How to Fix Leaky Siding | This Old House
This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Shopping List for How to Fix Leaky Siding:
– silicone sealant, used to form a watertight seal
Tools for How to Fix Leaky Siding:
– extension ladder, used to reach the work area on the side of the house
– caulking gun, for applying silicone sealant
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How to Fix Leaky Siding | This Old House
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He mentioned possible roof leaks. Could you please link us to a previous video of his pertaining to fixing roof leaks around a pipe vent in the roof? If there isn't one could you ask Tom to make a video for us? Thank you.
Yes I had seen that one and Thank you for the link!! But I believe there is a leak through the flashing. Is there another video by Tom on how to fix/replace the flashing around a roof vent tube? Or could he make one please
this is not really how you ''fix'' leaky vinyl siding,with all due respect
Tom: Come on! That siding isn't even nailed. I gues you can't tell the whole story. This siding relies upon channels to cover the gaps for movement. Channels collect water and direct it under the siding. I agree the trim needed caulking but it was recessed to start. There is no overhang on the roof and the 'J' Channel is butted up against the Fascia. This is a double wammy. I bet that Fascia wrap is just tucked under the gutter and not wrapping the fascia. A simple gutter overload could cause water to enter. Anyway siding that uses channels is wrong. 'J' Channels are good for interior but not exterior. I guess you would not stay on TV if you told people this.
hope that stops leak…
she must be a professional she only chalked with one hand, out doing tom he needed two ha ha ha
Vinyl siding won't rot out your walls if it's installed correctly; it requires a WRB under it just like any other kind of siding. But the stuff is so tacky, ugly, cheap and short lived that people expect it to be installed for the price of a paint job, so they are more likely to screw up the waterproofing during its frequent replacements. I'd rather get something more substantial that it going to last, so they can install it right and be done with it.
I like it. Thx.
No vinyl siding installation is waterproof. Water will always leak around where the siding goes into the corners, the J channels and J blocks. It will also leak where the siding laps and where the J channel abuts windows or trim if not caulked. The outside of the house must be totally waterproofed BEFORE the vinyl siding installation begins. All openings (where J channel or sill trim butts up to an existing house member ) must be sealed with water proofing tape or adhesive membrane to the waterproofing like house-wrap tar-paper, foam sheets (which also must have all its joints taped to prevent water incursion). With proper installation and annual cleanings vinyl siding will remain beautiful last a lifetime.
Haha girl is so scared ! I was like that also when I first started installing siding , and that jchannel is soooo loose should've put more nails on it.
Tom said put caulking or sealant along the j channel and the woman said that's easy but she holding onto the ladder. Lady, if you can't stand and let go both hands then it is not easy. I saw her buns shake.
who ever did the siding did a very bad job.
She's about ready to fall off trying to stay in arms reach of the ladder…back feet near the edge.
that will be $600 bucks please. lol
All you need is to put some nails to secure the J channel. That caulk is going to cause future problems. Now that siding looks like crap with caulk bandage.
What a band-aid solution. Vinyl siding is not waterproof, even when installed correctly. If water getting past the siding is getting into the house, that means there is not sufficient flashing or sealant under that window. The real solution here was to strip some siding off around the window and find out what is going on. That caulk will last a couple years then the leak will be back.
The ladder-plank the folks are standing on is rated for a maximum load of 250 lbs. (stamped into the metal of the end plates) (I own one.). The ladders haven't been arranged to provide level end-to-end bearing points for the plank. The cameraman was obviously standing on one or the other of the ladders to get some establishing shots and various over-the-shoulder shots, but in some of these shots, both subjects were on the plank. That's three people on that rig at the same time. In the wide two-shots, the camera is about level with the window-sill and its movement reveals it's being hand-held. Is the shooter on a step-ladder? I recently rented two sections of scaffold with levelling feet and three platforms. I had it for two days and it took me about half an hour to set it up by myself (I'm 65 years old). That got me a platform 5 ft by 10 ft, up to 10 feet off the ground (I used top section as guardrail). Total bill was $34 CDN. The ladder-plank alone retails at Canadian Tire for $249. Surely, TOH can afford to rent a few sections of scaffold to keep their people, and their guests/hosts from sustaining serious injury.
Ahora a pagar con pupusasos
Im actually surprised by this fix. Siding is not water proof and requires a wrb behind it. Most window manufacturers will tell you not to caulk the j-channel to the window as the flashing from the wrb to the windows if done properly should have you covered. Now for the caveats she doesnt have new windows she has older ones they capped over her old window casing. I feel the source of the leak is where that capping and her wrb meet. Which is why im surprised caulking the j-channel to the capping is a very simple stopgap. Sure it will reduce waterflow but water is getting through that siding at every seam. The ladder is already up there. For only a couple more hours of labor they could have removed some siding around the window flashed the capping to the wrb with some peal and stick flashing tape and really solved the problem. That caulking will likely fail in 5 years my solution will last a long time even without a caulk joint that hes applying.
3:54. " Oh!"
I thought siding was more for aesthetics, not weatherproofing. If there's a leak that means that something else is leaking behind the vinyl siding.
I am only here for comments by all the YouTube experts.
1:30 at first I didn't see the scaffold and thought he stepped to his death
Can anyone tell me about that scaffolding? Is it connected to the ladders or set up some other way? Where can I get it? When he stepped off the ladder I was like, "Cool, I need that!"
pull it hahdah..hahdah..thats it..now nice and easy..
Not Tom's best work
I wonder if that worked
Vinyl siding is such garbage. Typical of modern society. Plastic houses with formaldehyde soaked floors and chinese drywall and furniture that combusts in a matter of seconds.
Caulk master
Why didn’t he remove the siding, renail the J channel and re install the siding?
It is my understanding that all vinyl siding leaks , like it is designed to leak . That’s why there are weep holes running along the bottom of every piece . Lol she is scared to death up there with him lol . Holding on to the ladder as it wobbles , I know the feeling .. poor lady
this guy sucks at caulking
I have metal flashing in the middle of the wall and the wood . Do I need to caulk that ? Thanks
what is exactly the sealant used name and where to buy
Squeeze it more….
what a mess…just pay for a real fix
Those Ladder for second floor are great to have .
I noticed the scaffolding between the two ladders, could you please have a series of that.
20 seconds in and I already hate that woman.
Pretty sure your window frames supposed to protrude farther out than you siding j lol and actually using proper spacing on your nailing pattern on the J would help .not just One Nail on the top and bottom of the siding j .if you can pull the J away and look at the wall behind the siding you know you have a problem and caulking is not going to fix that ! it's more likely going to trap water in and cause rot to happen quicker .but wherever !just remember if you take the cheap way it usually turns into the most expensive way! just saying. Take the logical route not the easy route.
I have a Ryobi battery powered caulking gun. It has variable speed. I love it. Use it a lot. My hand never gets tired and it flows very nice..
Ceiling leak and he automatically knows it's a siding problem. Way to go This Old House.
What about the other 14 windows in that house? If one wasn’t caulked, then surely there are more.
Vinyl siding is hideous. (My opinion)
4:21 beautiful
On an arch window how do you do vinyl sidding. Or arch a "J"?
watch this videohttps://youtu.be/D0-80gANKKs
This is what you get when you always hire the cheapest company. Window world special.
Another quality siding job installed by Hacky, Inc.
Hilarious. He started the caulk for her which would have been the easier part to do being the top half. She is already not comfortable up there with one hand locked on that ladder. Tawmmy then has her one-handedly, first time caulk job 12’ off the ground and gets slightly snippy with her. Awesome.
Wish I could get Tommy to come to my house and figure out why my vinyl siding is leaking around a window. Ive had a few pros come out and look and they cant figure it out. Its causing a leak thru the ceiling on the first floor. Anytime I get a heavy, wind blown rain, I have to put out pots and pans to catch the water. Very frustrating not getting this problem solved.
Do am I the only one that hate when u explain to the costumers the things that u going to do and the always says "oh, so it is easy fix" like saying "u r going to charge me a couple bucks, because it sounds like it is not a big deal"… So, if is so easy, why they don't do it…???
rockin her joes jeans
work that caulk
How the hell was he able to pull on the j channel like that? I can't do that on mine at all.
Tommy… what about water that blows INTO the j-channel? Its going to run to the bottom of those race-ways, and if the bottom isn't brought out on to the top of the next course of siding, its going to leak down the wall and look for an entry. at 1:55 when you pull the siding away from the house, we can clearly see that the water control layer… the water resistant barrier is not continuous… in fact, it's pretty torn up. And without a proper continuous water control later behind the vinyl siding, you could throw 4 tubes of geocel at that window… she's still going to have a leak down below. You need to pull open the course of siding below the window and make sure that the window flange (if there is one) and the J-Channel are flashed out onto the top of the next lower course of siding to drive that water into the weep holes of the siding clip.