Rain water through stucco

Hi all,

We just had our first major rainstorm of the season, and after that, I decided to take a look outside around the house. Unfortunately, I saw a big crack around an exterior door (which I knew about, and had intended to fix during the summer, but just never got around to it and had forgotten about it).

And unfortunately, the crack was shaped such that the bottom protrudes outward, which means that any water flowing down can easily go inside the crack.

This got me very worried that the framing/side paneling inside would get all wet, and would never try out. (This house has had many bad wood rot problems around windows in the past.) Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell from the inside because in addition to drywall, there is plywood sheating on the walls (from the inside); perhaps because of this, there is no sign of anything begin wet from the inside.

What would you guys recommend that I do in this case?

Thanks for any advice!

 

Just did a bit more investigation:

There is an opening in the wall for a single-gang box (low-voltage), so I removed it and can stick my hand inside. I can feel that the siding and the stud is in fact damp (but not soaking wet).

So, assuming that I have patched the stucco adequately to prevent future leaks, do you think the whole bay would air out adequately through this single-gang (2.25" x 3.75") hole in the wall?

 

Cover the gap with some wide tape for now to keep it from getting wetter. When it dries out this summer disinfect the gap with some bleach and water squirted into the gap. Let that dry then caulk.

 

I've painted a lot of stucco houses in fla where they have a lot of wind driven rain. Paint helps to prevent the rain from getting into the stucco. Elastromeric paint is a waterproofing paint that really works well. As TC said, patch/fill all the cracks of any size. Elastomeric paint will fill/seal minor cracks.

 

Where in California are you? Does it get hot and dry there in the summer?
If you keep it from getting any wetter it will dry. Don't forget to fix it this time.

 

Thanks, everyone!

I am in California, and it's relatively dry in the summer. However, we do get quite a bit of fog, so it's still pretty moist all year round.