water damage detection and repair
April 7, 2008 11:19 AM Subscribe
Help me identify and fix a possible water intrusion / water damage near my sliding glass door.
I'm buying a new home (yay!) and the inspection went well without identifying any new major issues. One item we knew about is that the sliding glass door was broken and needed to be repaired. Our inspectors didn't find anything else wrong about the door other than it didn't open (they didn't note any possible water damage around the door, etc).
When we had a window/door guy come out and take a look at it, the door was not functional because the wheels on the bottom had completely rusted out. The previous owners had removed the wheels and just rested the door on wood shims. The wood shims were now rotting as well. So the window/door guy thinks that there might be a possible water intrusion issue.
I will be going over to the new place later (we haven't yet moved in) and will take a visual inspection of the area to look for any kind of water damage, but what i want to know is:
- How should i verify that there is no water damage/intrusion? Is a visual inspection of the area good enough or do i need to get some of those moisture dection tools?
- If a visual inspection looks good, can i assume that everything is okay?
If there is visual evidence of a leak, i can go from there (find the source of the leak, determine how much damage has been already caused, fix the leak, etc) but i just want to make sure i don't miss something that a visual inspection wouldn't catch.
Also any tips on what to look for in water damage (other than water lines, and wavy warping).
I'm not exactly a handyman - yet - but i would like to learn to do any of this myself without having to call in a professional (if possible).
I'm buying a new home (yay!) and the inspection went well without identifying any new major issues. One item we knew about is that the sliding glass door was broken and needed to be repaired. Our inspectors didn't find anything else wrong about the door other than it didn't open (they didn't note any possible water damage around the door, etc).
When we had a window/door guy come out and take a look at it, the door was not functional because the wheels on the bottom had completely rusted out. The previous owners had removed the wheels and just rested the door on wood shims. The wood shims were now rotting as well. So the window/door guy thinks that there might be a possible water intrusion issue.
I will be going over to the new place later (we haven't yet moved in) and will take a visual inspection of the area to look for any kind of water damage, but what i want to know is:
- How should i verify that there is no water damage/intrusion? Is a visual inspection of the area good enough or do i need to get some of those moisture dection tools?
- If a visual inspection looks good, can i assume that everything is okay?
If there is visual evidence of a leak, i can go from there (find the source of the leak, determine how much damage has been already caused, fix the leak, etc) but i just want to make sure i don't miss something that a visual inspection wouldn't catch.
Also any tips on what to look for in water damage (other than water lines, and wavy warping).
I'm not exactly a handyman - yet - but i would like to learn to do any of this myself without having to call in a professional (if possible).
Nthing Jamaro for checking actual structural damage.
Is the threshold close to the ground (puddling), near irrigation (sprinklers), or exposed to the elements (will a hard rain run down that wall)? Is it painted or sealed ? Is the surface of the wood cracked, checked or peeling? Wood doors are great. ( I hate fiberglass and vinyl windows and doors.) But they need regular maintenance, sometimes a yearly sanding and a coat of paint or sealer, the eventual replacement of rollers and other hardware, and they really suffer if there was deferred maintenance. I would check the flooring inside next to the threshold for stains (carpet), buckling (hardwood or vinyl) or recent repairs (seams or color differences).
My current home had a spot where water pooled, only when it rained, and saturated and eventually rotted, the threshhold and jambs on the door into the garage. The previous homeowner did a cut and patch job that fooled me and the inspector until it rained the following winter and the patch fell out!
Try installing new rollers. Bring one to the hardware store to find a suitable match. I would recommend the metal wheeled ones over the plastic, because the plastic tend to crumble after awhile. Also consider sanding and re-sealing/painting the frame while you have the door out. That is the beauty of wood, with proper maintenance, in a dry climate, it can be maintained for years.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 3:51 PM on April 7, 2008
Is the threshold close to the ground (puddling), near irrigation (sprinklers), or exposed to the elements (will a hard rain run down that wall)? Is it painted or sealed ? Is the surface of the wood cracked, checked or peeling? Wood doors are great. ( I hate fiberglass and vinyl windows and doors.) But they need regular maintenance, sometimes a yearly sanding and a coat of paint or sealer, the eventual replacement of rollers and other hardware, and they really suffer if there was deferred maintenance. I would check the flooring inside next to the threshold for stains (carpet), buckling (hardwood or vinyl) or recent repairs (seams or color differences).
My current home had a spot where water pooled, only when it rained, and saturated and eventually rotted, the threshhold and jambs on the door into the garage. The previous homeowner did a cut and patch job that fooled me and the inspector until it rained the following winter and the patch fell out!
Try installing new rollers. Bring one to the hardware store to find a suitable match. I would recommend the metal wheeled ones over the plastic, because the plastic tend to crumble after awhile. Also consider sanding and re-sealing/painting the frame while you have the door out. That is the beauty of wood, with proper maintenance, in a dry climate, it can be maintained for years.
posted by SMELLSLIKEFUN at 3:51 PM on April 7, 2008
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posted by LionIndex at 1:22 PM on April 7, 2008