# Strange patio door leak



## DIY-Jake

I have a leaking patio door - so what else in new.  However, I haven't seen any posts that describe a problem quite like this one.  

I have water damage at the bottom corners of my sliding patio door.  I removed the inside side trim and peeled back the linoleum floor to see the extent of the damage.  The ply at the corners is pretty shot but the studs above seem to be pristine.  That indicated to me that the door/flashing/J-channel is not leaking around the top or sides.  That maybe was not a correct conclusion, but it led me to do the following:

On the sliding-door-side (opposed to the fixed-door-side), I plugged the drain hole with chewing gum and poured about half a cup of water in the bottom track.  In about a minute, the water slowly drained down the corner where the track meets the side. Ah ha!  Although the floor eventually got damp under that corner, most of the water came out on the floor on the opposite side.  Hmm.  (See attached pictures.)

Bottom line, is the door defective and a manufacturing issue (the seal has failed at the sides)?  Or is there supposed to be an underneath sill/flashing to capture that water and direct it outside (installed incorrectly)?  Caulking the corners seems to be a temporary fix that will eventually fail.  Am I even on the right track?    

Additional info that may or may not be important:  The door is a Therma-Tru and my home was built by Ryan Homes 6 years ago.  I installed a deck 5 years ago and flashed up underneath the door and over the deck ledger board.  Deck is 2 inches below sill of door.  The flashing also extends up under the side J-channels about 2 inches.  (I am worried that I somehow caused this, but not sure how.)  No deck or roof above door.  

I would appreciate any help or insight.


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## inspectorD

Your on the right track. It is most likely a flashing issue under the door. They usually are caulked and it fails after a while.
What you need is a door sill pan to set the door into, and let the water run to the outside.
Check with your local lumber yard and tell them what you need. 
The warrantee is most likely a dead end. They will come up with excuses and most likely waste your time.

Nice job figurin it out on your own.


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## DIY-Jake

Thanks for the response.  Sounds like I need to take the whole door out and insert that sill pan to do it right.  Gosh, I was dreading that.


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## inspectorD

IT is better than the alternative, replacing the sub-floor in a few years, and mabey some bugs. 
Unfortunately there is no easy solution for this issue. It is what keeps contractors busy.

Oh, and make sure your paper above the flashing laps over the new sill pan. Kind of like making sure your raincoat is not tucked into your pants...or you get wet all over again.

But when you finish, it should be good for another 50 years. Longer than the door will last. 
Good luck.


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## mikemeier

Better yet use the butyl flashing instead of the paper. It sticks to everything forever.


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## DIY-Jake

Sorry I haven't reposnded sooner.  My job gets in the way of things I really like to do.   InspectorD - when you say paper, you mean making sure the the Tyvek wrapping overlaps the sill pan?  Not clear why I would need to add butyl paper if everything is flashed.  Also, J-channel immediately surrounds the door with viny siding into it.  What's the easiest approach to get at the door to remove it?


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## inspectorD

Tyvek or tar paper. You need to remove the siding in that area to get to the flange fasteners on the door flange. And extend the tyvek if you need to. 
Human fly paper is what what Mike is talking about.  They sell it as window and door flashing for the sides and top of the install. The bottom needs flashing pans to last longer. We have put the sticky paper under the flashing as a secondary, probably works pretty good. Only time will tell.
Try looking here.http://www.weatheroutflashing.com/


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## bcny168

Hello all!

I'm new to this forum.  Basically I a problem with leaks in my house.  I live in a new construction and have been dealing with the contractor who built the house for almost two years and the leak is yet to be solved.  I have attached pictures on picasaweb.google.com/bchen321/Help# that I hope will help explain my situation. 

I am not sure if the water is coming through the patio door but the contractor claim it isn't coming through the doors.  These patio doors are south facing and when heavy rain hits against the door the tracks of the doors get wet.  It doesn't get alot of water but still puddles for a while and then goes away.  I check the door for plumbness with a level and it looks fine and the weep holes are not blocked at all.  THe contractor checked the roof, gutters, replaced the tiles on the floor, caulk it over 5 times, repointed the bricks with hydraulic cement.  Do you guys have any clues?


Thanks--Barry


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## glennjanie

Welcome Barry:
You need the door pan mentioned by InspectorD above along with high quality caulking. You said the water gets in the tracks and runs away later. Each screw through the door track is a potential leak and should be caulked seperately.
Glenn


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## eddie94603

It's also possible the weep holes are blocked or clogged. I drilled a few additional weep holes so that the rain water will quickly drain rather than back up.


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## bycanoe

Take out the chewing gum from all those rectangular notches!  They are the weeping holes are are designed to channel any water that enters the sliding door tracks to drain to the outside (away from your home).  The joints between the bottom tracks of the door and the side rails should be caulked so that water that arrives in the track by means of, say, a driving rain, will not enter the home at the joints but instead drain out of the weeping holes.

In your case, I suspect the bottom rail is not level so all the water in the track flows to the corner and inters the home though the joint described above.  If the door works ok, there is no need to worry about an out of level door.  However, you must evsure that the weepers are unobstructed all the way through to the exterior of the bottom door track.  To this end, ensure there is no caulking blocking the weepers on the exterior side of the bottom door frame member.

Hope this helps.

bycanoe



DIY-Jake said:


> I have a leaking patio door - so what else in new.  However, I haven't seen any posts that describe a problem quite like this one.
> 
> I have water damage at the bottom corners of my sliding patio door.  I removed the inside side trim and peeled back the linoleum floor to see the extent of the damage.  The ply at the corners is pretty shot but the studs above seem to be pristine.  That indicated to me that the door/flashing/J-channel is not leaking around the top or sides.  That maybe was not a correct conclusion, but it led me to do the following:
> 
> On the sliding-door-side (opposed to the fixed-door-side), I plugged the drain hole with chewing gum and poured about half a cup of water in the bottom track.  In about a minute, the water slowly drained down the corner where the track meets the side. Ah ha!  Although the floor eventually got damp under that corner, most of the water came out on the floor on the opposite side.  Hmm.  (See attached pictures.)
> 
> Bottom line, is the door defective and a manufacturing issue (the seal has failed at the sides)?  Or is there supposed to be an underneath sill/flashing to capture that water and direct it outside (installed incorrectly)?  Caulking the corners seems to be a temporary fix that will eventually fail.  Am I even on the right track?
> 
> Additional info that may or may not be important:  The door is a Therma-Tru and my home was built by Ryan Homes 6 years ago.  I installed a deck 5 years ago and flashed up underneath the door and over the deck ledger board.  Deck is 2 inches below sill of door.  The flashing also extends up under the side J-channels about 2 inches.  (I am worried that I somehow caused this, but not sure how.)  No deck or roof above door.
> 
> I would appreciate any help or insight.


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## rgaulden333

I have the same problem, but I have a retrofit sliding door,and its on a concrte slab,not a deck.


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## TheDoorGuy

As the guys said above, the pans are an essential part of door units that get
direct weather.  They can be made special for each opening by sheet metal shop
or there are adjustable plastic ones available online and from a few local suppliers.

I use a lot of that 6"  butyl tape ("human fly paper"!)...It's a wonderful product.

As last resort use high quality polyurethane caulking...Don't Use Silicone.


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## Buccidp

Guys.  We are fighting a similar problem.  Our door is a double opening French set. The first guy from Therma True came out, huffed saying door isn't installed plumb.  I gave him a laser and 6' regular level.  He said "Oh", turned around and left, saying "Put a roof over the door".  The next two guys tried to help giving me retrofixes to add. Nothing has worked.  I even added a third by installing a weather strip along the outside seams and squashed it flat with 1/4 round. Still taking on water.  I've finally tacked a tarp on the outside of the door where a storm door would fit. No more water. Looks like a shanty town. Water is not coming in through the outside molding.  It's either the corners or through the windows. Is this door just a piece of crap?


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