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Interactive illustration · Water inside

How can rain find its way inside a building?

Choose a window, a stucco wall or a slab and watch an example of how rain outside can become water inside.

These are example paths. The illustration can't tell which path, if any, is affecting your building.

WATER INSIDE AFTER RAIN

The wet spot is a clue. Follow the possible paths.

Water at the baseboard can arrive through an opening, soak through a wall or enter near the slab edge. See why the same visible problem can need a different next step.

INTERACTIVE WALL CUTAWAY

Different paths. The same wet baseboard.

Turn on each example to follow the water. These are possible paths, not a test of your home.

Compare two ways a home meets the ground

The slab and its thickened edge are poured as one piece.

Rain entry through a masonry wall and slab edgeOutside is on the left; inside is on the right. A marks the window or cutout, B the stucco wall and C the slab edge. All three examples reach the same baseboard, marked on the right. At rest, water sits outside below the interior floor and the inside is dry. Open the construction details to see the six numbered features.OUTSIDEINSIDECOLD JOINTFLOOR LEVEL123456
Blue shows water or moisture. Conceptual illustration; not your home’s construction or a simulated storm.
Follow a possible entry path

Press again to turn a path off. You can compare more than one.

WHAT THE EXAMPLE SHOWS

Water is outside, below the floor. The inside is dry. Turn on a path to see what changes.

0 of 3 paths explored

Read the construction details
  1. 1
    Window & sealant

    An opening can let rain reach the inside face of the wall.

  2. 2
    Stucco & block

    Moisture can soak through the wall material.

  3. 3
    Pipe penetration

    A gap around a hose bibb is another possible opening.

  4. 4
    Ground & soil

    Built-up soil can cover the normally exposed slab edge.

  5. 5
    Baseboard & floor

    Different entry paths can leave evidence in the same area.

  6. 6
    Slab & footing

    Compare the two construction types above the drawing.

FROM A CLUE TO A FINDING

Understanding the path starts with checking the source.

This drawing explains possibilities. It cannot tell which one is happening at your property. The timing, location and conditions around the home help guide a closer assessment.

Want FAS to look at your property?

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