The pattern
Four Reasons the Same Leak Comes Back
A building that has been repaired three times for the same leak has usually been repaired in the wrong place three times.
Where it appears inside, when it happens, and what has already been tried. That is enough to plan an investigation.
The four reasons
Each is common and each produces exactly the same outcome.
- The repair was aimed at where the water appeared, not where it entered.
- Sealant was applied over a failing joint instead of replacing it.
- An incompatible product was used and debonded within a year.
- The repair fixed one path and the building has more than one.
What changes it
Investigation before scoping and testing after repairing. Those two steps cost money, produce no visible work, and are the difference between one repair and three.
They are also the two steps most commonly skipped, because a proposal that includes them looks more expensive than one that goes straight to sealant.
The question to ask
Ask any contractor proposing an envelope repair how they established where the water is entering, and whether they will water test the repair before calling it complete.
The answers to those two questions predict the outcome better than the products in the proposal do.
FAQ
Common questions
- Why does the same leak come back?
- Usually because the repair was aimed at where the water appeared, not where it entered.
- What two steps change the outcome?
- Investigation before scoping, and water testing after repair.
- Why are those steps skipped?
- They cost money and produce no visible work, so proposals including them look more expensive.
- What should we ask a contractor?
- How they found the entry point, and whether they will test the repair.
Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.