PVC Door Leak

tntcoder · 29 Mar 2016 at 18:51

Hi All,

I have a PVC front door + adjoined side windows that leaks several times a year, only happens when it gets really hard rain blowing directly against it. It's happened enough in the last month that i'm annoyed enough to try and get it fixed

I can't for the life of me determine where the water gets in, but it leaks out under the door frame/matt. There is an obvious gulley around the door where it opens/closes where the water must be, but when the door is locked it all looks like a tight fit/seal.

I've checked all the visible seals and even siliconed the letter box but i've never found a solution

Who would be best placed to contact to get in and fix it? I think a generic builder will likely mess me around, is there such a thing as a door fitter I could contact who might have had experience with such problems? :confused:

Thanks for any advice!

the_r_sole · 29 Mar 2016 at 18:53

is it an inward opening door?

tntcoder · 29 Mar 2016 at 18:56

the_r_sole said:
is it an inward opening door?

Yes it is. It's been locked shut all of today, not opened once but a fair bit of water has drained in through today's rain.

Mark A · 29 Mar 2016 at 19:17

First thing to check is that the drainage holes are not blocked. When you open the door, there should be drainage holes on the bottom of the door threshold. Try pouring water directly into these and it should start draining outside, through the hidden drainage holes between the threshold and exterior sill.

One other place it could be coming in is the jointing strip that joins the door and side frame together.

tntcoder · 29 Mar 2016 at 19:34

Mark A said:
First thing to check is that the drainage holes are not blocked. When you open the door, there should be drainage holes on the bottom of the door threshold. Try pouring water directly into these and it should start draining outside, through the hidden drainage holes between the threshold and exterior sill.

One other place it could be coming in is the jointing strip that joins the door and side frame together.

Thanks, I've just poured water in the bottom and it does correctly drain to the outside. I think this implies it must be coming in through the actual frame?

This is what it looks like: http://imgur.com/I9KLmrO

The visible holes at the back drain correctly to the outside.

The silicon seal along the inside base was my attempt to block it (that's where it actually comes in), but it just gets through anyway sadly, not being the real source of the problem

Mark A · 29 Mar 2016 at 19:54

The drain holes look fine, sometimes these can get clogged with dirt and cause the water to leak inside. Gah, that would have been an easy fix

.

I wouldn't bother with a builder as they probably wouldn't have a clue. There are guys that go around doing small jobs like replacing gaskets and hinges etc on PVC doors and windows. They are quite expensive, but will probably be your best bet. A window company will just try to sell you a new door, unless you can find a decent small company or one man band near you.

A quick thing to try would be to remove all the perimeter sealant and re-seal it with some decent low modulus, neutral cure silicone. Then if it still gets in it definitely needs looking at. It could be that they haven't sealed the sill to the frame and water is tracking through to the inside, or its getting through where the frames are joined and you would need to take the frames out in order to rectify this.

Hedge · 30 Mar 2016 at 07:03

Wait for a dry spell, close all your windows and doors. Fill your house with water and see where it squirts out outside