Water Ingress at Door

[jamjarlurker]

Hello,

Lots of rain in Scotland in the last couple of weeks and I'm getting a lot of water coming in the TARDIS door. I did put thick strips of waterproof foam sealant at the bottom of the doors, but after every fall of rain there's a sizable puddle inside. Does anyone have a similar problem and/or advice?

Thanks,
Francis

[osiran]

Jul 5, 2020 13:36:51 GMT 1 jamjarlurker said:

Hello,

Lots of rain in Scotland in the last couple of weeks and I'm getting a lot of water coming in the TARDIS door. I did put thick strips of waterproof foam sealant at the bottom of the doors, but after every fall of rain there's a sizable puddle inside. Does anyone have a similar problem and/or advice?

Thanks,
Francis

Hi Francis,

I know it sounds obvious, but is the bottom of the door actually where the water is coming in? I've had this with a shed and it's not always obvious where the ingress is.


If it is, what about a rubber strip bonded to the bottom of the door inside? If you make it a tad long at the bottom it will drag along the floor.

Dave

[moonbeam]

Hi Francis,

I know this doesn’t answer your direct question but maybe to see exactly how the water gets in you could get someone to spray your Tardis with water from a hose whilst your inside, maybe seeing exactly where and how might help with an answer?

moonbeam.

[jamjarlurker]

Thanks Dave and Moonbeam for your advice.

It may be that I have to put some weatherstrip around the door frame, as it's not the snuggest fit.

I did have a strip on the inside bottom of the door. But I removed it because I was worried about water sitting and the effect it might have on the underside of the door.

[osiran]

Jul 6, 2020 7:47:34 GMT 1 jamjarlurker said:

Thanks Dave and Moonbeam for your advice.

It may be that I have to put some weatherstrip around the door frame, as it's not the snuggest fit.

I did have a strip on the inside bottom of the door. But I removed it because I was worried about water sitting and the effect it might have on the underside of the door.

The only options to prevent that would probably be to fit a weathstrip to the outside of the door or plain the front of the base so that it slopes away from the door. But both would obviously ruin the look of the Tardis. I'd do the hose test that Moonbeam suggested to confirm where the water is coming in. You may find it's nothing to do with the door.

With regards to the wood being damaged in the long term, I guess the problem is that we have a lump of wood outside in the elements. So like a shed or fence panel it will only survive with regular maintenance/painting etc.

[jamjarlurker]

As Dave and Moonbeam suggested,the leak wasn't from the door, but from where the front sign meets the corner posts (on the TPE box the front sign box is part of a slightly larger piece which combines with the posts to form the door frame and part of the lower stacks - I haven't figured how to post pictures from my phone on this platform).

Possibly due to the slabs I laid being ever so slighly off, that's the one section of the box that wasn't a nice snug fit. In retrospect, I think I should have sealed the inside of piece first. I think it's moved after the outside was sealed and possibly the sealant has stretched too far.

Anyway, sealant replaced and packed in. And no puddle after an evening and night of rain.

Having said that, still a little under the door but perhaps that's unavoidable?

Francis

[russell]

Hi.
it is a constant battle, isn't it?!

One idea might be to have your floor sloping inwards to a central dip leading to a grill so the water can drain away.
It won't stop the water getting in, but at least it will give it a way out again...


Good luck!


Russell