# seal crack in concrete covered by siding



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Don't caulk that joint between the siding the concrete. The concrete should be sealed behind that and you should have a piece of counter flashing that extends up the wall and terminates on the concrete to allow for proper drainage.


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

Windows on Wash said:


> Don't caulk that joint between the siding the concrete. The concrete should be sealed behind that and you should have a piece of counter flashing that extends up the wall and terminates on the concrete to allow for proper drainage.


 The siding on the back of the house does not extend to the ground. The patio slab was added decades after the house was built, never connected to the house, the only seal it did have was an epoxy paint going over the slab and up the wall. The siding around the door is decorative, ends an inch above the ground, no flash. If I dont get suggestions, my solution was to squirt epoxy paint back there with an ear syringe


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

*on your house, fine, but i wouldn't do it on ours*


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

stadry said:


> *on your house, fine, but i wouldn't do it on ours*


Ok Stadry, I don't really understand your point, I am new to this stuff. If I seal the gapvbetween the patio and house, 2000 gallons of water enter the earth 15" away from my house instead if right next to it. 
Why wouldn't you seal that crack?

My reasoning: it rains I get 3 inches of water on my 16x65 patio. *that's over 2000 gallons. A good portion of it drains by going through the gap between the house and the patio sitting against and under my house farcing the sump pump to suck it out, 

diagram of a cross section of the house when it rains.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Is there a concrete foundation wall up behind that siding? That little swatch of siding looks funky like that at the end of the day.


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Doug Locke said:


> There was a crack between the concrete patio and outside wall. Patched now.
> Part of it extended under the siding 1/16"-1/8" wide.
> 
> What's a cheap fast way to plug that up (caulk tube cant reach and I woudlnt be able to smooth it).
> ...


If you want to caulk, or use the self leveling concrete sealer, and the spout on the tube or container is not long enough, the stores sell extenders that you can put on the spout. If I need an extender I just use a piece of fuel line or vinyl tubing. Put on the end of the spout, and you will be able to reach the crack.

If you are concerned with getting the sealer on the patio while doing the repair, put down something to protect the patio, ie tape a piece of poster board on the concrete, remove after sealer applied.


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

Windows on Wash said:


> Is there a concrete foundation wall up behind that siding? That little swatch of siding looks funky like that at the end of the day.


There is a concrete foundation wall behind that wall, that swatch of sidinig does look weird, it frames the door.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

You do have sloping deck and gutters so The amount of water getting down there would be limited. Is the downspout water making it's way to the pump too.


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

Nealtw said:


> You do have sloping deck and gutters so The amount of water getting down there would be limited. Is the downspout water making it's way to the pump too.


Downspouts go 25' from the house. 

I'm at the bottom of a hill. I get upto 3" of water pooling on the patio when it rains 

I assume water seeps down that crack.

rubber tubing on the caulk should work fine. 

But from the other posts, maybe nothing needs to be done, I should leave it alone?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

Doug Locke said:


> Downspouts go 25' from the house.
> 
> I'm at the bottom of a hill. I get upto 3" of water pooling on the patio when it rains
> 
> ...


It might not stay there if the deck moves,


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Ideally the patio should have some pitch away from the home in this case and the only water that gap should be managing is the small bit of rain that falls on the siding and off the vertical walls of the home above it as well as the small bit that falls on that ground. 

If the water of that patio is draining toward the home, you are hosed no matter what you do.


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

Windows on Wash said:


> Ideally the patio should have some pitch away from the home in this case and the only water that gap should be managing is the small bit of rain that falls on the siding and off the vertical walls of the home above it as well as the small bit that falls on that ground.
> 
> If the water of that patio is draining toward the home, you are hosed no matter what you do.


Patio is pitched, but if it rains a lot patio is covered with 2-3" of water, once flooded a good fraction will seep down the crack. Probably will be similar issue in the winter, the snow close to the house/crack will melt faster letting water in.

I might be wasting my time sealing it, at least it gets rid of the ants living in the crack. 

Ill use a latex based concrete filler, cheaper and easier to patch, or pull out if the deck does move


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Looked again at your first pic. Are you able to pop off that bottom piece of siding and get to the crack?
Also doesn't appear the final masonry coat on the side of the house goes down to the patio. Has the patio settled and exposed that area, or was there something there that was removed.


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

ZTMAN said:


> Looked again at your first pic. Are you able to pop off that bottom piece of siding and get to the crack?
> Also doesn't appear the final masonry coat on the side of the house goes down to the patio. Has the patio settled and exposed that area, or was there something there that was removed.


Not sure how its attached but It doesn't pop off. 

Last owner coated the patio &a little up the walls with epoxy paint without any priming so its not stucking to the house anymore. I think there is greyish/tan coating under the epoxy paint on the house, concrete deck only has the epoxy paint coating. 

I pulled off the peeling bits of epoxy paint coating so that the caulk goes in the crack not on pealing paint. Zoomed portion of what I sealed yesterday (I know its a sloppy lazy bead, gona paint over it anyway) you can see where the old paint was removed


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Joint doesn't look bad. Painters tape is my friend for straight joints.

You sure the water on the patio is not coming from left (facing rear) side of the home. Ground looks a lot higher than the patio


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## Doug Locke (Aug 31, 2017)

ZTMAN said:


> Joint doesn't look bad. Painters tape is my friend for straight joints.
> 
> You sure the water on the patio is not coming from left (facing rear) side of the home. Ground looks a lot higher than the patio



short rubber hose and caulk tube resolves my problem.

The crack prevent future damage to the house or deck specifically from the crack [full stop]. 

House photo is from zillow 13mos ago. Ive connected that downspout to the one in the front that goes to the street. Also used some online guides to make a cheap french drain. I now have a 4" deep 8+'long gulley from the left patio/corner of the house back behind those bushes, empties into 2 buried 14 gallon carboys converted into mini dry wells, once water starts draining it goes away fast. 

I even got a 400gph fountain pump and 50' tubing I plop down into the french drain and let it suck water into the street... that was more for fun in case we ever get a flood, PIA to actually do that everytime it rain


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