Water under door thresholds.

[Traci]

We have just finished putting up our 30' pacific yurt with three doors. Everything went up smoothly and appears to be assembled properly but we are getting water running under our doors onto the floor inside. The threshold overhangs the drip edge as instructed. The water appears to pool on the threshold and then runs in at the sides. Water also runs off or out of the door seal into the yurt every time we open the doors. We have one french door (the worst leaker) and two regular doors. We have been killing ourselves off trying to build and keep our platform dry during a typical rainy pacific northwest fall only to have our floor get wet with standing water under the threshold after our cover is up. It is Saturday so we are unable to talk with

Pacific Yurts

until Monday. I've been wrestling tarps for two months so having to deal with this when our yurt is finally up is heart breaking. What are we doing wrong? Or is this normal?

[Bob Rowlands]

I'm a carpenter since 1973. Unfortunately there are few low cost no cost bandaid solutions that will slow water entry on any building, like a yurt, that has no overhang above the door.

The real solution is a full awning over the entry, and/or storm door with integral frame, caulked and attached to the yurts door frame. Any install needs a qualified carpenter to get it right, imo.

The storm door frame needs to be installed such that the storm doors sweep is contacting the outward facing slope at the bottom of the entry door threshold. If the door doesn't have a thresold with sufficient protrusion, an extension should be added. Preferably the sweep will contact the door well below finished floor level. Driven water can climb depending on force.

If I were installing this, I'd thoroughly caulk the storm door frame to the yurts door frame. Both sides and the top get a big fat bead to where the silicone is oozing out as the storm door frame gets screwed in place. That just might stop water from entering your yurt.

Adding a 5 degree bevel to the bottom of your entry door, and a sweep that contacts the threshold, might help a bit. In a hard driving rain that blows directly at the door you are basically sol without an overhang.

Good luck.

[Bob Rowlands]

Also, good quality double French doors have a three point locking mechanism activated by throwing the handle upwards on the operable door. A top bolt, bottom bolt, and latch all engage their mortises as the handle is raised upwards.

If you do not have such a door, you can add barrel bolts to the top and bottom of the operable side for tight closure against the weatherstrip in inclement weather. Lock the door, and then throw the barrel bolts. I retrofitted those to exterior grade double doors quite a few times back in the 80s. That still won't stop the water from entering but it might slow it down somewhat.

I suggest you contact a good carpenter to help deal with your problem. Good luck.

[Jafo]

I get this from time to time myself and am unsure what to do about it. It doesn't happen all the time. Maybe one of the guys at

Pacific Yurts

will jump in here after the weekend and answer.

[Traci]

This is what we have figured out so far. The door seal at the bottom of the door is cut short(on purpose) on the outside edges of the door so the door meets flush with the door frame when closed. When water runs down the door it runs in at the sides and fills the trough of the door seal(between the bottom of the door and the metal). So it was acting like a little gutter channeling water into the yurt. It appeared the doors were leaking at different rates because the ones we weren't using did not leak at first- until the trough was full and then all of a sudden pools of water would appear inside the yurt. The door we were using would deposit the contents of the trough regularly when opened and continue to pool at the sides after being shut.
My husband removed the door seals and sealed off the areas on the sides that allow it to fill with water. He also drilled some holes in the trough that will drain to the outside if water still gets into the trough for some reason. When I say seal I'm referring to the whole metal piece that screws onto the bottom of the door. The rubber piece attached to the bottom of the metal seems to be functioning fine.
We have not had any wind or driving rain yet. We plan on covering the doors with awnings... after we have lived in the yurt for awhile and see how we will be using the doors and space outside the doors.
Right now we have plastic covering all three doors. We are expecting over five inches of rain over the next few days so we are leaving the plastic in place. We are not staying in the yurt yet and don't want to take any chances.
Thanks for the replies. We will talk with Pacific Yurts today. So far they have been really great to deal with and we are very happy with our yurt. I'll update if there is anything new to add either way.

[Bob Rowlands]

Frequently the weatherstrip channel and 'bulb' on the bottom of newly manufactured doors is left full length and extends out past the door. Sometimes it even scrapes the lock jamb. Since there is normally a substantial overhang above the door on the house I trim, there is no reason to leave the weatherstrip scraping the lock jamb, or hanging out to collect water as you have described.

I frequently cut the weatherstrip channel and bulb flush with both door edges. I don't silicone the weatherstrip channel so it can be easily readjusted for good seal as the door and house settle. However in your case, you might consider siliconing the channel in place if water is flowing between it and the door, and into the gap. I don't think you have anything to lose. But, I'd wait for Pacific to address the problem before proceeding with this procedure.

Good luck.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

We have solved this problem in the past by using silicone caulk under the door threshold before installation.

As Bob writes, it's important not to have too much protrusion and must have the threshold pitched so that water will run out as opposed to inside the yurt.

-Warm Regards

[Bob Rowlands]

I place an uninterrupted bead of construction adhesive under the threshold of the exterior doors that I install, and that includes the garage to house 20 minute fire rated door as well. I pump a big fat bead zig zag fashion on the subfloor from plate to plate, where the threshold will sit. No water no bugs no air.

Off topic but when I built our house I also pumped a fat bead under all the exterior wall plates as well immediately before standing the walls. And nailed off the sheathing with 38K staples on 4" centers. Way overkill but no mice, no bugs, no water, no air leaks. Take that Norm Abram. lol

[Bob Rowlands]

I know the Germans reading this will be slamming their fists on the computer table in salute to a job well done.

[Gigix7]

We had exactly same problem. French doors, Pacific Yurt 30’ diameter. Nothing, NO THING stopped or stops it. We had to build porch over front and back doors to keep water out of yurt. Now a seam has has separated in the yurt gutter right over the back door!😳. Water runs onto right side of door, step up, and door facing which will slowly rot the wood. Tried taping the two edges back together. Water still escapes from gutter. If the separation was anywhere except over the dang door it would not hurt anything.

Any ideas how to repair separated (not torn, just let go to two ends that meet as well as two sides that overlap, yurt roof and gutter) yurt fabric that was formerly bonded?