# Gable Vents Leaking - Do I still need them?



## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

They will leak if you point you hose from the ground. The important question is do you have soffit vents.
I am not sure they are even vents they maybe just there for show.


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## ConstantChange (Apr 21, 2006)

Yes...I have soffit vents. I sprayed everywhere but the gable vent for minutes and zero water leaks in the office. I sprayed in the gable vent and replicated the issue I have when there is a strong wind and rain almost instantly.

If it rains without a strong wind...no leaks. Rain with a strong wind and my office window is pouring water.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

ConstantChange said:


> Yes...I have soffit vents. I sprayed everywhere but the gable vent for minutes and zero water leaks in the office. I sprayed in the gable vent and replicated the issue I have when there is a strong wind and rain almost instantly.
> 
> If it rains without a strong wind...no leaks. Rain with a strong wind and my office window is pouring water.


 Have you been up there to see the fit in the bottom and if the caulk is gone.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I agree with Neal that you may not have isolated the actual leak, it may be the installation, brick is more difficult. If you cover just the louvers on one of those gable vents and retest and it still leaks then you are looking at the installation. 

They look nice and it would be a shame to go through the removal process if not needed. Can you get a close look at any of them from inside? Maybe pictures?

Bud


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## ConstantChange (Apr 21, 2006)

Bud9051 said:


> Can you get a close look at any of them from inside? Maybe pictures?


Not yet. To gain access to most of the attic, I have to go over the HVAC which is another issue I'm trying to solve (I have another thread about it.)

I'll take a closer look at the installation and also cover up the louvers and redo the water test.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

ConstantChange said:


> Not yet. To gain access to most of the attic, I have to go over the HVAC which is another issue I'm trying to solve (I have another thread about it.)
> 
> I'll take a closer look at the installation and also cover up the louvers and redo the water test.


We have one like that just up the street that people closed off, it looks like they just covered it with Plexiglas and caulked it. I only noticed it because it reflexes the sun now.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Neal or others can probably explain better than myself, but I suspect those octagonal vents are built with a brick mold and at best sealed to the sheathing. Then the bricks are installed around the vent and caulking in applied. I have seen cases where contractors cheap out and do not install the house wrap on the gable peaks, hard to determine at this point. But even if it is there, where would it drain to? House wrap is a drainage plane that needs to be properly sealed above windows and doors. If the final caulking isn't stopping the water at the vents then the drainage path needs to direct that water out.

When you get a look at the inside see if you can spot any house wrap around the edges.

If you visit a store selling those vents ask how they should be installed, specifically in regards to flashing and sealing.

Bud


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> Neal or others can probably explain better than myself, but I suspect those octagonal vents are built with a brick mold and at best sealed to the sheathing. Then the bricks are installed around the vent and caulking in applied. I have seen cases where contractors cheap out and do not install the house wrap on the gable peaks, hard to determine at this point. But even if it is there, where would it drain to? House wrap is a drainage plane that needs to be properly sealed above windows and doors. If the final caulking isn't stopping the water at the vents then the drainage path needs to direct that water out.
> 
> When you get a look at the inside see if you can spot any house wrap around the edges.
> 
> ...


I am never around when they do that work but the vent should be installed like a window so if water just gets in around the frame it would get to the drain plane and if that is the problem it would be very hard to fix. I did see a vent like that a few years ago and the louvres were spring loaded so I guess a big wind and rain would find it closed.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Did a little more reading and I suspect those vents are two part units. First part is installed against the sheathing and all flashing, house wrap, and caulking are done at that level. then the brick goes up and the outside cover is snapped on. Since all three are leaking whatever is causing it is common to all.

Once we identify the source of the leak we can discuss the amount of ventilation needed.

Bud


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

*This* is the closest I was able to find with anything related to gable vents and brick. There may be some meat there but not directly what you have. The one point I picked up was about half way down where he describes caulking the exterior assembly to the brick, of course his is custom made and not designed to be removed. Just some reading.

Bud


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

If the wind is right, you _can_ get water/snow to blow in to a vent if there are combined styles of gable, ridge, or box vents used in conjunction with the soffit vents. 

Here, those vents do not have a lot of net free area, and there is insulation and drywall that the water must first travel through to get to the finished space below. It would probably require a sustained heavy rain that is blown in to first saturate your insulation, then additional water to collect beyond that saturation before it could find a spot to enter below.

If you have a nearly immediate drip that you replicated with the hose, I would first look with a ladder at sealing around the exterior of the vent, and check if there are some larger than normal gaps under the frieze board where water could travel up behind it to get to the air space behind the brick. Then checking the attic insulation might zero in where the problem originates.

Which vent is your office under - 1st floor or over garage? And what kind of leak is it - drip, waterfall, moisture?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> *This* is the closest I was able to find with anything related to gable vents and brick. There may be some meat there but not directly what you have. The one point I picked up was about half way down where he describes caulking the exterior assembly to the brick, of course his is custom made and not designed to be removed. Just some reading.
> 
> Bud


If it is the one above the attic window, he won't have access to it. :sad:


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## ConstantChange (Apr 21, 2006)

3onthetree said:


> Which vent is your office under - 1st floor or over garage? And what kind of leak is it - drip, waterfall, moisture?


Thanks for all the help! One of my big concerns is that the insulation is wet and will start to mold. If it's entering between the brick and the sheathing I'm guessing that's the best of two evils.

My office is under the middle vent. The window to the left of the front door.

The leak is a fast, steady drip that starts in the center of the window and then spreads out to where it's dripping from multiple areas. It drips at a good enough pace to where when it hits the mullion in the center of the window it splashes a few feet into the room.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

You should be able to get to the inside and bag up wet insulation, let the area dry out and replace the insulation with a little new.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

ConstantChange said:


> One of my big concerns is that the insulation is wet and will start to mold.


Find someone tiny or somehow get around that furnace to check the insulation. If it's all dry you know its the airspace. If it's just a little damp at the wall then it could be working back behind the sheathing. Probably though the flashing wasn't installed correctly over the lintel and water has a free run down to the window head. Speaking of, check the window too.


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## ConstantChange (Apr 21, 2006)

I had a roofing company come out and look at my gable vents today. The guy thinks they are the source of the leaks, but said they look to be installed properly. He believes a combination of rain with a strong wind is causing water to enter them, which results in water draining between the brick and sheathing and out my window.

He recommends putting a board behind them and sealing them up making them a cosmetic instead of functional gable. He said it might even improve ventilation as they could be acting as inlets now instead of the soffits since I have roof vents at a higher point than the gable vents.

The estimate for this was $1,557...or roughly $500 per gable. He said if it still leaks, I don't pay him.

Seems a little high, but I don't have a reference. I might have another company come out just to see if they agree on the issue and solution.

How does that price sound to you?


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

For me, I'd just get a couple of these cut to fit in the attic, a couple tubes of waterproof caulk, and go to town.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

I don't know about the board behind it. What about water that still blows in the slat, it would just sit at the bottom sandwiched in. But I guess less chance of blowing in if closed.

If it were my house, I would replace it with a non-functional decorative Fypon (urethane) vent, as long as I had the proper venting elsewhere.


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