I doubt that you will shorten the life of your siding very much by
'trapping' moisture. The siding likely breathes an adequate amount to
prevent problems and there really shouldn't be enough moisture behind
the siding to actually need draining. Caulking will keep out the
grass and beetles and even keep out the hot or cold air that you are
paying to condition, so I see a net benefit in your case.




On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 19:42:43 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:


"Don Young" wrote in message
...

"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
When I have to caulk the bottom of the siding where it meets the
foundation, I'm finding that its a colossal pain. Crawling around on my
back through the weeds and bark trying to seal the gap between the
siding, sheating, and foundation. Are there better ways to do it, or
flexible caulking guns that allow you to at least stoop when doing it?
Does anyone do this type of sealing or am I making my life too hard?

There is a thought that that area should not be caulked as it may cause
condensation or other water to be trapped in the wall and cause rot. In
other words, it acts as a ventilation, drain or weep area. I have
experienced severe rotting due to lack of ventilation in other areas so I
have not caulked that area of my siding.

Don Young

The reason I concluded I needed to caulk was because I found when I removed
the wallboard from the basement interior I found grass growing INSIDE the
wall. Obviously the solution to that is to remove the plants from around
the house, which I'm doing, but if grass gets in there so do beetles,
spiders, and other nasties (like rats and mice). So I figure if I caulk the
seam, nothing can get in.