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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.

I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
(bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.

Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the doors,
and adding an external storm door is not an option either.

I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight...

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Anthony
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Jan 22, 9:30*am, HerHusband wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. *The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.

I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
(bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. *I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.

Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the doors,
and adding an external storm door is not an option either.

I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight...

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Anthony


A lot of my doors and windows have a piece of angle tacked above the
top trim & it seems enough to make it drip away fro the door or
window. The older ones are lead, or something really soft, but so long
as it is metal it should work. Drip edge for roofing comes to mind.
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is obviously
sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Jan 22, 10:43*am, AZ Nomad wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. *The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; *it is drainage around it. *It is obviously
sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. *You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.


Not build up the soil, but remove some of the soil!
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On 1/22/2010 9:30 AM, HerHusband wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.

I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
(bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.

Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the doors,
and adding an external storm door is not an option either.

I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight...

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Anthony



Wind driven rain runs down the outside of a door to the threshold
where it is supposed to flow down and off without entering the house.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. Some finds it's way in
around the door edges and weatherstripping. If it can't run in
directly it may wick in through the smallest cracks.

I believe this is a common problem that many people are unaware of
because water soaks in under the flooring around the threshold and
goes unnoticed until the problem becomes a major one.

Two of my neighbors have the same problem. By the way we are all
building are own houses and are living ln them as they are being
completed. I found and corrected a few problems that would not have
been very visible once the finishing had been completed.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to stop the water leaking in, I
ended up installing storm doors on all my outside doors. Not a drop
of water on the floor after that.

The storm doors keep the inside door warmer during the winter. They
may eventually pay for themselves in reducing heat loos through the doors.

LdB


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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Jan 22, 10:53*am, Eric in North TX wrote:
On Jan 22, 9:30*am, HerHusband wrote:





I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. *The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings.


I've tried to follow the best building practices I can, wrapping the wall
felt into the door opening, applying flashing tape around the opening
(bottom, sides, then top), caulking with high quality PL polyurethane
caulking, etc. The exterior door frame is completely sealed and there's no
possible way water is coming in around the exterior of the frame.


As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. *I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.


Unfortunately, there's no overhanging roof to protect most of the doors,
and adding an external storm door is not an option either.


I'm stumped. It shouldn't be this difficult to make a door water tight....


Any ideas?


Thanks,


Anthony


A lot of my doors and windows have a piece of angle tacked above the
top trim & it seems enough to make it drip away fro the door or
window. The older ones are lead, or something really soft, but so long
as it is metal it should work. Drip edge for roofing comes to mind.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


When I built the shed shown below, I installed vinyl drip edge on the
roof edges. When I looked at the trim above the doors, it looked like
a place that could used some protection, so I installed a piece of
drip edge on top of that and caulked the seam. When it rains, I can
see the water dripping out away from the doors so it appears to be
doing it's job.

http://www.handyhome.com/kingston.htm
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door sill at
the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down the sides of
the door against the weatherstripping then along the crack between the
metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried caulking these joints also,
which has helped, but the water is still getting in somewhere.


I say you are correct. Often door jambs are not prime/sealed at the
bottom, so water wicks up into the wood.

Caulking is best done when the door was/is installed, not as a fix
later on.

Exterior doors clean the sill, caulk along the jamb sides the width of
the threshold. Run two 1/2 inch beads of silly-caulk the length of the
threshold and set the door. Apply some foot pressure to seat (TH).

Caulk lines (top view)

]================[

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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
structural damage to the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it.
It is obviously sitting in a puddle at times.


Three doors leak, none of which are anywhere close to the ground.

1. Garage entry door. Top is protected by a 12" roof overhang with a full
gutter system. Bottom of door sill sits about 4" higher than the concrete
walk in front of it.

2. Back door of house. Gable roof end only overhangs about 6" and is
approximately 12' above the door. The sill of the door is roughly three
feet off the ground with a wood landing about 6" below the door.

3. Front door at in-laws. Hip roof overhangs about 18", but no gutters
installed. Door sill is roughly three feet off the ground with a wood
landing about 6" below the door.

In all cases, the only source of water would be windblown rain, or
splashback from the deck/patio below the door. The doors can't be raised
any higher and still comply with stair height codes.

Anthony
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Wind driven rain runs down the outside of a door to the threshold
where it is supposed to flow down and off without entering the house.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. Some finds it's way in
around the door edges and weatherstripping. If it can't run in
directly it may wick in through the smallest cracks.

I believe this is a common problem that many people are unaware of
because water soaks in under the flooring around the threshold and
goes unnoticed until the problem becomes a major one.

Two of my neighbors have the same problem. By the way we are all
building are own houses and are living ln them as they are being
completed. I found and corrected a few problems that would not have
been very visible once the finishing had been completed.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to stop the water leaking in, I
ended up installing storm doors on all my outside doors. Not a drop
of water on the floor after that.


Yep, we had the same problem with the entry doors of our old mobile home.
No amount of caulking would prevent the leaking, but a storm door did stop
the water.

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I do not want storm doors on the
doors that are leaking. Especially for the garage and back doors where
we're often hauling large objects in and out. My in-laws just splurged on
a decorative door and don't want to cover it with a storm door.

Anthony
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On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:55:47 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
structural damage to the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it.
It is obviously sitting in a puddle at times.


Three doors leak, none of which are anywhere close to the ground.


Then you need storm doors if rain is that intense.


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Oren,

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
sill at the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down
the sides of the door against the weatherstripping then along the
crack between the metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried
caulking these joints also, which has helped, but the water is still
getting in somewhere.


Caulking is best done when the door was/is installed, not as a fix
later on.
Exterior doors clean the sill, caulk along the jamb sides the width of
the threshold. Run two 1/2 inch beads of silly-caulk the length of the
threshold and set the door. Apply some foot pressure to seat (TH).


When I installed the doors I wrapped the wall felt into the door opening.
Then I applied flexible door/window flashing tape along the bottom of the
opening, extending it about 6" up the sides of the rough opening. Next, I
applied the flashing tape along the sides of the opening, and finally
along the top of the door. All layers overlapping in shingle fashion.

Before setting the door in place, I ran three beads of caulking along the
bottom of the rough opening, with a little extra along each side in the
corners. I also ran a bead around the outside of the opening, so the
brick moulding sealed against the sheathing when I fastened the door in
place. After installing the siding, another layer of caulk was applied
between the siding and brick moulding (top and sides).

I also caulked all seams on the exterior door trim, jambs, etc. EXCEPT
for the bottom of the door sill. This allows any water that might find
it's way in to have a way to get out. The gap is covered by lower trim,
so there's no way water can splash in from the outside. The beads of
caulking under the door sill ensure any water that does end up under the
door should go out and not into the building.

Once the door was fully installed, I also caulked along the inside of the
door sill, and about 12" up between the framing and door jamb on each
side. The larger gaps up higher were filled with minimally expanding
foam.

On the outside of the door, I caulked the seams on each side where the
metal sill meets the wood jambs.

Despite all my efforts, water is still coming in somewhere (showing up as
a small leak on the subfloor right in front of the door jamb, centered on
the door opening). At first I thought it was water dripping off the
bottom of the door when the door was opened, but my in-laws confirmed it
shows up even when the door has been closed all night.

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony
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AZ Nomad wrote in
:

On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
structural damage to the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is
obviously sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.


Is it on an eave side where the water splashes up? If so, you need to
stop the water from splashing or stop it from running off the roof so
intensely. Mulch may be a quick half effort thing but that may get washed
away and/or dragged in the garage and/or just look like crap.

Can a rain diverter be put under the shingles above? Certainly would help
minimize splashing.
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On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:30:22 -0600, Red Green wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote in
:


On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
structural damage to the buildings.


The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is
obviously sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.


Is it on an eave side where the water splashes up? If so, you need to
stop the water from splashing or stop it from running off the roof so
intensely. Mulch may be a quick half effort thing but that may get washed
away and/or dragged in the garage and/or just look like crap.


Can a rain diverter be put under the shingles above? Certainly would help
minimize splashing.


They're called gutters.
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AZ Nomad wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:30:22 -0600, Red Green wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote in
:


On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which
has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't
want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause
structural damage to the buildings.
The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is
obviously sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to put
in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.


Is it on an eave side where the water splashes up? If so, you need to
stop the water from splashing or stop it from running off the roof so
intensely. Mulch may be a quick half effort thing but that may get washed
away and/or dragged in the garage and/or just look like crap.


Can a rain diverter be put under the shingles above? Certainly would help
minimize splashing.


They're called gutters.


Actually, they are called roofs or awnings. This is one of the things we
lost when deep covered porches went away. Exterior doors really need an
overhang over them. They also need a step down in front of them, so
there is no ponding at threshold level. My garage service door has same
problem, but I won't replace it until I figure out how to lay some
pavers in front of it a couple inches lower than threshold level, and
maybe also add a little eyebrow awning over it that doesn't look TOO
tacky. Front door needs a roof too, but short of adding an actual
dormer to the house roof, no way to do it that would look right. Top of
door is only a couple inches below the soffit. Overhangs on that part of
the house are only 18" or so, instead of the 36" they should have been.

--
aem sends...


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AZ Nomad wrote in
:

On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:30:22 -0600, Red Green
wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote in
:


On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:30:21 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:
I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere
around the bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage,
which has now rotted and will need replacing this summer. Obviously,
I don't want any other doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet
cause structural damage to the buildings.

The problem isn't the door; it is drainage around it. It is
obviously sitting in a puddle at times.

Build up the soil around it so water flows away. You may have to
put in a stoop or sculpt the lawn.


Is it on an eave side where the water splashes up? If so, you need to
stop the water from splashing or stop it from running off the roof so
intensely. Mulch may be a quick half effort thing but that may get
washed away and/or dragged in the garage and/or just look like crap.


Can a rain diverter be put under the shingles above? Certainly would
help minimize splashing.


They're called gutters.



Gutters are another option. What I was mentioning is the strip that under
the shingles a few rows up and slants to one side.

But if wind driven rain against the door is the root cause, none of that
will help. As mentioned, storm door.
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"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
Oren,

As far as I can tell, the water comes in somewhere around the door
sill at the bottom. I'm not positive, but I think the water runs down
the sides of the door against the weatherstripping then along the
crack between the metal sill and the the wood jambs. I've tried
caulking these joints also, which has helped, but the water is still
getting in somewhere.


Caulking is best done when the door was/is installed, not as a fix
later on.
Exterior doors clean the sill, caulk along the jamb sides the width of
the threshold. Run two 1/2 inch beads of silly-caulk the length of the
threshold and set the door. Apply some foot pressure to seat (TH).


When I installed the doors I wrapped the wall felt into the door opening.
Then I applied flexible door/window flashing tape along the bottom of the
opening, extending it about 6" up the sides of the rough opening. Next, I
applied the flashing tape along the sides of the opening, and finally
along the top of the door. All layers overlapping in shingle fashion.

Before setting the door in place, I ran three beads of caulking along the
bottom of the rough opening, with a little extra along each side in the
corners. I also ran a bead around the outside of the opening, so the
brick moulding sealed against the sheathing when I fastened the door in
place. After installing the siding, another layer of caulk was applied
between the siding and brick moulding (top and sides).

I also caulked all seams on the exterior door trim, jambs, etc. EXCEPT
for the bottom of the door sill. This allows any water that might find
it's way in to have a way to get out. The gap is covered by lower trim,
so there's no way water can splash in from the outside. The beads of
caulking under the door sill ensure any water that does end up under the
door should go out and not into the building.

Once the door was fully installed, I also caulked along the inside of the
door sill, and about 12" up between the framing and door jamb on each
side. The larger gaps up higher were filled with minimally expanding
foam.

On the outside of the door, I caulked the seams on each side where the
metal sill meets the wood jambs.

Despite all my efforts, water is still coming in somewhere (showing up as
a small leak on the subfloor right in front of the door jamb, centered on
the door opening). At first I thought it was water dripping off the
bottom of the door when the door was opened, but my in-laws confirmed it
shows up even when the door has been closed all night.

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony



Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4 I
installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed tighter and
it is fine now...HTH....

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On Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:25:47 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

Despite all my efforts, water is still coming in somewhere (showing up as
a small leak on the subfloor right in front of the door jamb, centered on
the door opening). At first I thought it was water dripping off the
bottom of the door when the door was opened, but my in-laws confirmed it
shows up even when the door has been closed all night.


Does this door have a transom window above and/or side lights at the
door? Water can travel, even along an outside light that needs a
little caulk around the edge trim.

A picture of your trouble spots, perhaps?

Post @ http://tinypic.com/

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HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony


I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light wind.
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I took a PDH in waterproofing a few years ago and the
main point was you don't stop water, you redirect it.


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http://www.panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm http://www.facebook.com/vasjpan2
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[Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Phooey on GUI: Windows for subprime Bimbos]





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Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the
4 I installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
tighter and it is fine now...HTH....


The garage entry door is a little looser, which may have accelerated it's
demise. But, the other doors fit tightly against the weatherstripping.

Anthony
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Does this door have a transom window above and/or side lights at the
door? Water can travel, even along an outside light that needs a
little caulk around the edge trim.


There are no transoms or side lights around the door. Just your basic
prehung steel entry door mounted in a wall.

Anthony
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"Tony" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony


I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light wind.


We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the cheap
doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have them flashed
or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro and have him look
it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up something on the install
as everyone you did leaks......If it were just one in a specific location it
would be one thing but that is not the case...


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benick wrote:

Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4
I installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
tighter and it is fine now...HTH....


How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for
the strike plate, no?
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"Patrick Karl" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:

Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4 I
installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed tighter
and it is fine now...HTH....


How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for the
strike plate, no?



Yep...Filled them in with toothpicks and Elmer's and started over
again..Didn't move it much..Perhaps an eighth...Made a world of difference
though...



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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:05:56 -0500, "benick"
wrote:

"Patrick Karl" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:

Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4 I
installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed tighter
and it is fine now...HTH....


How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for the
strike plate, no?



Yep...Filled them in with toothpicks and Elmer's and started over
again..Didn't move it much..Perhaps an eighth...Made a world of difference
though...


Golf Tees (hardwood) work great. Drill the larger hole, tap the tee in
with small hammer and cut with a utility knife. You can also use glue,
so let it dry.

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benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony


I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light
wind.


We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were just
one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not the
case...


Huh??? Every door I installed leaks? Where did you get your
information? I've only installed one steel entry door in my life. When
the wind blows the rain to the area where the weather striping touches
the steel door, it gets wicked in between the two and flows down and
runs both inside and outside. The door opens into the garage so the
water wicked between the door and the weather stripping is already on
the inside part of the jamb.

Now where are all the others I did?
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"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:05:56 -0500, "benick"
wrote:

"Patrick Karl" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:

Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4
I
installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
tighter
and it is fine now...HTH....

How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for
the
strike plate, no?



Yep...Filled them in with toothpicks and Elmer's and started over
again..Didn't move it much..Perhaps an eighth...Made a world of difference
though...


Golf Tees (hardwood) work great. Drill the larger hole, tap the tee in
with small hammer and cut with a utility knife. You can also use glue,
so let it dry.


Yea , I saw that in the other door thread and already have it stored in the
memory banks...LOL...


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"Tony" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony

I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light
wind.


We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro and
have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were just
one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not the
case...


Huh??? Every door I installed leaks? Where did you get your information?
I've only installed one steel entry door in my life. When the wind blows
the rain to the area where the weather striping touches the steel door, it
gets wicked in between the two and flows down and runs both inside and
outside. The door opens into the garage so the water wicked between the
door and the weather stripping is already on the inside part of the jamb.

Now where are all the others I did?




Sorry for the brain fart , I was responding to the OP... Quote from the
OP...

"I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings"

End quote....I should have said...To the OP...

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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

"benick" wrote in message
...
"Patrick Karl" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:

Is the door closing TIGHT ??? I had that problem on 1 door out of the 4
I installed and I moved the latch in a bit to hold the door closed
tighter and it is fine now...HTH....


How do you move the latch in a bit? And by latch I assume you mean the
strike plate. I'm guessing you need to redrill the mounting holes for
the strike plate, no?



Yep...Filled them in with toothpicks and Elmer's and started over
again..Didn't move it much..Perhaps an eighth...Made a world of difference
though...



Forgot to add that I did have to egg out the mortise (?) a bit with a sharp
utility knife...It wasn't enough to notice though as the other side is
covered by the strike...



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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were
just one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not
the case...


No offense taken, but we built our own house, garage, several remodeling
projects at my in-laws, installed numerous windows, doors, etc. Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.

It is something of a mystery, so I'm going to try tightening the latch up
this afternoon to see if that will help.

By the way, the water seeps in under the door sill on the subfloor. If you
already have a finished floor installed, you would probably never see it
leaking...

Anthony
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

HerHusband wrote:
....

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons I do not want storm doors on the
doors that are leaking. Especially for the garage and back doors where
we're often hauling large objects in and out. My in-laws just splurged on
a decorative door and don't want to cover it with a storm door.


Well, you can solve the problem or replace the sills over and over, your
choice...

There are full-exposure s-doors that won't hide the face of the inner
door if that is a requirement.

W/O pictures including installation details it's hard to make any
specific conjecture but I'd say the likely culprit is there is no slope
outward so water stays where it lands rather than drains. As well,
capillary action may be pulling some under the sill if there is any
small crack at all.

Depending on where and how they were caulked, it (the caulk) may be
server more as a drainage dam than as a sealant.

--
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

HerHusband wrote:
We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were
just one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not
the case...


No offense taken, but we built our own house, garage, several remodeling
projects at my in-laws, installed numerous windows, doors, etc. Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.

It is something of a mystery, so I'm going to try tightening the latch up
this afternoon to see if that will help.

By the way, the water seeps in under the door sill on the subfloor. If you
already have a finished floor installed, you would probably never see it
leaking...

Anthony


If the water is coming in UNDER the threshhold, that is probably where
the problem is. Can't see your door from here, but I suspect improperly
installed flashing, or the threshold is sitting higher than you thought
and did not get bedded in the caulk. Sometimes you need to add something
to the sill of the rough opening. And how much drop is there from the
front edge of threshold to the porch surface outside? If it is less than
a couple of inches any 'sheeting' rain that get blown against door will
get in there. (A common problem when people add slate or faux brick to
an existing porch.)

Short of a remove and reinstall, you could always drill through the
threshold (in dry weather), and pump the cavity below full of silicone
sealant. Unless maybe some of the threshold trim is removable, and you
can get access that way.

--
aem sends...
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"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were
just one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not
the case...


No offense taken, but we built our own house, garage, several remodeling
projects at my in-laws, installed numerous windows, doors, etc.
Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.

It is something of a mystery, so I'm going to try tightening the latch up
this afternoon to see if that will help.

By the way, the water seeps in under the door sill on the subfloor. If
you
already have a finished floor installed, you would probably never see it
leaking...

Anthony


The 2 in the garage and the one in the basement I would and the one in the
kitchen was without trim or finished floor for quite a while as I was doing
it on just weekends when not working..Actually it was the kitchen door that
I had the leak in that I fixed by adjusting the strike as was recommended by
a carpenter I do alot of drywall work for..You know , one of those pro's
that do **** work and just rip folks off.......Like I said you have
something going on that we can't diagnosis without seeing it which is why I
said have a pro look at it....But if your already better at it than somebody
that does it DAILY and has to pay for damages caused by leaks than I guess
we are done here......Good Luck......

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On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:24:53 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.


I had some tutelage from a pro. A two man crew. We hauled a LARGE
picture window up the scaffold. Set the window with a couple of
fasteners.

The more I looked I figured out what was wrong. The window was upside
down and weep holes were on top.

Also it is easy to think you have the flashing/wrap tucked correctly.
In such a case I found it before the (another) window was set. The
*moist wrap* on one side was lapped wrong, so water would get behind
it - eventually.

Point being? The leak is right in front of you!



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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing
like www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current
doors.

Anthony

I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry
door. Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very
light wind.

We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even
the cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't
have them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to
a pro and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously
messed up something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If
it were just one in a specific location it would be one thing but
that is not the case...


Huh??? Every door I installed leaks? Where did you get your
information? I've only installed one steel entry door in my life.
When the wind blows the rain to the area where the weather striping
touches the steel door, it gets wicked in between the two and flows
down and runs both inside and outside. The door opens into the garage
so the water wicked between the door and the weather stripping is
already on the inside part of the jamb.

Now where are all the others I did?




Sorry for the brain fart , I was responding to the OP... Quote from the
OP...

"I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings"

End quote....I should have said...To the OP...


OK, I'm over it. **** happens.
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Default How to stop entry door leaks?

"Oren" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:24:53 +0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

Installing
an entry door isn't exactly rocket science, and I've researched and
followed every recommended guideline I can find. I can't imagine a "pro"
would have done anything different than I did, and probably wouldn't have
taken the time to be as thorough.


I had some tutelage from a pro. A two man crew. We hauled a LARGE
picture window up the scaffold. Set the window with a couple of
fasteners.

The more I looked I figured out what was wrong. The window was upside
down and weep holes were on top.

Also it is easy to think you have the flashing/wrap tucked correctly.
In such a case I found it before the (another) window was set. The
*moist wrap* on one side was lapped wrong, so water would get behind
it - eventually.

Point being? The leak is right in front of you!


Nah , he is an expert who is more thorough than anybody else could possibly
be...It can't be something he did...I mean , only every door he has
installed leaks..It has to be the rotation of the Earth or some strange
phenomenon..Either that or he is cursed by the Door Gods....LOL...


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"Tony" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:
"Tony" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote:

In the future, I'm thinking of installing special sill flashing like
www.jambsill.com, but that's of little help with the current doors.

Anthony

I could have used one of those before installing my garage entry door.
Only a problem with wind driven rain, but it only takes a very light
wind.

We have wind driven rain A LOT here on the coast of Maine and even the
cheap doors I bought a Homedepot do not leak even though I don't have
them flashed or the siding on yet...I think you need to talk to a pro
and have him look it over...No offense , but you obviously messed up
something on the install as everyone you did leaks......If it were just
one in a specific location it would be one thing but that is not the
case...

Huh??? Every door I installed leaks? Where did you get your
information? I've only installed one steel entry door in my life. When
the wind blows the rain to the area where the weather striping touches
the steel door, it gets wicked in between the two and flows down and
runs both inside and outside. The door opens into the garage so the
water wicked between the door and the weather stripping is already on
the inside part of the jamb.

Now where are all the others I did?




Sorry for the brain fart , I was responding to the OP... Quote from the
OP...

"I have installed several prehung exterior steel entry doors over the
last
few years, and virtually all of them have minor leaks somewhere around
the
bottom. The first was the entry door to our garage, which has now rotted
and will need replacing this summer. Obviously, I don't want any other
doors to rot like the first one, or worse yet cause structural damage to
the buildings"

End quote....I should have said...To the OP...


OK, I'm over it. **** happens.




Thanks..I'll sleep better now...LOL...

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if your already better at it than somebody that does it DAILY

Relax... I never said I was an expert, just that I had more experience than
the average weekend handyman. I wouldn't be here asking questions if I had
all the answers. Obviously I'm overlooking something or the door wouldn't
be leaking. I make mistakes, I learn, I move on...

I fixed by adjusting the strike


I adjusted the strike plate yesterday to get the door to seal a little
tighter to the weather stripping yesterday. We only work at my in-laws on
weekends since they live out of town, but I'm having them keep an eye out
for leaks. Naturally, it's not supposed to rain much this week.

There are a couple of small spots I want to recaulk, but I can't really do
that while it's raining heavily.

Sorry to offend, but thanks for the input!

Anthony
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If the water is coming in UNDER the threshhold, that is
probably where the problem is.


Yep, makes sense...

What's strange is the leak is right in the middle of the door. Until
yesterday, the space on both sides of the door were open (to the interior)
and were completely dry. If the exterior flashing was incorrect, or the
caulking along the sides was failing, I would think the leak would tend to
come in along the sides. But, I know water can travel in strange paths
sometimes.

Can't see your door from here


Yeah, unfortunately, without tearing things apart again I can't see it
either. I didn't take photos along the way because I didn't expect any
problems.

the threshold is sitting higher than you thought and
did not get bedded in the caulk.


It's possible. Oddly, I left drainage on the outside, but sealed the
inside. In theory, any water getting in should drain out, but it's seeping
under the interior caulking instead. I verified the subfloor was level
before installing the door (actually had a very minor slope outwards).
That's what makes me think the water is coming in at the sides and running
down BEHIND the caulking I installed under the door.

how much drop is there from the front edge
of threshold to the porch surface outside?


About 4-5 inches right now. We will be rebuilding the front steps and
landing this summer when things dry out again and the new landing will be a
couple inches lower.

Thanks for the advice!

Anthony
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