# Leaking gable vent



## jbinkley (Jan 5, 2007)

I have a gable vent in the front of my house that I am convinced is the source of a leak. When it rains and there is a wind coming into the front of the house, water can be seen running down the brick on the inside below the vent. I have had a painter and a roofer look at it. The painter caulked it and that made no difference. The roofer didn't know what to do. So who am I supposed to have look at this? I am not qualified to fix the problem even if I did have time to try. Any suggestions on who to call to get this done right the first time? I live in Huntsville, AL in case anyone out there knows of a reputable contractor, roofer, or whatever around here that can stop the leak.

Thanks


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## redline (Mar 5, 2006)

jbinkley said:


> When it rains and there is a wind coming into the front of the house, water can be seen running down the brick on the inside below the vent.
> 
> 
> Thanks


Have witnessed the water running down the brick when it rains?
Leaks can travel and appear to be coming at one spot but may be located at a different location.

Is the exterior of the house brick? or other material?


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## jbinkley (Jan 5, 2007)

*exterior is brick*

There is nothing above the gable vent except the roof and brick. I spoke to a general contractor today. He thinks there could be an updraft coming in through the gable vent during rain with a southeasterly wind that is causing rain to come in the vent. He is coming tommorrow to look at the vent from inside the attic and go from there. He thinks the only way to stop the leak is to replace the vent with a gable vent that has a fan and louvres that close when the fan is not on (when the temp in the attic is low enough to not need the ventilation). I plan to get two or three different contractors to look at this and hopefully there will be a consensus about what the problem is and how to fix it.


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## sunkissed (Jan 20, 2007)

*Leaky Gable Vents*

We are having the same problem and in researching the old style vents used to have more overlap with an upward edge on each slat, also they had a flashing on the bottom slat that was extended out deeper a little more so anything that made it in would run down and be caught by the final slat and it would run right back out. I'm still looking to see if I can find any made like in the old days. Another idea we came up with was maybe having a piece of copper, or an appropriate metal that you could either let age naturally or paint, have it cut and bent at a metal place (gutter installers usually know where) to fit over the vent like an awning. Airflow in not restricted but rain is. That way you won't have to worry about your wall rotting out or your insulation or ceiling getting wet.


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## cgs624 (Feb 5, 2010)

I live in Huntsville, AL and have the exact same problem you do. Have you found a good solution? I am desperate to fix this same kind of leak.


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## sunkissed (Jan 20, 2007)

*leaky gable vents*

He has decided to basically have a piece of metal bent where it is a couple of inches longer on the top and the bottom of the vent that is already there. It will stand away from the house two to three inches. It will have to be painted to match your house or trim. Let me see if I can do this with computer keys. This is the view from the bottom or top looking down or up between the cover and the house. __[---------[__ The dotted line should actually be solid and flush with the top of the lines. I'm sure you see what I mean. So when the wind blows on it, it deflects the wind and rain while allowing the attic vent to breath out both the top and bottom openings. The most important thing being that the top and bottom extend past the opening enough so the rain and wind cannot blow in. This should be a very simple inexpensive solution to the problem. Make sure to use exterior screws on each side so they won't rust and streak. If you don't understand what I mean let me know and I will email you a drawing.


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## MJW (Feb 7, 2006)

Could be a venting problem. Often times gable vents will act like an intake for the venting system in the attic. It may actually be sucking the rain in.

Do you have soffit vents? How about roof vents? What style home? Any moisture problems?


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