Water management and enclosure basics
Why rain is the first problem for a building, the four control layers and the 4 Ds, what the 2021 residential code says about flashing, drip edge and the wall barrier, a trace-the-water method, and the defects that let water in.
4 lessons · about 49 min · 12 diagrams · 3 videos
Version 1.0.0
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Lessons
0 of 4 complete
Lesson 1 · 13 min · 12 slides · 11 questions
Water management and enclosure basics: principles and terminology
Why rain is the first problem, the continuous enclosure, the four control layers, the 4 Ds, the working vocabulary of flashing, shingle-fashion laps and kickouts, where sheet metal sits, and the fall-protection boundary.
You will be able to: Define the key terms of water management, say what the four control layers and the 4 Ds are, name where sheet metal fits in keeping water out and letting it out, and state the safety boundary for roof work.
Not startedStart →Lesson 2 · 14 min · 12 slides · 11 questions
Water management and enclosure basics: materials, standards and design constraints
What the 2021 IRC as published by Seattle says about where flashing goes and how big it is, the 0.019 in metal minimum compared with AFS register thicknesses, outward slope and drips, sealant as a back-up, and typical practice versus code.
You will be able to: Identify what the 2021 residential code, as one jurisdiction publishes it, requires for flashing locations, sidewall flashing, drip edge, the wall barrier and metal thickness, and the design constraints and sealant rules that apply on top.
Not startedStart →Lesson 3 · 11 min · 12 slides · 7 questions
Water management and enclosure basics: methods and worked application
A seven-check method adapted from EPA's pen test, the installation sequence at a roof-to-wall eave, three worked checks with units, and how to record the result.
You will be able to: Apply a documented trace-the-water method to a roof-to-wall detail, follow the installation order at an eave and sidewall, and check step flashing size, drip edge length and barrier laps against the code numbers, recording units and sources.
Not startedStart →Lesson 4 · 11 min · 11 slides · 7 questions
Water management and enclosure basics: defects, verification and case study
The recurring defects at roof-to-wall joints and edges, the number checks that catch them, the signs water leaves and why cladding can hide them, and a constructed case study worked through the trace-the-water method.
You will be able to: Diagnose common water-path defects such as a reverse lap, a missing kickout, sealant-only details and tight siding, explain corrective options, and document evidence for a reviewer.
Not startedStart →
Practical task
Trace the water on one roof-to-wall detail from a drawing you are given or a roof you can photograph from the ground. Record the governing code edition, trace the rain layer on a sketched section, check each lap, edge and the eave end for a kickout, check the sizes, and write up one defect with its cause and a corrective option.
Hand in
- A sketched section of the detail with arrows showing where water goes at every lap and edge, and any break in the layer marked
- A table of every number you checked (step flashing legs, drip edge laps and legs, barrier laps, metal thickness), each with its unit, its source document and edition, and a pass or fail
- A short sequence of the order the layers go on at the eave and sidewall, with each lap labelled upper over lower
- One defect, real or given, with the evidence you would photograph, a likely cause and two corrective options, and a note on who diagnoses hidden damage
- The fall-protection controls for any roof work named by regulation under 29 CFR 1926.501, without designing an anchorage
Rubric
| Criterion | Meets the standard when |
|---|---|
| Governing documents | The code edition and any maker or drawing requirement is named for every number, and where the code, a maker and typical practice differ the packet says which governs. |
| Trace | The rain layer is traced from the roof to the wall to the ground on the section, with every break or doubtful joint marked and a question written for the designer. |
| Laps and edges | Every lap is checked upper over lower, no reverse lap is left unmarked, and each edge is checked for outward slope and a drip clear of the face. |
| Arithmetic and units | Each size or count is worked with units, compared with the governing number, and the assumptions are labelled as assumptions. |
| Defect and safety | The defect is traced to a cause with a source for the correct detail, hidden damage is left to the professional, and fall protection is named by regulation rather than improvised. |