Enclosed lanai question

[dsnrbec]

We had our lanai enclosed with double pane sliders recently and much to our surprise, we get water in the inside tracks when it rains. The contractor says that’s normal and it drains to the outside but I think it seems strange and a little concerning since I’m allergic to mold. Just curious if others have the same issue. Thanks,

[vintageogauge]

It's normal as you have weep holes. When you open the sliders look down at the track and you will see the holes. The water running down the outside of the glass goes into the tracks and out the holes. Now, if you have water on your lanai floor, that is a no no. We have had ours for a year now and no water on the floor. Also, no mold in the tracks so you should be okay.

[dsnrbec]

It's normal as you have weep holes. When you open the sliders look down at the track and you will see the holes. The water running down the outside of the glass goes into the tracks and out the holes. Now, if you have water on your lanai floor, that is a no no. We have had ours for a year now and no water on the floor. Also, no mold in the tracks so you should be okay.

Thanks

[retiredguy123]

It's normal as you have weep holes. When you open the sliders look down at the track and you will see the holes. The water running down the outside of the glass goes into the tracks and out the holes. Now, if you have water on your lanai floor, that is a no no. We have had ours for a year now and no water on the floor. Also, no mold in the tracks so you should be okay.
Are you saying that you get water in the track that is on the inside part of the glass window or door? If so, that sounds very strange to me. The sliders should keep the water totally outside of the lanai. You may see some water in the outside part of the track when you open the window or door after it has rained. But, you should never see water in the inside part of the track when the window or door is closed. I would get a second opinion, or call the manufacturer.

[Stu from NYC]

Are you saying that you get water in the track that is on the inside part of the glass window or door? If so, that sounds very strange to me. The sliders should keep the water totally outside of the lanai. You may see some water in the outside part of the track when you open the window or door after it has rained. But, you should never see water in the inside part of the track when the window or door is closed. I would get a second opinion, or call the manufacturer.

If you go route complaining to mfg take a picture to show them

[vintageogauge]

If you look at the end of the rails that the rollers run on you will see that they do not go all the way to the end, sliders installed by the builder leading out to the lanai are about 1" shy and the ones on our enclosure are about 3/8" shy. These end gaps will allow the water to work it's way back to the inside track if heavy enough rain. The inside bottom frame is higher than the tracks and therefore will not allow it to come into the room, the water will go back out to the outer track and exit through the weep holes.

[retiredguy123]

If you look at the end of the rails that the rollers run on you will see that they do not go all the way to the end, sliders installed by the builder leading out to the lanai are about 1" shy and the ones on our enclosure are about 3/8" shy. These end gaps will allow the water to work it's way back to the inside track if heavy enough rain. The inside bottom frame is higher than the tracks and therefore will not allow it to come into the room, the water will go back out to the outer track and exit through the weep holes.
My sliders are sealed shut with weatherstripping at the ends when the door is closed. I never get water inside the tracks, even with a heavy rain. In my opinion, there is an installation defect if water comes into the house or the lanai, even if it is just in the track. Double pane sliders should be watertight.

[New Englander]

My last home the Lanai was enclosed. When it rained I would get water in the tracks but it would drain outside because there are drain holes.

[Rwirish]

absolutely normal

[dewilson58]

if "normal", bad design.............a window which allows rain to enter the house???....no thanks. :duck:

[NormaKW]

Yes. But with heavy rain against the slider , water can still enter. Also those holes present entry spots for ants and other unwanted bugs my pest control co. And I have discovered!:

[crash]

My sliders are sealed shut with weatherstripping at the ends when the door is closed. I never get water inside the tracks, even with a heavy rain. In my opinion, there is an installation defect if water comes into the house or the lanai, even if it is just in the track. Double pane sliders should be watertight.

The design of the windows allows water in the track. The windows ride on wheels and are not completely water tight at the bottom. The water should remain in the track and exit through the weep holes.

[davem4616]

you may need to enlarge the 'weep drain holes' so that the water will drain out faster

also, they do clog up....so a little maintenance on those 'weep drain holes' periodically will help

[scottid]

Who did the installation? Planning to enclose my Lanai soon.

[Travelhunter]

We had our lanai enclosed with double pane sliders recently and much to our surprise, we get water in the inside tracks when it rains. The contractor says that’s normal and it drains to the outside but I think it seems strange and a little concerning since I’m allergic to mold. Just curious if others have the same issue. Thanks,

It’s normal I have the same
It never overflows to the inside of the house floor
It dries quickly no mold problems.

[Annie66]

We had 5 large sliders installed in our lanai 3 years ago. Other than accidently leaving a window open during a rain storm, the only time water ever intruded past the weather striping was during Hurricane Irma. Even then, the amount of water was minimal. Otherwise during normal weather, the windows should prevent water from coming inside.

[stadry]

if you look closely, you'll notice the inside extrusion's top edge elevation's higher than the outside,,, its only natural water runs down the glass & seeks its own level,,, that's why the higher interior elevation,,, water never runs uphill & escapes thru the drainage slots

[davem4616]

Who did the installation? Planning to enclose my Lanai soon.

we had Chip Vandall of All Season Rooms enclose ours...professional and looks great 352.322.2298

after having all floor to ceiling sliders in our previous home's lanai we went a little different this time because the bottom tracks were always messy and the double pane glass doors were really heavy for my wife to open

we put a 1 foot tall solid glass pane on the bottom, 6 foot sliding windows on top and a solid glass door on the end. No more messy tracks or heavy sliders for the wife to have to deal with going in/out

[vintageogauge]

Who did the installation? Planning to enclose my Lanai soon.

We used All Season Rooms, a smaller company that did a great job for us installing double pane sliders. They have a supplier that will give you a lifetime "TRANSFERRABLE" warranty on the glass doors, something I don't believe any of the others will offer. They also have a lifetime warranty against leaking. Give them a try, great little company.

[thevillager1988]

Ours is just as everyone else describes. We have the holes, but no water ever sits and there has been no water in the house. That said, I do have to clean the tracks pretty regularly ... no mold, just residue from the rain.

[Nursecasemanager]

It’s normal for a slider. There should be drain holes in the tracks!

[jarodrig]

if "normal", bad design.............a window which allows rain to enter the house???....no thanks. :duck:

Maybe you misread . OP did not say water was entertaining the house .....just the tracks which is perfectly normal .

[sail33or]

I am saying I am a licensed/registered engineer just because my opinion is LAW on matters of engineering design.

Sliding doors roll on rails. That is why they are called sliding doors. There is no way rollers on a rail are "water tight". Heavy rain will "briefly" rise the water level in the track "above" the rail height and water "will" enter the "inside" track.

As others have stated, there are provisions for this water to "drain" from the inside track to the outside track.

Sliding doors are not best for water tightness but they have advantage of being a door and not a fixed window (which is water tight.) Also most lanai's are sloped because many methods of enclosure are not completely water tight.

[Villages Kahuna]

If the contractor didn’t tell you that the only way to prevent water from entering an enclosed lanai is to raise the concrete floor by 1-1/2 to 2 inches, he’s not a very good contractor.

[TandHSTAR@AOL.com]

Mine drains out as well, never had a mold problem. No big deal to just take a broom and sweep out the tracks once in a while .

[retiredguy123]

Something is missing from this thread. I have three sliding glass doors that were installed by the builder. There are no weep holes, but water that collects in the outside part of the track can drain out on the sides of the track. When the doors are closed they are sealed on the top, sides, and bottom with weatherstripping. I have never had water enter the inside part of the track during a rain storm. So, I never have any water on the interior side of my house. I don't know what type of sliders the OP has, but, it seems to me that, if they are designed to collect water in the inside part of the track, that would be a problem. The water would be a souce for humidity and a water source for insects or other animals that enter the house. Perhaps someone could provide a more technical description (model number) of a door with weep holes that allows water to enter the house as a design feature.

[Deep Creek Local]

Make sure the track was installed correctly and that the weep holes are on the outside. It could also mean the seals between the two glass doors are not intact

[Rsenholzi]

My contractor told me this was normal. What he did to stop it was to put a Piece of a scrungi made out of aluminum. In the holes which actually stopped it . Presto, no more water

[Curtisbwp]

We had our lanai enclosed with double pane sliders recently and mulych to our surprise, we get water in the inside tracks when it rains. The contractor says that’s normal and it drains to the outside but I think it seems strange and a little concerning since I’m allergic to mold. Just curious if others have the same issue. Thanks,

I do not know. BUT i will certainly do my homework before i put enclosures in my lani.