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sills leak

Started by johnmusker1, 29 December 2011 09:25 PM

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johnmusker1

can anyone help whenever it rains and blows in certain directions water leaks through the bottom of my door. it has got clear drain holes and a seal of sorts

ANY IDEAS PLEASE

Iceni

Is this a uPVC door?

johnmusker1

yes it is a upvc door and am i looking at condensation ??

Chris

To determine where the water is entering, lock the door then use a hose pipe for a few seconds on the outside. If the bottom of the frame is full of water when you open the door there is a drainage issue.

Open the door and pour water into the drainage channel at the bottom of the frame. Check that the water drains away quickly through the external drain holes. If it doesn't then remove the external drain covers (if fitted) and remove dirt etc. using the end of a wire coat hanger. Clean out the drainage channel and the drainage slots and flush through with water. Sometimes the drainage holes are too small and need enlarging using a drill. The drainage holes need to be at least 5mm wide by 20mm long. 

Check the door pulls tight to the seals when locked. If not then adjust the locking points and keeps accordingly. Damaged seals may contribute to a leaking door but the cause is normally due to poor drainage.

If this doesn't help then please supply more info with regards to exactly where the water is coming in.


johnmusker1

There are 2 rubber flexible rubber seals on the bottom of the door but on the frame at the bottom on the inside of the door sill there is a rubber strip
this is where the water is appearing even when there is no moisture (rain) falling outside
the sill is dry the drain holes are clear
there is a little gice in the door when it is closed against the frame at the bottom right hand side

Chris

So it sounds possible water is not getting through from outside as you say it can be wet even when it hasn't been raining. If this problem occurs only in winter then it could be condensation from the letterbox or glass unit. If it happens in summer too then it's more likely the door has part filled with water which leaks out slowly into the frame now and again.

In the past I have come across UPVC doors which fill half way with water when it rains. This water then leaks out over time slowly. The solutions is quite simple. Drill a hole in the bottom of the door. So the door doesn't have to be removed drill from the side of the door near the bottom, just under the bottom part of the multipoint lock strip. Get a tray ready to catch the water just in case. A few holes might be needed until the chamber with the water inside is found.

johnmusker1

I have had a lot of trouble re condensation in this room and have recently put an internal stud wall to try and stop it with I think some sucess but this door is trying my patience as I have laid a laminate floor and had to pull it up several times due to damp getting under the floor and into the underlay   thanks a bundle though for your great help ta

Iceni

Be careful if you start drilling holes in the leaf.

Most door sections have three sealed chambers; the centre one contains reinforcing, the two outer ones are for drainage.

If you drill in the wrong spot you could connect a drainage chamber to the centre reinforcing chamber. Then you might allow water into what could be a steel reinforced chamber with the possibility of the reinforcing then going rusty.

Comeinhandy

Quote from: johnmusker1 on 29 December 2011  09:25 PM
can anyone help whenever it rains and blows in certain directions water leaks through the bottom of my door. it has got clear drain holes and a seal of sorts

ANY IDEAS PLEASE
I had all my patio doors/windows leaking water and found an easy way to fix them so I made a video that may be of interest to others with water leaks.  See here:
http://youtu.be/AhU_9ME311s

Regards Jon

carolmiers

Thank you Jon for your video. We have a new house the windows have just been installed and one is leaking. The builder came and put in lots of mastic but it still leaks. When you pour water into the drainage hole then it comes out of the end on the leaking window. The other window we tried it runs out of the exit hole and doesn't flow to the end. So then they came and put mastic over the end but it still finds a way through. So now I think they will have to take out the window and put in another one and put it in properly, ie so it does not run out of the end. There is no window cap either. Anyone else got some ideas? Why doesn't it always run out of the end?