any ideas how to find leak in sliding glass door?

[vash]

damn. i hate leaks.

i have a stucco house. this particular door is exposed to the elements. there is no overhang or patio to keep blowing rain from hitting it. when the rain does hit right, like it is now; it leaks from the top. to be exact. water is weeping from the inside trim-wood, right where it is butted up against the vinyl door interior.

i was kinda thinking of waiting for summer and having the door removed and check how the waterproofing was done or not done. and reinstalling it.

i took Sika sealant on our last dry spell and hit the top seam. between the door exterior and the stucco. clearly, i didnt get it.

i could pull the interior trim and see if i can see the leak from the inside.

tips? this is the one fault i have found with the new house so far..so i consider myself lucky still.

[wdfifteen]

Look higher. It may not be the door that is leaking.

[Bugsinrugs]

Stucco without a overhang will almost always leak. I've had three stucco homes and they all leaked.
I've painted with elastomeric paint and anything else that was recommended. Nothing worked. Is this a Spanish style home with a flat roof?

[MRM]

One thing I can do is diagnose a door or window leak in a stucco house. If the water is coming from behind the interior wood trim it means that it is coming in over the top of the door frame and into the house. That means the flashing/weather barrier at the top of the door isn't continuous. Do you have a drip cap over the top of the door? I'm guessing you don't and the joint between the stucco and door frame isn't caulked. Can you post a reasonably close up picture of the exterior corner where the water seems to be getting in? Also, what is above the door? Are there any vents or other penetrations or gables? Sometimes the water drains from above and collects on the door frame where it pools until it eventually finds its way inside. The upshot is that the door isn't leaking but there is something wrong with the installation. It might not be a big deal if it's just a matter of caulking an unsealed penetration.

[john70t]

Use a candle, with patience.

Use a $35 Harborfreight infrared thermometer on the walls to find the coldest areas.

[look 171]

I am not sure what you are describing but I almost want to say the flashing or waterproofing is no good or worn under the stucco. More like sloppy workmanship. Its a newer home, right?

There is no fix except tear out the stuccl around the door and re-flash it then stucco over it again.

Sorry to hear, Vash.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Bugsinrugs

Stucco without a overhang will almost always leak. I've had three stucco homes and they all leaked.
I've painted with elastomeric paint and anything else that was recommended. Nothing worked. Is this a Spanish style home with a flat roof?

damn. this is a 70's house with a flat roof. i have that plastic welded seam IB ROOFING system and it is brand new. 1.5 years old..and fully warrantied.

i'll post up some pics tomorrow. i might pony up the money for some patio overhang, if i can figure out how not to make it look retarded. a drip cap..hmm..that is missing. that might be a good start.

[ckelly78z]

It's very difficult to stop a leak from the inside. I would bide my time, and wait for better dry weather and go at it from the outside. Don't be afraid to scrape all caulk away and re-seal.

[dad911]

PLs post a pic of the area above the door......

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by look 171

I am not sure what you are describing but I almost want to say the flashing or waterproofing is no good or worn under the stucco. More like sloppy workmanship. Its a newer home, right?

There is no fix except tear out the stuccl around the door and re-flash it then stucco over it again.

Sorry to hear, Vash.

+1

If there are no other protrusions above the door, it sounds like a problem with the flashing. Pictures, both interior and exterior, would help, especially with the interior trim removed. Stucco is not water proof. It's the membrane behind the stucco that keeps water out. If that membrane is pierced or the flashing not properly installed, you will get an interior leak. Something as simple as a nail hole through the flashing that isn't covered/sealed could be causing your problem. Even a hole in the membrane could allow water to run down a stud to the door header and into the house. Any of these causes is a stucco removal repair, as look 171 mentioned.

[vash]

Originally Posted by dad911

PLs post a pic of the area above the door......

roger.

tomorrow. thanks everyone. amazing what the regular person does and doesnt think about when buying a house..

unprotected sliding glass door in stucco walls, and bamboo..sheesh.

[URY914]

https://www.flexsealsale.com/flxsl/5.0000/index.dtm?mid=7975372&otsrid=144726f0-ce07-457b-be13-5287b3b7626d

[look 171]

Originally Posted by vash

roger.

tomorrow. thanks everyone. amazing what the regular person does and doesnt think about when buying a house..

unprotected sliding glass door in stucco walls, and bamboo..sheesh.

Don't kick yourself in the ass aobut that. No one can see that coming.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

+1

If there are no other protrusions above the door, it sounds like a problem with the flashing. Pictures, both interior and exterior, would help, especially with the interior trim removed. Stucco is not water proof. It's the membrane behind the stucco that keeps water out. If that membrane is pierced or the flashing not properly installed, you will get an interior leak. Something as simple as a nail hole through the flashing that isn't covered/sealed could be causing your problem. Even a hole in the membrane could allow water to run down a stud to the door header and into the house. Any of these causes is a stucco removal repair, as look 171 mentioned.

The one thing most people or installers don't understand is that they think the felt paper is there to stop moisture and jsut applying another is fine. It is not. It must be overlapped. I have seen lots of repair jobs where the bastards get lazy and not overlap that paper then the problem will turn into a monster in a few years. I do a lot of btiching about that on my job is there's a new guy working for my stucco sub. With enough btiching, you think they learn but most often don't because they are lazy and take the easy way out.

[Bugsinrugs]

The older Spanish style homes that I owned had thin cellulose paper under the stucco. Termites love cellulose. They used it as a hi way to the damp wood under the stucco. Amazing that a stucco house will stay upright without any wood behind it.

[Evans, Marv]

If you have a scupper(s) in the vicinity above the leak, it/they could be a leak source. They're notorious for leaking. The need to be serviced every couple of years by applying asphalt coating or elastomeric paint inside the trough.

[LWJ]

Great comments on flashing. Wd15 may be correct about looking higher. It isn't always what you think.

Good luck! I had a stucco house in Portland that was fantastic.
Larry

[vash]

pics today..but you'all gave me lots to think about..i think taking the door down and redoing the stucco correctly around the perimeter might be the ticket. maybe even a decorative and functional awning.

i dont want to chase a leak around with a tube of sikaflex..no thanks.

[berettafan]

just replaced a door on the rear of our house that had no overhang to protect it. $2,400 is enough to convince me I need to get some sort of overhang on it.

[vash]

good thing i have a healthy EMERGENCY fund. i want to fix this right.

you all gave me LOTS to think about. and i took a closer look. my door appears to be installed by some chuckle-head. the stucco patch above the door looks like "my work". it was clearly a patch.

i'm gonna get three quotes to do all the work right. maybe add an awning of some sorts.

here are the pics. no drip pan/gutter thing. neighbor said the lady had some guy applying some sealant above the door,so it must have leaked on her too..shame on me for not catching it on any report. she didnt disclose it for sure. whatever. onward, and upward. the adjacent window does not leak at all.

pics.