Can wind force rain into the soffits?

Question

There is 1 and only 1 leak (thank God) that is driving me crazy. When the wind blows from the south and hits the house from that side, there is a drip that develops and comes from above the top of the window (the little 3 " overhang inside the window). The water is not coming from the window, this I know. I believe that the water is being forced into the soffit and somehow drips down along the cinder block wall where it comes out over the window. I hope that makes sense.

• There is NO water on the ceiling or along the inside wall above the window.

• There is absolutely no access into the attic as the roof slopes to almost meet the inside ceiling, so I can't even get to that side of the house.

• When it rains, even pours straight down there is absolutely no leaking.

Can rain be forced into the soffits by the wind, or should I be looking for the leak elsewhere?

Answer 1

Yes, if the interior ceiling is getting wet at the wall and radiating outward this may be the cause. This is a common occurrence in high wind areas especially with the use of vinyl or aluminum soffits or soffit systems that are not inset from the fascia system.

One solution is to replace the soffit with solid wood or solid fiber cement, and provide ventilation through a continuous vent that is only a few inches wide and centred towards the wall. Or install individual vents that have louvres, make sure the louvres are pointing towards the wall. Another solution that may help is to use a gutter there that provides adequate drainage.

The solution really is dependent on several factors, the height of the soffit relative to other parts of the structure, or other roofs around or underneath the area. The exposure and strength of the wind, and the size and design of the overhang also should be considered.

Answer 2

I think your cinder block wall, will be designed with a ventilated gap do allow any water that gets into the wall to dry out.

In the UK on modem build, there will be a cavity tray about the windows that will direction any water that is behind the cinder block harmlessly out into weep holes through the cinder block. (This gives some detail of how it is done in the UK)

A lot of building details are about coping with the fact that water will get past the first level of defenses, so must then be stopped by the next layer while being allow to dry out, otherwise you get 101 issues with rot.

Answer 3

I had a similar issue on my brick house and traced it to some unsealed gaps between the lintel, bricks, and mortar. The north wind would force the water into the wall and out the inside of the wall above the window.