Leaking Shed (with pics)

[killian1990]

Hey Everyone,

So basically, we have this metal shed out the back that is leaking. It seems to be leaking at the back corners only. I tried everything I could do to find the source of the leak but the roof and walls and seams that I can find are all bone dry, complete with cobwebs and dust. However, whenever it rains, a puddle of water forms in the shed. Apologies for the non-rotated pics.

So this the shed.

On the doorside (which doesn't seem to leak), you can see some sort of concrete substance stuck between the base and the shed wall.

The other (leaking) side however, doesn't have this concrete stuff. Is it possible that this is how the water is getting in?

Here are some inside pics of the issue. The shed was originally used for dogs, and my father foamed all the massive gaps. I don't remember there being any leaks at the time, but we never would have looked either. My father had a go off it the other day again and went a bit crazy with expanding foam and mastic, which obviously did not solve the problem. Like I said though, I cannot find any source of leaking, just water on the floor.

That damp grey patch between tile and shed wall. Is that where the water could be getting in? If yes, what can I do about it? If no, any ideas where else the water could be coming from?

 

[Burnerman]

That cement fillet sure looks a bit moth eaten, and I reckon thats where the water is coming from......its probably worth renewing it, from the inside too.
Metal sheds suffer from fearsome condensation too, so vent the thing as much as you can.
John

 

[killian1990]

What is involved in renewing it? (I'm not very DIY oriented..)

 

[Burnerman]

The shed would have been erected on a (hopefully) flat concrete base.
Small discrepencies between the shed base and the concrete should have been sealed with silicone initially.
However, if the gaps are a little on the large side then a cement fillet is applied, similar to yours on the outside. After a while, and assisted by frost this cement fillet cracks and breaks away from the shed metal, allowing water in.
In your case, the cement fillet should be cut away with a cold chisel, and a new cement fillet applied. For good measure this can be done on both the outside and inside.
John

 

[killian1990]

Would I be right, based on the above pictures to assume that the cement fillet on the outside only exists on the door side of the shed?(also happens to be the only easily visible side)

1 side of the shed on the outside will be impossible to reach, so I guess I'll start on the inside and see does that hold?

So I hammer and chisel away at this grey patch/cement fillet that is sitting between the tiles and the wall. How far/deep do I need to go? What will I need to buy in the hardware store for this cement fillet? I assume some sort of mix, a mixer and spatula-esque thing for laying it?

Thanks for the replies

 

[Burnerman]

More than likely the cement fillet will break away quite easily, and then once the debris is brushed away its time for renewal.
Use a stiff 4:1 mix of sand / cement and don't make the mix runny - keep it stiff. Usually we would use a gauging trowel to redo this, but anything you have will have to do.
If you can't get all the way round the shed, do what you can and then finish from the inside.
John