Home Improvement Advice - Leaky windows

[Romer]

We have lived in this house for 17 years and the first winter the 3 windows in the picture were leaking it felt near the bottom. The one in the midddle was the worst. The house was 3 years old at the time and these are quality windows

I sealed them with the plastic you can see in the pictures and that took care of it and I forgot about it

I was reading that the first fix is to caulk the inside and outside of the windows. Stucco can make that more of a challenge




Not sure why it took me 17 yeears to dig into it, but thinking this may also be an issue

You will notice gaps at the bottom and side on the inside of the window Frame. I don't think the window runs in that



I have looked at other similar windows and they have a similar gap and they are not drafty

Planning on caulking the outside with something suitaable for stuccu and the inside. Would it be wrong to caulk these areas?

 

[gr8fulabe]

We have lived in this house for 17 years and the first winter the 3 windows in the picture were leaking it felt near the bottom. The one in the midddle was the worst. The house was 3 years old at the time and these are quality windows

I sealed them with the plastic you can see in the pictures and that took care of it and I forgot about it

I was reading that the first fix is to caulk the inside and outside of the windows. Stucco can make that more of a challenge




Not sure why it took me 17 yeears to dig into it, but thinking this may also be an issue

You will notice gaps at the bottom and side on the inside of the window Frame. I don't think the window runs in that



I have looked at other similar windows and they have a similar gap and they are not drafty

Planning on caulking the outside with something suitaable for stuccu and the inside. Would it be wrong to caulk these areas?

Have you considered lifting that piece out to see what’s under it? Also have you looked at it when it is super hot? I feel like it could be loose in winter due to being an expansion strip, but that’s a total guess. If it is, then it would likely need to be caulked underneath, but that’s piece stays loose so that it can float.

Again, a total guess

 

[Romer]

Have you considered lifting that piece out to see what’s under it? Also have you looked at it when it is super hot? I feel like it could be loose in winter due to being an expansion strip, but that’s a total guess. If it is, then it would likely need to be caulked underneath, but that’s piece stays loose so that it can float.

Again, a total guess

Thanks you. I appreciate the comment

Not sure how I would lift that peice out without taking the window out

Planning on using OSI Max in Beige on outside.

Planning on using clear acrylic inside and if it wouldnt hurt anything would caulk these gaps as well. Let me know if that is a dumb idea

That is what I was thinking and I do appreciate the alternate suggestion

 

[Romer]

The other option of course is to replace the aged plastic for the air leaks as that has worked well for 17 years I was looking to see if there is a better solution and don't want to caulk if that is the wrong answer to a correct repair

 

[Inukshuk]

Not sure how I would lift that peice out without taking the window out

With the slider towards the middle of the frame the slider should lift and then you take it out from the bottom and set aside. Use some hooked object (pick? bent wire?) to lift at that gap.

 

[Romer]

With the slider towards the middle of the frame the slider should lift and then you take it out from the bottom and set aside. Use some hooked object (pick? bent wire?) to lift at that gap.

Awesome. Thank you Daniel!

If I do take it out, what am I looking for?

 

[Inukshuk]

Awesome. Thank you Daniel!
If I do take it out, what am I looking for?

Broadly, You will know what is there as opposed to guessing.
If both sides slide, both are removable. Often only one slides and I cannot tell from the pictures.
What you find will vary. Almost always a bunch of dead bugs under it.
You should see some openings in the vertical divider between the inner and outer tracks. Those are drains. They should be clear. Then, on the outside of the frame there are usually little flaps that allow water out. Rain hits the glass, runs down the surface, some can find its way into these tracks, and then drains. If no little flaps, that could be a source of incoming air.

 

[Romer]

This has been a good thread as it kept me from doing something stupid with the inside caulking I was thinking of doing

These are metal (Think Aluminum) and not Vinly windows

Using a pick I did pull up the bottom trip and its a solid peice except for the drain holes. So Caulking that wouldnt have done anything other than blocking the drain path

I still can caulk where the window meets the sill though as you can see some seperation there

 

[Inukshuk]

Great work! Yes, caulk that crack. Caulking is an expected maintenance item.

More information:

View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz2J8QuLxP_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==


and

White Caulk or Black Caulk?​

View: https://youtu.be/vjsLvOzqD-o?si=_aoJf14oSUI_SjQE

 

[Romer]

I like the first video better

 

[Romer]

FWIW- I do caulking for maintenance and based on t he look of the previous caulking there, it was my work

After removing the caulk, I noticed on one side of the window, I could only get the tip of the pick in there. On the other side, I could put the whole pick in and wiggle it around. It could be a gap from the install or just the way the sill was cut and installed.

I did try tapping the outside with a rubber mallett on the bottom of the frame and it didnt change anything. So I gave that side a thicker bead and tried to get some in the crack. I won't know until winter if it did anything and then I would just reapply the plastic that worked for 17 years

Seems like a trival update, but I always like to see posts with what people did for the problem. Or for us old folks, as Paul Harvey said, "Here is the rest of the story"