Hey- we have a new pole barn that we are doing some finish work in including insulation and some drywall for two finished spaces. The south facing wall gets hit directly by the weather and when the wind is blowing with rain both windows will leak. I can see a small leak down the inside of the metal siding. The contractor has been out and I've essentially surrounded the entire window with slicone around the trim myself- it helped but I still get water down the wall and collecting on the sill plate (which of course gets the insulation wet). I've pulled the insulation but need to find a way to deal with this water before I finish the wall. The windows are Jeld-Wen and were siliconed to the metal siding when intalled but weren't installed like a stick built home. I've thought about placing a plastic barrier against the interior metal to protect the insulation but am worried the water will never evaporate once the wall is finished and will eventually damage the metal and sill plate. I've been avoiding pulling the windows, as I'm not sure what I'm going to do different when we do. Any thoughts?
Pole barn window leak
- Thread starter anojones
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Robert_in_NY
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unfortunately this is a problem with J channel. A lot of houses with vinyl siding are going to have rot problems because of the J channel around the windows. Water runs down the J channel and goes behind the siding (metal or vinyl it doesn't matter). The worst part is the bottom as the water runs down the J-channel and there is no solid seal to keep the water from running behind the siding on the bottom.
To fix your problem your best bet would be to lift the siding and apply a good silicone caulk behind the siding to give a water barrier and caulk the heck out of everything. But really, it is a poor design which is why we didn't put windows in our barn. Fiberglass panels on the top 2 feet let in a lot of light and if we want to see out we open the overhead doors. Maybe someone else on here will have a better solution but this is a problem we have to deal with all the time on job sites and there is no good way to keep water out from behind the siding when you have windows on the wall.
One other option would be to add a roof over the two windows but you will have to make sure the roof is flashed well to prevent the same problem. It will help keep the water from running down the J-channel of the window letting it get behind the siding.
To fix your problem your best bet would be to lift the siding and apply a good silicone caulk behind the siding to give a water barrier and caulk the heck out of everything. But really, it is a poor design which is why we didn't put windows in our barn. Fiberglass panels on the top 2 feet let in a lot of light and if we want to see out we open the overhead doors. Maybe someone else on here will have a better solution but this is a problem we have to deal with all the time on job sites and there is no good way to keep water out from behind the siding when you have windows on the wall.
One other option would be to add a roof over the two windows but you will have to make sure the roof is flashed well to prevent the same problem. It will help keep the water from running down the J-channel of the window letting it get behind the siding.
tommu56
Elite Member
Robert_in_NY
I was in the pondering the same situation when I sided my cabin.
I used home depot new construction windows with the channel built in.
It is only 5/8 deep but the siding did slip slip in with a little effort.
When filling siding in around window I brought siding up in bottom j channel then did sides out to next full sheet and overlapped it 3" over bottom sheet and ran the tops 3" above top j channel and put the top sheet(s) over side and in top j channel I used the black ice dam material on original siding to j channel except on bottom black stuff went in before window. that way every thing was shingled to shed water.
tom
I was in the pondering the same situation when I sided my cabin.
I used home depot new construction windows with the channel built in.
It is only 5/8 deep but the siding did slip slip in with a little effort.
When filling siding in around window I brought siding up in bottom j channel then did sides out to next full sheet and overlapped it 3" over bottom sheet and ran the tops 3" above top j channel and put the top sheet(s) over side and in top j channel I used the black ice dam material on original siding to j channel except on bottom black stuff went in before window. that way every thing was shingled to shed water.
tom
I haven't seen the black icedam stuff, I'll look around for something similar. It does seem that it's the J-Channel design- I can't figure out where the water is coming in but am suspcious it's on the bottom. I can hose down the window and it won't leak but when the wind blows with the rain I get a leak somewhere. I've used silcone all around where the window meets the metal but it still sneaks in. The contractor will need to pull the window and re-seal, but I'm starting to consider having him remove the window and replace the metal siding on that side. I'ts on the back side of the barn, so if I could come up with a way to flash it on the outside (even if it was unattractive) that would be OK as well. Thanks for the thoughts.
tommu56
Elite Member
I use the wr grace vicor stuff and got it at lowes
Window Flashings and Door Flashings
http://www.graceathome.com/pages/downloads/TP_131.pdf
the key is to flash sill first put window in do sides and then do top covering the previous layer then put sideing on
tom
Window Flashings and Door Flashings
http://www.graceathome.com/pages/downloads/TP_131.pdf
the key is to flash sill first put window in do sides and then do top covering the previous layer then put sideing on
tom
Robert_in_NY
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The problem with window flashings like what you showed is that water will still get behind the siding and very few pole barns have a moisture barrier to keep the water out. If the barn has metal siding like stated then it is most likely mounted to purlins which will allow water into the barn still and if he has finished walls inside the water will continually ruin any drywall and rot any wood framing.
With J channel the only real way to keep water from getting behind the siding is to keep water away from the J channel. Building a small roof over the window will help and removing the window will definitely remove the problem but windows are nice so I understand why people put them in. One option when building new buildings is to put a wide overhang on the roof. It will help keep more water away from the walls.
When we go onto a job that has old vinyl siding we usually find a lot of rot under the windows. Needless to say I am not overly impressed with Vinyl siding but people like its "maintance free" claims.
With J channel the only real way to keep water from getting behind the siding is to keep water away from the J channel. Building a small roof over the window will help and removing the window will definitely remove the problem but windows are nice so I understand why people put them in. One option when building new buildings is to put a wide overhang on the roof. It will help keep more water away from the walls.
When we go onto a job that has old vinyl siding we usually find a lot of rot under the windows. Needless to say I am not overly impressed with Vinyl siding but people like its "maintance free" claims.
I've been looking at the issue today, and I agree that with the metal siding attatched to the purlins with no sheathing or moisture barrier that it will be difficult to keep the water out. I'm considering loosening/removing the siding and placing house wrap between the purlins and attatching to the exterior edge of the sill plate then relplacing the siding. Hopefully water will stay between the housewrap and metal and have a place to go to the ground as well. I'll also discuss adding a roof over the windows, without sheating traditional flashing may not work.
Robert_in_NY
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You can put a drip cap directly over the window and just have to seal the edges. It will stop a lot of the water that is running down the wall above the window which will stop the majority of the water issues. However, strong winds will still allow leaks if it blows water into the J channel from the side.
Drip caps don't look the best but some times it is better then nothing.
Drip caps don't look the best but some times it is better then nothing.
