Water Behind Aluminum Siding

Walls longer than 16 feet.

Water behind aluminum siding.

Water damage is risky business. The presence of a housewrap on modern buildings or felt on older buildings combined with proper flashing at windows doors and other openings are relied upon to keep water from entering the structure itself. It easily hides beneath siding materials and often shows no obvious signs to untrained eyes. During a very heavy 2 days of rain water began running from between pieces of siding.

In a rainstorm water flows down one panel and onto the next so a strong wind can easily blow the water up under the panel where the wall is unprotected. Vinyl siding comes in 16 foot strips. Some areas were extremely heavy while others were just a single streak. If you do choose to have aluminum siding be sure that there s water resistant stripping underneath the panels.

At yanish we find water damage behind the siding of roughly 1 in 6 homes. Accessory pieces install before the siding strips to prevent water from running behind the siding in these areas. When siding is put back behind the gutter the lowest piece of flashing running down the pitch of the roof above must be fashioned to divert water into the gutter not behind the siding. While gaps and openings permit leaks behind the siding some siding openings are normal such as aluminum or vinyl siding bottom edge vents.