Home project woes - Need help...

[Neil Gaskin]

You may have success with the original builder/remodeler if they are reputable. If this was one of our projects I would want to come by and take to determine the cause. If the cause was removal of the ptac unit, I may not cover the cost, but if the cause is something that is a result of something we did incorrectly or that failed prematurely we would likely take care of it.

[Raymond Fries]

I was hoping I could figure this out but it looks like I will have to get the contractor to help. He was rated highly on Angie's List and will take care of it if it was something that was not done exactly right when installed. I am just so happy that this got discovered now before it turned to rotten wood. I would hate to see what to would take to repair the bottom of walls.

Thanks to everyone for the tips and help. I will post what wqs found and the fix.

[Raymond Fries]

Here is an update...

The contractor that built the room came today to help identify the problem. He could see nothing wrong with his work but we did discover a potential culprit. When the dehumidifier was installed, they never sealed the hole where the drain line exited the wall as seen here:Leak8.jpg
I can insert my index finger all the way in that hole. Water would have been coming in there for over a year. Do you think that enough water could come in there to travel around the room? Notice the channel created by the heat tape that spirals around the PVC.

Thoughts please.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Depends on which way it faces & what direction you get most of your weather from.

If you get your weather from the W/SW and that's where it's located then, yeah - it could easily allow that much in.

OTOH - if it faces North, then it's not likely.

[Phil Thien]

A hole like that would allow quite a bit of water in, but I'd think the staining near the hole would be darker/higher. That is, if the hole was the source of the problem, I think it would be fairly evident on the inside.

But I could be wrong and often am.

Edit to add: Any chance the problem is condensation? Warm/moist air hitting the freezing outer edges of the slab in winter? If the staining is truly even around the enter perimeter, I think it might be possible.

[Chris Padilla]

Maybe this is a crazy idea but take a hose to the area and simulate some rain...see what happens...where the water goes.

[Scott Hearn]

If that siding gets enough rain it sure looks like it to me. It's right under the lap of the piece above. Water will come off that lap and follow that heat tape right in.

[Raymond Fries]

This wall faces N/NW and we really had some hard rain the end if last week. The rain does hit that wall when it rains hard. I asked the contractor about condensation and he said he doubted it because of the way the Anderson windows are constructed that it would be extremely difficult for that small amount of moisture to travel inside. We did flood the wall with water for about 20 minutes and could not see it inside next to the PTAC opening which is about 15' from the drain hole.

I used duct tape to close the hole tonight as it might rain tomorrow. This weekend I plan to move the dehumidifier, replace the siding, plug the hole, and remove the baseboard on the back wall. That will show if there is more staining in that area than the others. Hopefully that hole is the culprit and I can move on.

I hope it stays dry or I will be doing the hose test that someone earlier in this tread recommended.

Thanks all...

[Neil Gaskin]

A hole that size could certainly allow enough water in. If nothing else its a good place to start and good to seal for a variety of reasons.

[Todd Burch]

I'm going to bet condensation from the slab. Was 6mil plastic used under the slab? Does the inside of the structure go through temperature extremes quickly? Is yours a humid climate?

Todd

[Jim Matthews]

Do you think that enough water could come in there to travel around the room? Notice the channel created by the heat tape that spirals around the PVC.

Thoughts please.

Yep. Bet the dehumidifier leaks, too.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm going to bet condensation from the slab. Was 6mil plastic used under the slab? Does the inside of the structure go through temperature extremes quickly? Is yours a humid climate?

Todd

+1 on this.

Concrete acts like a sponge, drawing water from high concentrations and
dispensing it on the dry side. My basement shows signs of "efflorescence"
when hydrostatic pressure was great.

http://www.concreteconstruction.net/...remove-it.aspx

[Raymond Fries]

Bingo - Found a problem that I think is replicted around the entire room. The concrete inside was dry before I started. On the outside, there are gaps where the horizontal siding above the windows meets the vertical siding that was installedbetweenthe windows. You can see this in thepictures earlier inthisthread. I used a watering wand and sprayed water on the gap atthe top of the board where there was vertical staining on the paneling inside. After about 5 minutes, there was a pool of water on the concrete inside. There gaps are around the entire room.

I called the contractor and told him what I discovered. He said he would come next week an seal all of the gaps with paintable silicone.

I am really disturbed that this leaks like this. Is his solution a good one? I plan on taping everything off to keep clean lines. Should the gaps between the windows be sealed as well? When he was here to look at it, he told me there was some kind of taps to seal the windows. Now I am not sure if there was shortcuts in his work. I just want to ensure thisis fixed correctly and permanantly.

What is the best paintble silicone to use?

Thanks for any advice.

[Phil Thien]

Don't let him just show up and caulk things.

I'd want to pull the casing around the windows and look at the flashing.

[Raymond Fries]

Don't let him just show up and caulk things.

I'd want to pull the casing around the windows and look at the flashing.

Does this mean that if the flashing around the room was not properly installed, it would account for the leaks in the gaps on the trim boards?

The wood is cedar and will be destroyed to pull it off. In addition, the downspouts will have to be removed to get to the trim boards at the end of the room.

Here are construction pictures of the room with the windows installed on the back wall.Leak10.jpgLeak11.jpg

Does this look right?