Leaks and more leaks

Hi,

I had new siding put on in 2006, including window and door trim that was wrapped in matching aluminum. I haven't done any maintenance because I thought the caulk they used (OSI Quad) was good for 10+ years.

Well, along comes Irene and I had water leak in to the left of the front door, and thru one set of windows both on top and underneath where the window meets the wrapped trim.

The siding company tells me their caulking is only warranted for 2 years and I should have re-caulked since then. Is that true?

I'm wanting to get more caulk to have someone re-caulk all entrance points. Should I stick with OSI Quad, and should I get the regular or VOC type?

Thanks for your help...

 

Your leaks should have nothing to do with the caulking, since caulking is really done just for appearance' sake. Your weather resistive barrier (WRB- housewrap) is the means by which your house should stay dry, and if windows are leaking it is likely because they were not incorporated into your WRB correctly. If you have leaks at windows and your windows have nailing fins, it is likely because water is getting in behind your siding, and then that water is finding it's way into the window opening, usually behind the top nailing fin. If window flashing tape would have been used during the window installation, it would help prevent leaks like this.

Door leaks are similar, but doors have the added potential to leak into the floor under the threshold if door sill pans are not used.

You didn't say what type of siding you have. But adding more caulk is likely not the solution. I have used OSI Quad on all my window and siding jobs for the last 15 years or so, and have never had to go back and recaulk anything. If some of your caulk has cracked and obviously needs to be recaulked, use more OSI Quad. The surfaces may have been dirty or oily, or they may not have used a big enough bead to provide sufficient adhesion.

If you'd like advice on what you can do to prevent these leaks from recurring, you might post some photos of the exterior that are far enough back to give us some perspective, pointing out where the leaks were, and we can try to advise you further. The correct fix will likely involve removing some siding.