Is your Aluminum solid top patio cover leaking from rainwater or dripping water from excessive moisture in the air?
Carefully know the difference between these two issues before trying a fix.
In our coastal communities here in Orange County, California, coastal moisture can roll in at night and may bring wetness. Sometimes, water can build up due to this fog, and knowing that this is a typical issue and not due to rainwater leakage. What happens? The surface of aluminum products does not absorb moisture from the mist, as wood structures will; thus, this build-up happens. Don’t worry; this is normal.
Actual leakage occurs in different ways. The most common leaks happen when the patio cover becomes overwhelmed with rainwater. You will see the results when the surfaces, gutters, and downspout systems have not been cleaned or maintained seasonally.
Overwhelming the system occurs when other roofs above the patio cover drain onto the patio cover below. Some people avoid this issue altogether, and we always recommend that all roofs above the body have a gutter and downspout system. Water leaks will occur, and there are no warranties if your patio cover is overwhelmed by rainwater from above.
Another issue is when the patio cover is attached to your fascia board without its gutter and downspout system. Because, again, other roofs are dumping water onto the patio cover, overwhelming the system all at once. If this still occurs, there is no guarantee of waterproofing.
How to solve these issues:
First, begin by thoroughly clearing your patio cover of debris, including the gutter system and downspouts attached. Ensuring that both your patio cover’s gutter system and your home’s gutter system are free from debris is crucial for maintaining proper water flow. Additionally, consider installing gutters and downspouts on your house’s fascia boards above the solid patio cover. This installation will effectively divert rainwater away from your aluminum patio cover, as solid-top patio covers are not designed to manage stormwater independently. It’s important to address this issue proactively rather than waiting for a leak to develop, as prevention is always preferable to dealing with the consequences later on.
Another way is to add more than one scupper or downspout to your aluminum patio cover gutter to ensure the water has somewhere to drain when this occurs. A scupper is a deflective shield that attaches to your gutter channel and pushes the rainwater away from your cover. If your patio cover has designer columns installed, we tend not to use downspouts and replace them with scuppers. Downspouts look bad when they are attached to your beautiful columns.