When water gets into a building through the envelope — windows, curtain walls, facades, exterior walls — the damage hides inside assemblies for years: rotted framing, corroded connections, mold inside wall cavities. Finding the entry point requires testing the envelope the way weather tests it, but under controlled conditions. We perform field water-infiltration testing for windows, curtain walls, and facades — calibrated spray-rack testing per ASTM E1105, diagnostic hose testing per AAMA 501.2, and forensic seepage investigation per ASTM E2128 principles — to prove where water enters and, just as importantly, where it doesn't.
Warning signs
When to call us
When water intrusion is suspected but the entry point is unknown, when previous repairs failed, for QA on new window/curtain-wall installations, or during forensic investigation of chronic envelope leaks. Testing before repair prevents the expensive cycle of sealing the wrong thing.
How we find it
A calibrated spray rack applies controlled water to the exterior while the interior is monitored — the field standard for testing window and curtain-wall water penetration, with or without applied air-pressure differential.
A focused hose stream applied systematically to joints and transitions — the diagnostic workhorse for tracing a known leak to its source.
A structured protocol for investigating water leakage through walls: document, hypothesize, test, verify — so conclusions are evidence-based, not opinions.
For walls without windows in the suspect area: moisture mapping, targeted water testing, and assembly review to find how water is entering — failed sealant joints, porous masonry, flashing defects.
During every test, the interior side is watched in real time — the moment and location of first water entry is the finding.
Our process
- 1Document review & walkthrough
Drawings, details, leak history, and previous repair attempts — we learn what the building has already told people. - 2Test plan
Which assemblies, which method, what constitutes a pass or fail — agreed before water flows. - 3Controlled water application
Spray rack or hose testing applied systematically, section by section, with interior monitoring throughout. - 4Findings & entry points
Each water-entry location is documented with photos, test parameters, and its relationship to details and flashing. - 5Repair guidance
The report identifies what failed and why — information your contractor or envelope consultant needs to fix the actual defect.
Expect a structured, almost scientific process — this is testing, not guessing. Expect water to be applied deliberately to your building (that's the point), with interior protection and monitoring in place. Expect findings that name specific defects at specific locations, not vague 'the windows leak.'
Honest limitations
Field testing evaluates the tested assemblies under the tested conditions — it doesn't certify the whole building, and extreme weather can exceed test parameters. We test and diagnose; envelope contractors and consultants perform repairs and remediation design. Testing requires access to both exterior and interior faces of the assembly, and some occupied-space logistics need coordination.
Sandy & Utah context
Sandy's commercial building stock — office, retail, and mixed-use along State Street, 9400 South, and the South Towne/Cairns district — includes plenty of curtain-wall and storefront construction now old enough for sealant and gasket failures. Utah's weather is a harsh envelope tester: wind-driven rain, freeze-thaw cycling that opens joints, and intense sun that degrades sealants. Forensic water testing is a specialized service with no significant local competition — building owners currently look to out-of-area consultants or skip testing entirely and re-caulk blindly.