How Is Water Getting Behind My Siding?
From the looks of it, your siding appears to be the main barrier that keeps rain from permeating your home. While siding sheds water away quickly, without other essential safeguards and layers of protection, siding can’t control the rain from seeping into the structure or interior of your home. And like any other building materials, siding ages and weathers with time and eventually breaks down and falls apart.
Do not allow your house to have leaky siding! To ensure your siding is up-to-date and up-to-snuff, call SFW Construction for a free phone consultation on your home siding today!
Top Causes of Water Behind Your Siding
- Failure to install house wrap and other moisture barriers beneath the siding
- Insufficient application of caulk or caulking that has deteriorated
- Improper installment or lack of flashing around home thresholds
- Natural wear and tear have degraded the quality of siding
- Poor installation of siding with loose siding joints that allow water to enter or damage the home
- Clogged gutters force rainwater to overflow onto the house instead of away from it
- A roof that is leaky and in disrepair allows water to seep behind the siding
- Extreme weather events and high-velocity rain that force moisture behind the siding
How Water Penetrates Siding
Perhaps the number one cause of water getting behind the siding is the natural wear and tear process in which the siding breaks down. Being outside and constantly exposed to extreme changes in temperature causes siding to expand and contract throughout the seasons until eventually the joints and gaps in the material widen, allowing rain to permeate the home. From time to time, you should check your siding to ensure it tightly meshes together.
Leaky siding may also be due to poor caulking, in which gaps are not adequately filled, or caulking that has deteriorated over time. Cracked or peeling caulking must be repaired and reapplied so that it keeps unwanted moisture out of your home.
Gutters clogged with leaves and debris can cause rainwater to overflow and spill down your home’s siding. If water starts to spill, it is easier to find openings to inundate your home. Your gutters must remain clean and clear to function correctly and channel the water away from your home. A little effort goes a long way!
Poorly installed siding can result in gaps and loose siding joints that are vulnerable to water inundation. And failure to apply weather-resistant barriers beneath the siding results in an inferior rain barrier.
An old roof that is deteriorating may enable rainwater to penetrate the home’s structure, which can flow behind your gutters. Hard driving rain and intense wind can cause water to seep into your home. For all these reasons, it’s essential to ensure your siding system is in good working order, so you do not have leaky siding.
Maintain Your Siding to Protect Your Home
Because there are so many ways that water can permeate your siding and deteriorate your home. It is of utmost importance to ensure that your siding, gutters, and roof are all in tip-top condition. The various portions of your home’s exterior all work together to protect from the weather, and an issue in one area can cause problems in another.
SFW Construction is a full-scale general contractor specializing in siding repair and installation. We also renovate homes to provide the utmost weather protection. Call us for a free consultation on how to update your home exterior today!
Multiple Layers of Protection
Siding is the most effective when used with other protective and weather-resistant materials. Siding in tandem with High-performance Moisture Barriers such as house wrap, drain wrap, and rain screens can protect your house from the elements. Suppose your home was built without these reinforcing materials or became dilapidated over time. In that case, installing them will provide optimal protection against rain.
SFW Construction uses DrainWrap, a high caliber layer of home protection manufactured by DuPont Tyvek, as the base layer of weather protection. We install rain screens that provide an air gap and whisk rain and moisture off and away from your home. Tyvek® DrainWrap™ deters water intrusion by directing water away from the interior wall structure of your home. Siding employed on top of these multiple layers of protection provides the best defense against rainy wet weather.
Sealing the Gaps
Even top-notch siding used with protective house wrap can malfunction if not installed properly, leading to corrosive water inundation of your home. During the siding installation process, it is essential to use the correct tape to connect the flashing and adequate caulking to seal any additional gaps. Any cracks or breaks in the continuity of the siding exposed to the influx of weather will allow moisture to seep in. It may be difficult to tell, but the most effective caulking fills gaps where water can enter but does not fill gaps where moisture can escape the home.
The Miracle of Flashing
Although flashing might sound like a risky adjective, it’s a fancy term for materials that are applied primarily at the junctures where your home interfaces with the outer world. Including windows, window frames, doors, chimneys, and other thresholds. Typically in the form of a tape or sheet, flashing serves to protect your home from inundation of rain and moisture. Proper flashing keeps water out and controls air leakage, keeping your home protected and dry while increasing energy efficiency.