water forced into them. Picture your house
being wet behind the facing. Backup material, whether it’s tar paper,
synthetic fiberglass-reinforced “house wrap” or plastic
membranes, will leak through gaps, seams overlapped upward instead of
downward, or unsealed edges. (Incidentally, independent testing by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology has revealed that tar paper
is still a more protective moisture barrier.)
Unless your house was carefully waterproofed with
caulking and sealing around windows and door openings, at wall base
connections, corners, wire and conduit openings, and any other kind of
joint, it is not really waterproofed properly. Instead, the exterior
material is relied on to do the job. Start at the top of your home. Analyze
the roof, rain gutters and any penetrating elements, such as skylights,
vent stacks and chimneys. Look for openings. Determine whether
they’re venting openings, which must be preserved, and whether they
drain properly. Never seal a venting or drainage point. You may, however,
need to check for backup waterproofing. For instance, a brick wall requires
a backup membrane and weep holes at the base of the wall behind the brick.
If you see holes in the brick joint every 16 inches or so, leave them
alone. Sealing them will cause water to accumulate rather than drain. Work
your way down the walls and around the windows. Is everything sealed? If
you still can’t find the leak, you may need to remove exterior
materials in the area, but call a qualified waterproofing
“professional” for a consultation first. Good luck!
