This Old House (or Office)

Recently I spoke with a woman who owns an old house that has been rennovated into offices. It's quite the charming place - high ceilings, hardwood floors, a big fireplace....and whoops...the water leaks everytime it rains. From the inside, water starts to flow around the joints of the chimney, dripping down the walls and onto the floors. Fortunately, she had "a guy" come in and re-caulk around the flashing last year.

Of course, it still leaks.

Am I surprised? No. This is an example of what we talk about on this blog - water leakage doesn't always show up at the source of the leak. Sometimes water leakage appears only after the insulation and walls are completely soaked through. You can't see the damage done until it's so bad the water visibly leaks through.

What is flashing, exactly? Flashing is a thin continuous piece(s) of sheet metal or other impervious material installed to prevent the passage of water into a structure from an angle or joint. Flashing generally operates on the principle that, for water to penetrate a joint, it must work itself upward against the force of gravity or in the case of wind-driven rain, it would have to follow a tortuous path during which the driving force will be dissipated. Sometimes flashing gets loose, isn't properly installed, or isn't installed at all. Some flashing materials can deteriorate when they are exposed to the sun.
Was re-caulking the flashing the right choice? At this point, it's hard to tell. I do know that a preliminary infrared thermography screen would have been able to isolate the point of entry and any areas of damage, ensuring any repair was done right the first time.

Infrared thermography doesn't always have to be done for an entire building. Use it as a tool to isolate issues and to reduce your repair costs.

Want more information? Call me at 803-328-2889 or drop me an email!

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IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit www.irinfraredservices.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/infraredscans. We are proud to offer the very best thermography services in North and South Carolina!