Water Damage Behind Siding

It easily hides beneath siding materials and often shows no obvious signs to untrained eyes.

Water damage behind siding.

It s no wonder people have a lot of questions about water damage what is covered under your homeowners insurance and why things like gradual damage are not covered. Normal damage that occurs to your home s siding like fading from sun exposure or dirt and grime is your responsibility and won t be covered for the replacement cost. Although vinyl is impervious to water when installed as directed by the manufacturer vinyl siding as a whole is not completely watertight. Claims due to water damage impacts 1 in 50 homeowners each year.

How to stop rainwater from running behind house siding originally published november 29 2008 at 12 00 am gutter leaks can do hidden damage when siding masks the problem. It is a misconception that vinyl siding doesn t need a water resistant barrier system. The rot is often found when homeowners decide to install a. Rainwater from missing or improperly placed gutters can end up behind siding.

Lack of gutters installed on the top roof of the home. Unsealed gaps in these spots allow water to trickle beneath the siding and eventually rot the plywood sheathing that lies beneath. So if this happens you will need to remove or replace the siding quickly before rot sets in. Matching siding coverage is meant to help you if your original siding that s damaged is discontinued.

In most cases the original layer of building paper or housewrap at the bottom of the wall was enough to prevent water infiltration and damage beneath the siding. The most common causes of water damage behind vinyl siding include the following. The damage may remain hidden until the siding is replaced. The sheathing and framing sometimes need repairs too but that is less common.

We tear off the damaged hardboard and replace it with fiber cement siding. Things get even more complicated when we look at the exceptions. Like windows cracks and gaps between a door and the siding or threshold permit water to enter making them prime spots for wood rot. How to prevent water from flowing under vinyl siding.

Water damage is risky business. Water can also seep in behind faux stone and other external walls around your home. The damage can compromise a building s structural integrity. Not all have wood rot but the damage would progress to rot in time.