Greenhouses, Sheds and Sun Rooms - sunroom leaking problem
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hatchmo
09-29-05, 06:42 AM
My sunroom is all glass, three levels one on top of the other. Water is leaking in where the glass meets the cement floor. The cement is uneven with small pebbles in the finish. The contractor placed a metal flashing on the floor and flush against the window and caulked where the flashing and window join, but the leaking continues. What can I do? Was some other kind of metal stripping supposed to have been put down first?
lefty
09-30-05, 07:46 PM
The water is showing up at the floor track, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's where it's getting in at. (I've repaired ROOF leasks to stop the water from getting in at the floor track. Not often, but it does happen.)
Start by determining the source of the leak(s). Use a garden hose on a dry day. From the outside, simply run water along the joint of the floor tack and concrete. If that's where the leak is, you'll know it. Flashing that joint is pretty much a waste of time. Use a better caulking!! Vulkem 116 is ALL that I will rely on when installing the floor track for a patio or sun room. At about $10 a tube it ain't cheap, but I have NEVER had to go back for a "free" service call to fix a leak where I used it.
It could also be that the seal of the glass to the window frame is what's leaking. (Work your way up the wall with the garden hose.)
Start by determining the source of the leak(s). Use a garden hose on a dry day. From the outside, simply run water along the joint of the floor tack and concrete. If that's where the leak is, you'll know it. Flashing that joint is pretty much a waste of time. Use a better caulking!! Vulkem 116 is ALL that I will rely on when installing the floor track for a patio or sun room. At about $10 a tube it ain't cheap, but I have NEVER had to go back for a "free" service call to fix a leak where I used it.
It could also be that the seal of the glass to the window frame is what's leaking. (Work your way up the wall with the garden hose.)
XSleeper
09-30-05, 10:23 PM
Some sunrooms require periodic maintenance to clean out the tracks and weepholes in the system. Not sure if this is a new room or an old one, that wasn't clear. It could be that the weepholes in the sill have become plugged with sludge.
Sometimes the glazing around the glass fails- especially at the bottom of the panes, so recaulking every pane along the bottom edge of the glass, and up a few inches on the sides with clear silicone will stop water from entering at that point.
Sometimes the glazing around the glass fails- especially at the bottom of the panes, so recaulking every pane along the bottom edge of the glass, and up a few inches on the sides with clear silicone will stop water from entering at that point.
lefty
10-01-05, 07:47 AM
And it could be that the weep holes in the floor track are clogged, assuming that your room has them.
If it does, they are probably going to be small (1/8" or so) holes along the bottom outside edge of the floor track, right where the track contacts the concrete. They may have clogged with debris, or it may be that they got clogged with caulking when the track-to-concrete joint was caulked. You may have to remove the caulking in order to find them.
If it does, they are probably going to be small (1/8" or so) holes along the bottom outside edge of the floor track, right where the track contacts the concrete. They may have clogged with debris, or it may be that they got clogged with caulking when the track-to-concrete joint was caulked. You may have to remove the caulking in order to find them.
hatchmo
10-03-05, 03:05 PM
I'll check all those suggestions out. Thanks!