ᐅ Water Ingress Through Ventilation System: What to Do and Liability Issues?

Created on: 23 Feb 2020 17:24
P
Pfluecki
Hello respected community,
this topic has probably been discussed before, but I couldn’t find anything specific.

We moved into our newly built house in September 2018 and are very satisfied.
During the recent storms, however, we repeatedly experience water ingress through the decentralized ventilation system on the weather-exposed side.
The builder keeps reassuring us by saying “force majeure,” and the construction company is unresponsive.
We have never encountered this problem before, only since the recent storms (Sabine, etc.).

What is the situation here regarding liability and responsibility?
We have now privately purchased 4 of these weather protection covers for a mere 260.00 €.
Luckily, we only plastered the interior walls, not wallpapered.

Can you help me with what we can do here?
Thank you for your support.

Best of luck
Maik

Weisser Innenraum mit Lunos-Wandventilator an der Wand


Weiße Innenwand mit Lunos-Wandlüfter über dunklem Schrank; sichtbare Feuchtigkeitsflecken.


Helles wohnzimmer mit weisser wand, fenster links, graues sofa mit rotem akzent


Heller Innenraum mit Bücherregal, Fensterfront und Ventilator an der Wand


Weißer Raum mit Deckenauslass-Lüftungsventilator im quadratischen Rahmen an der Wand
andimann24 Feb 2020 17:19
Hello,
have you checked with the manufacturer whether this is allowed? Maybe there are sealing profiles or similar components planned that are missing in your case.
A fundamental disadvantage of decentralized ventilation systems is that they require holes in the walls everywhere. And with wind speeds of 40-50 km/h (25-30 mph), water can actually run back up a slope. However, ideally, no water should be able to get inside at all.
Are the cover caps closed at the top, or can water running down the facade from above enter there?

Best regards,

Andreas
P
Pfluecki
24 Feb 2020 17:42
Hello Andreas,
unfortunately, I cannot assess whether the systems were installed with the correct slope or if they were properly compacted.
The issue with water coming from the house wall also concerns me.
When installing the weather protection covers, we had to drill four additional holes in the wall for fixing them.
At the moment, I hope that these extra openings in the facade do not further increase water ingress.
I am monitoring the situation closely now that we have installed these weather protection covers, hoping for improvement. This only occurred for the first time after 1.5 years. If necessary, I will contact the manufacturer.
Thanks for your feedback.
ares8324 Feb 2020 17:50
We installed the system in our rental apartment without weather protection covers, and even during heavy showers, there was never any water ingress.
Y
ypg
24 Feb 2020 19:20
I also believe in personal misfortune, because the angle really doesn’t matter when water (rain) is being forced against the opening. It’s not just slanting rain, but rain being pushed by Sabine, so with significant pressure.

How does this work? Is something like this covered by insurance? Does the building insurance apply here? Or is it considered an act of God?
T
Tego12
24 Feb 2020 19:43
Storm damage… this should be covered by the building insurance; if water damages anything inside the household contents, then the home contents insurance would apply accordingly.
F
Farilo
24 Feb 2020 19:48
It's funny how some users think that the ventilation system doubles as an irrigation system during heavy rain, despite the protective cover.

You should either hire an expert or check yourself what went wrong. Then document it properly and present it to the responsible party.

This definitely shouldn't happen under normal circumstances!

But apparently, people like "us dumb ones" have to deal with it.

If a millionaire who has an expensive painting there and money for lawyers were involved, he wouldn’t allow such shoddy work! And if he did, only once!