leak from top of sliding door
#1
05-04-18, 12:04 PM
leak from top of sliding door
Hello everyone,
i have a leak from top of the sliding door inside installed a few year back. It is not very bad leak but keep dripping when it is raining. Above the door is a window new last year installed. leak happen when it is a heavy rain with wind blows same direction where is the door. leak comes from the top of the door frame and going down on side frame to the bottom inside the frame and drip at the same time a bit from the top of sliding door on the glass. i resealed all the bricks outside with mortar and new roof, gutters are clean. From the window on the second floor i do not have any leaks below the window only from the door frame on first floor not on the wall only on the frame on the door. It is old house with black paper inside like insulation. Any help with ideas where the water comes from.
i have a leak from top of the sliding door inside installed a few year back. It is not very bad leak but keep dripping when it is raining. Above the door is a window new last year installed. leak happen when it is a heavy rain with wind blows same direction where is the door. leak comes from the top of the door frame and going down on side frame to the bottom inside the frame and drip at the same time a bit from the top of sliding door on the glass. i resealed all the bricks outside with mortar and new roof, gutters are clean. From the window on the second floor i do not have any leaks below the window only from the door frame on first floor not on the wall only on the frame on the door. It is old house with black paper inside like insulation. Any help with ideas where the water comes from.
#3
05-12-18, 09:19 AM
Group Moderator
Water could be leaking in at the window above. It stays outside, runs down the tar paper or housewrap until it gets to the opening below. This is the most likely source of the problem, especially if it was replaced recently and has no exterior trim. It would be relying completely on perimeter caulking to prevent it from leaking. The brick sill of the window is also vulnerable... look for cracks in the mortar all along the brick sill, especially the ends.
If your door has a nailing fin, what is happening is that the water is running behind the nail fib, and leaking into the rough opening on top of the door. Then it comes out from the trim on the inside or runs off the ends of the door and puddles inside on the floor... or goes UNDER the floor where you don't notice it as quickly.
Brick openings are impossible to flash unless you have some trim around the exterior of the door. Hope yours has trim. If not you may be SOL.
To investigate this, you would need to remove the top trim on the inside after it leaks and identify exactly where it is wet. Then go outside and remove the top trim... and see if the nail fin is on TOP of the WRB. (Water resistive barrier... your housewrap). The WRB should actually be OVER the top nail fin. So if it is under, cut it, lift it up like a flap, and allow it to dry. Then apply a peel and stick wibdow/door flashing tape to seal the fin to the sheathing. Press it tightly to the sheathing. Then let the WRB simply lay open on top of that. This will help to ensure the top of the door is flashed correctly.
If your door does not have a nail fin, that makes it a little different. You would have to do something similar to the above, but you would have to install a z-flashing under the WRB and also under the trim, then tape the top of the z-flashing directly to the sheathing. Then replace your trim, and do not caulk the seam under the trim in order to let water out, you want to leave a gap between the trim and the z-flashing.
If your door has a nailing fin, what is happening is that the water is running behind the nail fib, and leaking into the rough opening on top of the door. Then it comes out from the trim on the inside or runs off the ends of the door and puddles inside on the floor... or goes UNDER the floor where you don't notice it as quickly.
Brick openings are impossible to flash unless you have some trim around the exterior of the door. Hope yours has trim. If not you may be SOL.
To investigate this, you would need to remove the top trim on the inside after it leaks and identify exactly where it is wet. Then go outside and remove the top trim... and see if the nail fin is on TOP of the WRB. (Water resistive barrier... your housewrap). The WRB should actually be OVER the top nail fin. So if it is under, cut it, lift it up like a flap, and allow it to dry. Then apply a peel and stick wibdow/door flashing tape to seal the fin to the sheathing. Press it tightly to the sheathing. Then let the WRB simply lay open on top of that. This will help to ensure the top of the door is flashed correctly.
If your door does not have a nail fin, that makes it a little different. You would have to do something similar to the above, but you would have to install a z-flashing under the WRB and also under the trim, then tape the top of the z-flashing directly to the sheathing. Then replace your trim, and do not caulk the seam under the trim in order to let water out, you want to leave a gap between the trim and the z-flashing.
