Do I have a siding problem?

[maisymouser]

Over the last year we have noticed a phenomenon on one side of our house where it appears that water is pooling/dripping in specific locations down our siding after rainfall. Not sure if it is new to this year or if it's been like that since we moved here 2 years ago.

Does this indicate a problem with our siding or is this fairly normal? We have a J tool that we can use to inspect underneath the siding in detail, but would rather avoid playing with the siding if this is totally typical vinyl siding phenomenon (requires a ladder, and we are feeling lazy).

Edit: One pic attached.

[J Boogie]

Oftentimes a wall assembly is built in a way that anticipates *some* water will get behind the siding. That's why rainscreens and Benjamin Obdyke housewrap exist, so that any moisture getting trapped behind the siding can drip down or dry out. Without that, it is possible for water to begin to rot your sheathing and then your framing (can take a very long time depending how much moisture is getting in there, how often, and how quickly it is able to dry out. Regular tyvek probably isn't sufficient to stop trapped moisture from reaching sheathing and there's a 99% chance you've got regular Tyvek or equivalent there. But there's probably a small chance this is structure-threatening water intrusion.

One of those streams seems like it could be consistent with a properly functioning J channel joint at the window and the other seems like water is getting behind the siding but it's tough to tell where it might be coming from and why it's appearing/gathering there. Anything above that exposed in a way that could be letting water in?

[J Boogie]

After thinking for a moment, here's what I'd recommend:

Get outside right after a rainfall and observe how your house is shedding water. Is the non-window area a magnet for lingering dripping? If so, I think you're probably fine. If not, I think you have a problem. The problem is that you probably have a fair amount of water building up behind there and there seems to be one location where water likes to make an exit. But it's fairly likely that plenty of water isn't making an exit and might be getting absorbed by your sheathing. Housewrap is tacked on and trapped water can get behind it pretty easily.

[lthenderson]

I would concentrate on how the water is being shed off the windows and trim around them. I would not want water leaking out like that after every rain. You may have to get up there with a hose and artificially create some rain to see what is happening. These sorts of things are sometimes hard to diagnose as even slight wrinkles in the house wrap can move leaks horizontally over many feet so that they may not be coming out directly under what is causing it.

[Systems101]

The left hand one, coming out of a vent hole in the siding, is worrying.  Then again, since the rest of the siding is dry, the dripping from the window is even a bit weird - while it's
"more normal" from being aligned with the J-channel around the window, why is it happening so far post rain - was the wind directing the rain at that side of the house?

That all being said, this is rarely actually the siding - it's usually the rest of the drainage system.  Are you willing to post a pic of the roof line above those windows (effectively a picture attaching just above the one you're showing?)

[sonofsven]

If it's dripping down from an eave or gutter, no problem.
If it's coming from behind the siding? Problem.
I'm kind of a snooty carpenter and I have zero experience with vinyl siding so I can't say what nornal is, but in general water behind the siding in any large or consistent amount is not good.

[maisymouser]

Here's another picture including the roofline. Upon inspection of this picture, it seems like a lot of the drippage is coming from the overlap areas between two pieces of siding.

I like the idea of simulating rain and/or observing watershed in real time. Will update this thread once I do that!

[Systems101]

Not what I would have expected.

The water is VERY high up on the wall given the overhang and very basic roof profile... and agree it's coming out at a joint.

Nothing definitive... but a few possibilities:

This may be a roof problem.  A hole about 2 feet up the roof would penetrate to the roof sheathing, and could run down the inside of that sheathing for a some distance before it drops off.  If it does so over the early part of the soffit, it may provide a path for the water to flow directly behind the siding right at the top.  A look inside the attic might help determine if it's dry.

This may also be a combination of a few things, including a gutter issue (are the gutters cleaned regularly?).  The section of siding where the dripping occurs leads directly to a window on the left side of the picture.  It abuts that window right at a potentially awkward height.  The white trim on the window (called J-channel) is used to help make the window water tight.  To do that in the way it's done on your house, there should be a 1 to 2" tab folding off the top section above that window.  There should also be a gap from the siding to the side J-channel (maybe 1/4").  If the siding is too tight the water is encouraged to go behind the siding.  Alternatively, if that tab is a bit less than 90 degrees, it could be directing water directly behind that piece of siding.  HOWEVER, there's little reason for water to be that high on the house in the first place, so it still indicates some other issue that is getting water behind the siding very high on the house (but it might be over the window and not over where you see the drip)

Also, is this a low spot in the gutter that pools water?  The exact profile is hard to see from the ground, but he shadows make that a possibility.

Do you have a sufficient drip edge off the siding to ensure water is going into the gutters?  Are there gutter guards that are causing water to run over the guard and over the edge of the gutter?  Is water flowing between the gutter and the fascia?  (Your drip edge may not be sufficient and you need gutter flashing)

Unfortunately a bunch of things to investigate, and simulating rain may help.  When you simulate rain, never point the hose up directly at the house - the house is not designed to prevent water coming from that direction.  Always have the water traveling down when it hits the house.

[slackmax]

Systems101 wrote :

<<  The water is VERY high up on the wall given the overhang and very basic roof profile... and agree it's coming out at a joint.   >>

I noticed that, too. 

I'll be watching this thread, hoping to see a conclusion.  I have a hard to locate leak in my house, entering from the corner of a french door. One theory the handyman has, is that it is coming from the roof, down  behind the siding, and into the door.