Home project woes - Need help...

[Raymond Fries]

I removed the PTAC unit in our greenhouse after we installed a mini split last year. The project was to just replace the paneling with the PTAC cutout with new wood to hide the hole. I pulled off the trim pieces and started on the paneling and this is what I found.

Leak1.jpgLeak0.jpgLeak2.jpg

The water stain runs the length of the 14’ wall and it appears that the leak has been going on for some time now. There is no trace of water stain on the cedar trim piece that ran along the floor. I plan to remove the trim pieces on the other two walls to see if the stains are on the other two walls as well. The concrete and bottom of the paneling is currently wet. The room was added on 4 years ago. Can anyone offer suggestions on how this is leaking? Can anyone offer advice on how this can be fixed?

We did have a problem with icy windows last winter with the dehumidifier problems but I doubt that this problem accounts for all of this water stain.

I am so glad this got discovered now.

[Phil Thien]

Well if the base isn't wet/stained, the water must be getting wicked up from outside, no?

How about an outside pic or two?

[Raymond Fries]

Good thought Phil.

Here are the outside pictures.
Leak4.jpgLeak3.jpgLeak5.jpg

Where the siding overlaps by the leaf on the plant is the right side of the PTAC hole. The PTAC was centered over the plant. I cannot see where water would wick by looking at what I have here.

Any ideas?

[Phil Thien]

How far below the top of the slab is the bottom of the last course of siding? Water (from rain, snow melt, or watering vegetation) would be wrapping around that bottom edge and finding its way in.

I'd probably zip that bottom course of siding's bottom edge off and take a look behind there. You may find yourself installing some drip edge there.

[Phil Thien]

BTW, are you sure the cedar base isn't wet? Cedar doesn't always stain the same way as pine/plywood do, and someone may be using an abundance of water to mop that floor, too.

[Raymond Fries]

I can feel concrete about an inch above the bottom edge of the last course of siding. The concrete might be higher but my finger stops. Is there a standard distance that the siding should drop below the concrete?

[Phil Thien]

Well I don't think the water is travelling up over an inch, not in that volume?

What about the possibility someone is mopping the floor with too lots of water?

How do things look behind the plywood, can you remove a piece and does the staining extend further into the wall?

[Raymond Fries]

Mop water is a good thought but it cannot be that. There is a little water staining on the back side of the baseboard piece. I pulled the baseboard off on the other side ofthe room and there is water stain along the entire length of the room as well. I am going to pull the. baseboard on the back wall tomorrow to look at that as well. I called the contractor that built the room and he is going to come in a couple of days to look at it. I sure hope this is an easy fix.

Pulling the plywood is a good idea and I might do that after the contractor comes.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Neil Gaskin]

Water leaks can often be difficult to find. From the pictures you posted there is no obvious problem. Can you take a wider picture of the side of the house from the exterior. If you cannot find an obvious sign directly above it may be runing along the floor after it enters the house from another point. Keep opening up until you find the source or until you run out of wet plate. It may have nothing to do with the removed ptac unit. Ill stop short of promising your problem isnt with the siding overhang but its highly unlikely. If you recently had a really bad driving rain, like sideways, then maybe, but not probable. Your clearance above grade looks good.

[Raymond Fries]

Neil,

Here are a couple pictures.
In Leak6, the paneling has water stain the full length of the room.
In Leak7, there is also water stain on the paneling the full length of the room. I pulled the baseboard loose on the back wall on the right end of the room in the picture (left inside of the room) and there is water stain in the corner. So based on your comments, I wonder if there is a leak at both corners up by the roof and the water is working its way down and traveling along the plate.



Thoughts please.Leak6.jpgLeak7.jpg

[Neil Gaskin]

At any place where you see the water stain along the base does it travel up the wall? I hate trying to find water leaks. Based on what I could see from the pictures there are no obvious deficiencies in the exterior. If you have soft spots, areas of rot, or failed sealant on the exterior I would start there. The best suggestion I can give you now is water test it with a hose at "normal" pressure, you do not want to use pressure higher than what you would expect rain to deliver. This will take some time to do properly and ideally takes 2 people. You start at the base level and slowly work your way around the structure moving from bottom up spraying it down with water. You want move in about 1' increments moving upward soaking each area for several minutes at a time. It may take time for the water in a slow leak to work its way through the structure. Keep going until you start to see water on the inside and then stop and figure out how it's getting in. Also, the first spot you find may not be the only spot. With out putting eyes on it personally I can't see anything glaring out as the problem. Wish I had a silver bullet.

Neil,

Here are a couple pictures.
In Leak6, the paneling has water stain the full length of the room.
In Leak7, there is also water stain on the paneling the full length of the room. I pulled the baseboard loose on the back wall on the right end of the room in the picture (left inside of the room) and there is water stain in the corner. So based on your comments, I wonder if there is a leak at both corners up by the roof and the water is working its way down and traveling along the plate.



Thoughts please.Leak6.jpgLeak7.jpg

[Raymond Fries]

Everywhere there is staining, the water travels up. The concrete below the PTAC unit is still wet today. Luckily there is no soft wood yet but there are some really dark stains so this has been leaking probably since the room was built in 2011. Good thing that this this got discovered now.

What is going to be hard is trying to see the concrete. I laid the tile after the room was built. The paneling was installed to touch the concrete floor. The tile is spaced between 1/8" and about 1/2" away from the paneling. The tile is about 3/8" thick and with the grout the gap is about 1/2" deep. Hopefully the contractor will have the silver bullet. The warranty on the room was for one year but this looks like something got missed so not I am not sure how any repair costs will go.

[Neil Gaskin]

Does the water travel up the wall the same amount in all places or is there a place where it looks like it may be coming from above?

[Bryan Rocker]

One thought is that you don't have enough drainage away from the slab. If your concrete is wet it might be the source. When you built the addition did you put drain tile around the perimeter and give the water a place to flow?

[Raymond Fries]

Neil - Where there is staining it seems to be close to a uniform height across the room except on the back wall right at the corner there is a tall and then it drops really low.

Brian - Do not know if they installed a drain tile. The concrete is wet on the top next to the plate and dry outside on the vertical surface.