Water getting in somewhere.

[Timbo82]

Hi,

Just wondering if someone has an idea about how water is getting in below the door and making the wall wet?

There's no sign of water above and the drain holes seem fine. The sealant outside doesn't look bad, (at least to me).

Should I remove the wooden step to get an idea?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Are you only noticing damp under the wooden sill at the opening side of the door (as per 1st image) or are you noticing damp further along i.e. towards the hinge side?

Has it always been doing this or only started recently?

Does it happen after any type of rainfall, or only after heavy/driving rain?

Do you notice any dampness above the wooden sill, or only below?

Can you take a pic at ground level on the outside, looking directly towards the white and grey sills? If the damp is only appearing below the wooden sill, and if it only happens after heavy/driving rain, part of me is wondering if water is getting in between those sills on the outside.

Or is water maybe getting in at the gap in the cladding and tracking down.

You can also try little experiments. when it's had a day or two to dry out, use a hose/watering can to put some water over specific areas. e.g. try putting water over the opening side down near the sills. Wait a little while and note if damp on interior starts to show. If not try other areas. If this doesn't recreate the damp, if possible try forcing a little water between those white and grey sills to determine if that's the problem area.

I'd try all of this prior to taking the internal wooden sill off. However if you're not getting anywhere and if the wooden sill is easy enough to remove, that would possibly help in terms of seeing what's going on.

Also remember, although silicon can look ok, if any sections have slightly failed, that can also be a route in. Check the silicon is still adhered to all surfaces.

 

[foxhole]

The threshold needs a couple of brick courses below it clear of ground , would appear to have pebbles right up to it?

 

[Timbo82]

Hi, thanks for the response.

The issue is on the hinge side of the door.

On closer inspection I've noticed a bit of dampness on the edge on top of the wooden sill but below it is much worse.

Not sure how long this has been happening, I only noticed there was an issue this week but we have had a lot of rain in last few days.

There isn't any sealant at the bottom joining cladding to the outside sill. Should there be?

I moved so me of stones away so you can see how it looks. This area drains fine, I had thought it was clogging and water had nowhere to go.

I've spotted a couple of minor areas where sealant isn't perfect so I'll sort that.

 

[Timbo82]

I should probably include that this is a top floor flat and the door is onto a roof terrace.

 

[foxhole]

The stones will allow splashing rain above the interior floor level , easy for it to then penetrate the wall .

 

[JohnD]

If it is rainsplash, you could add a canopy over the door.

But also pull back the stones and see what is under the sill.

Water might also be tracking down the side of the frame, so look at detailing of the head of the frame.

I presume the walkable roof has paving slabs or something on it? Not just felt?

 

[Timbo82]

Yeah it has paving slabs.

 

[JohnD]

Lift the one next to the doorstep. See if water can collect there, and how the wall is protected from water. You would benefit from a slope so water runs away. Try removing the stones as that might give a channel for it to run away.

 

[crank39]

Ok I've cast my eye over this and two things stand out, one is concerning

This looks like the back of an aluminium low threshold

But where is the outside of the threshold, ok I know the door is obscuring it but what is this white trim or flat board doing, what purpose is it serving because to me just by what I can see is the white board is potentially blocking any drainage slots and the water is tracking backwards and under the main cill in grey, can you take a picture of the threshold from inside and outside with the door open

 

[diy_fun_uk]

@Timbo82 Let us know what you eventually find the cause to be, it's always interesting to know

 

[Timbo82]

We had a lot of rain last night/this morning.
I've cleaned the stones away and taken another picture.
I'll keep an eye on how well it drains.

 

[crank39]

 

[Timbo82]

The exit holes aren't visible so must be below the grey bit.
There's no sign of water getting in between the white and silver threshold.

 

[crank39]

The exit holes need to be unobstructed in order to let residual water escape, you need to test with water whether water appears to run out over the grey cill but under that white trim, what purpose is that even serving? I'd be having a good look under it because the water could be draining backwards causing exactly the damage you have to the internal wall