Drainage Plane Behind Vinyl Siding

Since you have tyvek you re all set.

Drainage plane behind vinyl siding.

With vinyl and aluminum siding the drainage space is more pronounced and furring is not necessary. Walls that dry are walls that last for a long long time. The air space between siding and sheathing should also allow humid air to escape. Ideally wood siding should be installed over furring creating a drained and vented air space between the drainage plane and wood siding.

With vinyl and aluminum siding the drainage space is more pronounced and furring is not necessary. However none of these products does a great job at draining water out from behind the siding materials or allowing the back side of siding to dry out. You don t need a separate air gap between the vinyl siding and the tyvek because vinyl siding is installed loosely and doesn t sit tight to the sheathing. There are lots of products and methods on the market today for creating drainage planes.

A 1 inch air gap is needed behind brick veneer as required by the 2009 international residential code irc baechler et al. It makes its own drainage gap. Drainage planes building paper house wrap etc allow any moisture that does accumulate behind siding a chance to drain away harmlessly. Rainscreen between flat to wall siding and the water resistive barrier as a best practice.

Ideally wood siding should be installed over furring creating a drained and vented air space between the drainage plane and wood siding. Regardless of the type of siding you re using a drainage plane can drastically improve the long term performance of the siding and add another layer of protection for keeping water out of the house framing. For single family construction james hardie recommends installing a 90 efficient drainage plane or a 3 8 inch air gap i e. With wood siding the drainage space is typically intermittent and depends largely on the profile of the siding.

Below the window air can flow up and out behind a notch in the trim board. Behind vinyl siding you definitely need a water resistant barrier wrb. Above the window is the same deal water can drain out air can flow in. Which is like the top of the wall.

This space is known scientifically as a drainage plane and it is most effectively created by installing a product commonly referred to in the industry as a drainage mat.