Water that gets past hail-cracked glass, dented siding and failed window seals and into the wall cavities, floors and trim of a Colorado Springs home.
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A window or a section of siding damaged by hail lets wind-driven rain into the wall between the outside and the interior finish. The water wets the sheathing, the insulation and the bottom plate, and it often shows first as a stain on the sill or the carpet beneath the window. Cleanup means finding the opening, drying the wall and checking the framing before the trim goes back on.
Hail does its damage in a few minutes, and the windows and siding it strikes are often the first thing a storm reaches. A cracked double-pane unit, a split seal, a dented aluminum or vinyl panel and a loose piece of trim are each a route for water when the next rain comes from the wrong direction. A window that looks sound from the inside can still pass water along the frame, and a siding panel that has been pushed in may leave a gap at its joint that is not visible from the yard.
What makes a window or siding leak different from a roof leak is where the water goes. It runs down the inside of the wall, not along the ceiling, and it often settles at the bottom plate, under the sill and behind the baseboard. A homeowner may see a stain on the floor, a soft spot in the drywall at the bottom of the wall or a musty smell in a room whose window has been shut for weeks. Each of those is a reason to look at the wall, not just the window.
Do not climb a ladder onto a damaged slope of siding or push on a window that is cracked, because broken glass can fall. Keep the power off to any outlet in a wall that is being opened, and do not lean into the cavity while a drill or saw is running.
Temporary covering goes over the opening, and any water on the floor is removed first so it cannot reach the electrical outlets or the carpet seams. The windows and the wall beneath them are not opened until the crew knows where the water is coming from.
The window is checked from the outside for cracks, dents and gaps, and from the inside for staining at the sill and the casing. A moisture meter is run up the wall from the floor, because water often tracks several feet up the cavity before it shows on the surface.
Drywall or trim is removed at the lowest point where the readings are high, so the cavity can be seen and dried. Insulation that is soaked is taken out, and the sheathing and bottom plate are checked for swelling or rot.
Air is moved through the cavity with a directed air mover, and the readings are logged until the sheathing and framing reach a steady, dry level. A cavity that is still wet at the bottom plate is not closed, because trapped moisture is the usual reason for a second stain.
Once the readings are dry, the drywall or trim is replaced and the window or siding repair is recorded. The photographs of the damage, the wall openings and the readings go into the file so the repair can be matched to the storm.
Because the water runs down inside the wall after it gets past the window or siding, and it reaches the floor at the bottom plate or under the sill. The window may look dry from the inside because the path is hidden.
Water that enters a wall follows gravity, so it travels down the cavity between the sheathing and the drywall until it finds a low point. The bottom plate and the flooring at the wall are where it collects, and the stain appears there several days or weeks after the storm. That is why a homeowner who finds a soft baseboard should check the wall above it, not just the carpet.
The same path explains why a window can seem to leak only in one wind direction. Wind-driven rain goes under the sill or behind siding on the windward side, and the water can stay in the wall until the next rain adds more.
It depends on the policy and on how the damage was caused. Hail and wind are often named perils on a homeowner policy, but the terms on glass, screens and interior water vary, and the insurer decides each claim.
A policy generally treats the sudden storm damage to the window or siding as one claim and the water that enters afterward as a separate one. Some policies cover interior water that follows a storm opening; others limit it. The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates insurers in Colorado and takes complaints about how claims are handled. This page does not describe any specific coverage.
Before the window is replaced, photograph the crack, the dent and the gap, and keep the broken pieces until the insurer has seen them. Ask for the adjuster's inspection report in writing.
A repair that is not matched carefully shows as a patch. Siding can be discontinued or faded, so the crew records the profile, color and panel width before the old panel comes off.
The first step is to measure the panel and to check whether a matching profile is still made. Where a matching panel cannot be found, the repair is planned around a full wall section, which is more costly and more visible than a single panel. Those choices belong to the homeowner and the contractor who installs the siding, and they are made before any work starts.
Under the siding, the house wrap is checked for tears and the sheathing is checked for soft spots. A new panel laid over damaged wrap will leak again, so the wrap is replaced where it is torn.
The window operation, the seal, the caulking at the frame and the sill slope. These are the points where water can get back in after a repair.
Open and close the window and check that the sash sits square in the frame. Look for a gap at the sill and at the head of the frame where a drip could enter. A sill that slopes back toward the wall holds water, so the slope is checked as part of the repair.
After the next wind-driven rain, look at the sill and the baseboard again. A fresh stain means the water is still getting in somewhere, and the repair should be checked before the drywall is painted.
A cracked outer pane or a failed seal lets moisture into the space between the glass panes, and it can also let water past the frame. The window itself is replaced by a glazing contractor, and the cleanup covers the sill, the trim and the wall beneath it.
Vinyl and aluminum siding can be pushed in by hail without tearing. The gap at the joint lets wind-driven rain behind the panel, where it wets the house wrap and the sheathing. The siding is replaced panel by panel once the wall is dry.
A below-grade window that sits in a well can hold water after a storm when the well drain is blocked by debris. Water pushes past the seal and runs down the foundation wall into the basement, and the cleanup has to cover the wall, the floor and the window frame.
The July 2016 hailstorm in Colorado Springs struck windows and siding as well as roofs, and the homeowners who had the most trouble were often the ones who did not see the damage until a later rain.
Storm-driven rain in Colorado Springs often arrives from a single direction for the length of a storm, so a window on one side of a house can leak while the same window on the other side stays dry.
The June 2018 overnight storm across El Paso County damaged thousands of houses, and the storm's damage to windows and siding was widespread enough that the repair work took weeks in some neighborhoods.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what hail window and siding water intrusion should cost.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Water that enters a Colorado Springs home through a roof opening hail has cracked, and the ceiling, insulation and walls that it reaches below.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry the framing, subfloor, insulation and wall cavities of a Colorado Springs building after water has been removed.
Cutting out and drying water-stained ceiling board and wall board in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, so the repair can be closed over dry framing.
Locating a concealed supply or drain leak in a Colorado Springs building with moisture meters, a thermal camera and careful opening, before the damage spreads.
Hail rarely leaves water damage at the moment it falls.
Not in the usual sense. Fog between the panes means the seal has failed and moisture is trapped inside the glass. It is a sign to check the frame, because the same storm may have opened a gap that lets water into the wall.
Sometimes, if the water is confined to the outer layer and the readings show it is drying. Where the readings stay high at the bottom plate, the trim and drywall have to come off so the cavity can be reached.
Not usually. A single panel can be replaced if a matching profile exists. If it cannot be matched, the repair is planned around a wall section, and that decision is made with the homeowner.
As soon as it is seen. Water in a wall can cause damage that is slow to show, so the phone line is the right first step at any hour.