How to seal garage leak?

[ivanptr]

We have started painting the garage and found that this garage was poorly converted from a carport by the previous owner. After heavy rainfall (Cyclone Alfred) , water ingress occurs, and some water pools on the floor near the wall. However, the issue is not very serious.

Please see the attached interior and exterior images.

 

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We are considering the possible sources of the leak:

1. The fence is screwed into these boards, and water may be seeping through the screw holes.

2. The exterior paint has peeled off, leaving the boards exposed to moisture.

3. Hairline cracks in the exterior paint may be allowing water to penetrate.

4. Water is collecting on the window rail. (We already sealed the edges of the window on all four sides a long time ago.)

We understand that the most effective solution would be to demolish the garage and revert it back to a carport, but we simply cannot afford that.

Is there any DIY solution we can try to fix this issue?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @ivanptr,

I'd start by filling the gaps on the exterior wall and repainting the area to seal them. They appear to be either fibre cement or concrete, and you could fill them with Sikaflex 11FC or a patching cement. It might be worth investigating the fence attachment to ensure that it hasn't compromised the wall, but I'd concentrate on the visible damage and fix that first.

For the window, the lower track should self-drain, but if it's holding water, especially if it is then overflowing inside, I suggest drilling a small hole on the outside at the bottom of the track, which will drain the water from it. 

If you see water running down the glass pane from the top inside, it likely indicates that the flash on the outside at the top is letting water in. To solve this, run the length of flashing horizontally across the top of the wall outside, which comes down and on the top of the window frame. This allows water to run down the wall, over the flashing and down the window instead of getting in behind it.

Also, check any gutter to ensure they are not blocked and allowing water to enter the walls.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @ivanptr 

You already have identified a number of possible water ingress points and @MitchellMc has some top idea solutions for you already.

The trick is to cover each task one at a time eliminating the source of the leaks form more likely to least likely until the leak is fixed.

Even a brand-new build can leak in extreme weather conditions as houses are not waterproof just weatherproof. For example strong wind and rain can blow rain backwards up and under a tile roof until it leaks in ultra rare weather.

So if you only have a small leak under heavy conditions you're doing ok.  But it can be fixed so no rain comes in when you find the leak point or there maybe more than one leak?

Just deal with one at a time try using a hose on the outside of your house to simulate driving rain to test for leaks but be mind full hose water will be going upwards where rainwater is downward.