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two windows above each other. vinyl siding on wall. trim around windows warped with aluminum . small leak inside house above lower window. where to look for water entering house. this is a two years ago renovation by slam bam contractors jrrjrr
How did you ever get hooked up with slam bam contractors?
What did they tell you that convinced you they were the right ones for the job?
Was it just a price thing?
Were they the lowest bid?
How many bids did you get?
Were you the original customer or did you buy the home after it was renovated?
You think this is a small leak; how do you gauge that?
Okay after I posted the above questions I looked at your profile and see you are a carpenter. This type of post usually comes from a DIY homeowner that does not have a clue about anything other than going with the cheapest of any number of bids and then wondering why they have so many problems.
This same thing does happen to fellow members of the building trades as well when either we slip up or we have a lax moment in judgment; both I guess are slip ups.
Can you post some pictures of the elevation; if not send them in an email to me.
Mark Parlee
BESI(building envelope science institute) Envelope Inspector
EDI Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control/Building Envelope II
EDI Seminar Instructor
Level one thermographer (Snell) www.thebuildingconsultant.com
You build to code, code is the minimum to pass this test. Congratulations your grade is a D-
thank you this house was bought by my daughter. A little over two years ago it had been totally renovated and inspected by d.c. gov.building inspectors. she bought it in november with a house inspection from the origal owners this is why i don't value city inspecters. i know how to put up vinal siding' windows etc on ocracoke n.c.13 miles out in the atlantic where the wind blowes rain up or side ways on a building through vents etc and the need to nail plywood 6" on the perimeter and 12" in thr field with glue to withstand hurricane winds ,no galvanize hangers since they will rust in time what i was hoping to hear is from some one who knowes how to find the leak with our having to demo the side of the house by using the new flir camers to find the place where the jack leg frauds messed up work smarter not harder jrrjrr
City inspectors are not the contractor's quality control. They inspect for code compliance, which as was often said, is the minimum passing grade. Maybe.
In my area each city has statutes that say very specifically that the AHJ bears no responsibility for the quality of the work and can't be sued for any bad work they pass.
Finding a leak is possible with the spray bar method, but that doesn't always pinpoint the source, just an approximate. And doesn't work 100% of the time.
You can also spray hot water in cold weather or vice versa and take some thermal images.
jr
The best way on this one its to take off the siding and correct the entire perimeter of the window.
If it is done wrong in one section then I would not trust any of it.
Mark Parlee
BESI(building envelope science institute) Envelope Inspector
EDI Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control/Building Envelope II
EDI Seminar Instructor
Level one thermographer (Snell) www.thebuildingconsultant.com
You build to code, code is the minimum to pass this test. Congratulations your grade is a D-
While composition does not make a good carpenter and I am often guilty of not editing my posts, it is a lot easier to understand a post or question when it is posed in a way that makes sense to others.
If I am understanding the issue jrrjrr is looking for the easy out.
While thermography and divining rods are intriguing the only way to eventually remedy this situation is to dig into the wall, remove siding and trim, and expose the problem.
As Mark indicated, there might be a single source of the leak there will likely be other places in need of fixing of avoid future problems.
While thermography and divining rods are intriguing the only way to eventually remedy this situation is to dig into the wall, remove siding and trim, and expose the problem.
Take it off!
I haven't tried divining rods Bill, do teach classes?
While it is certainly not a bad idea to start ripping out the siding, you may end up ripping out lots of it if you don't do some investigation first and make some preliminary guesses. Experience and a keen eye are good tools here. Where the leak is and where the water comes out can be miles apart if you're unlucky.
dg
he doesn't but I do.
I hook them up to my IR camera and we are good for about everything.
The OP asked about IR.
From the exterior vinyl and IR does not mix.
From the interior an IR and a moisture meter makes a good combo but as you say experience and a keen are very good tools.
unzipping and removing some of this vinyl at the perimeter would be a good start.
still haven't seen any pictures
Mark Parlee
BESI(building envelope science institute) Envelope Inspector
EDI Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control/Building Envelope II
EDI Seminar Instructor
Level one thermographer (Snell) www.thebuildingconsultant.com
You build to code, code is the minimum to pass this test. Congratulations your grade is a D-
I vote for a reverse lap of the flanges at the top of the lowermost window. It has trim; pull the trim and see what's going on. Can probably be corrected without pulling vinyl siding, but that's no big deal either.
thank you for your time. i am looking for a better way to solve the problum not quick fix.is'n that why new tools come on the market a better way to do a good job.the merca sander is a good example of this.jrrjrr
While composition does not make a good carpenter and I am often guilty of not editing my posts, it is a lot easier to understand a post or question when it is posed in a way that makes sense to others.
If I am understanding the issue jrrjrr is looking for the easy out.
While thermography and divining rods are intriguing the only way to eventually remedy this situation is to dig into the wall, remove siding and trim, and expose the problem.
As Mark indicated, there might be a single source of the leak there will likely be other places in need of fixing of avoid future problems.
Take it off!
jrjr
what's next
How can we help you?
Mark Parlee
BESI(building envelope science institute) Envelope Inspector
EDI Certified EIFS Inspector/Moisture Analyst/Quality Control/Building Envelope II
EDI Seminar Instructor
Level one thermographer (Snell) www.thebuildingconsultant.com
You build to code, code is the minimum to pass this test. Congratulations your grade is a D-
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