We moved in to this home 6 months ago, and whenever it rains, I notice water stains on the stucco:



Does this look like the water is getting behind the stucco, or coming down on the outside from the gutters above?

Thanks

Looks to me like the end cap on gutter is leaking or downspout where hooks on to bottom of gutter is leaking.

I'd bet on the gutter outlet/end cap. On a dry day, run your hose up there and watch for leaks.

I'll bet you could spray some Flex Seal on the inside of the gutter where it meets the end cap. I think that would solve your problems.
Mike

way too much roof for one down spout,

Thanks for all the quick feedback. I was worried it was getting behind the stucco and causing rot.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
way too much roof for one down spout,

I was thinking the same thing, I bet the gutter is overflowing and running down the wall.

You need 4" inch gutters on that section of roof.

I would go with 5 inch gutters. It makes a big difference. Of course, check for leaks first. You have quite a volume of water in that area. I would also be sure that the water is being funneled away from your foundation.

Those look like 5" gutters to me and that is standard size for homes. I've bought 6" the last couple of gutters I've had installed.

Check that the downspout isn't clogged very first thing.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:
Thanks for all the quick feedback. I was worried it was getting behind the stucco and causing rot.

It is possibly that it is getting behind the stucco. The crack concerns me.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
way too much roof for one down spout,

Agree with this 100%. Also don't like the cracks in the Stucco. I'll bet there is a large mass of water in the wall behind that stucco and likely a lot of Rot. You may be looking at having to rebuild that entire wall and since it's a new buy I would suggest a long talk with the Inspector who signed off on this mess.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
way too much roof for one down spout,

On my monitor it looks like there is an endcap on the upper run of gutter and I suspect that it is angled to a downspout to the right of the picture. I suspect that it is only the lower roof in the photo that is draining into the pictured downspout. It may be a relatively small area of roof over the porch using that downspout.

Go easy first-

Is the downspout clogged up?
Then I’d check if that endcap leaks.
Flex seal, even a good waterproof caulk would fix that.

Larger gutters? I see you’re in Utah, how much and HOW OFTEN does it rain out there? If this is a semi-weekly occurrence, ya might have to change things. If this is a 2-3 times a year... different story. At the most, possibly another downspout.

stucco is very porous

Stucco paint is typically a flat

Since there are signs of cracking stucco already....

recoat the area with an elastomeric stucco coating to prevent further degradation

I have a similar setup, although my downspout for the lower gutter is on the opposite end from the downspout of the upper gutter. When they installed the gutters, the downspout just poured straight down into the lower gutter. During the rare times of super heavy rainfall, the gutter would splash out and overflow the lower gutter in that section,and run all over my house, which is what it looks like is happening in your situation. In my situation I had to put a 90 degree sweep or end on the upper gutter downspout to get the water to flow into the lower gutter better and help it flow towards the drain of the lower gutter and that stopped it from splashing all over the side of the house and add some flashing on the facia board.


However in your situation. You also need a sweep from where the lower gutter drains, AWAY from the house and foundation.....ideally 24" or so away. They sell flexible plastic ones that attach and are 4' long +/-. Ideally the best fix for your situation is on the upper gutter, is to block off the drain into the lower gutter, and put it's own down spout right next to the lower gutters downspout down the side of the house. This will alleviate the lower gutter overflowing, AND double the amount of drainage from the 2 gutters. It's hard to tell from the photo as the upper gutter might not drain into the lower, but it still might be overflowing in that section and an downspout to the ground will help. You need to watch it in a heavy rainfall. As for the paint, Acrylux and I know others, make a clear elastomeric sealer that you can put right over existing paint (MAKE SURE THE EXISTING PAINT AND STUCCO IS TOTALLY DRIED OUT FIRST, THIS COULD TAKE WEEKS OF VERY DRY WEATHER AND NO/LITTLE RAIN), paint the sealer on and then repaint the area or better yet, that entire wall.

Notwithstanding the comments / tips re the gutter system, keep in mind that you want the stucco “system” to allow any penetrating water to flow out & away, rather than collect & rot underlying wood. Somewhat akin to vinyl siding which is hung, rather than nailed tight. The issue with Dryvit-type materials (synthetic stucco) was due to poor installation in the context of my point. Installers were not providing a means for the water to escape from behind the system.

Don’t fight with water, you’ll eventually lose. Instead encourage it to go elsewhere.

The "staining"appearance suggests a color coated stucco which is unpainted and unsealed.
The draining of the roof needs to be addressed and the proper sloping of the gutters may
be a part of the solution.

Paint or elastomeric coatings have their place but its a little early for that.