More leaking windows

15 years ago

I can't decide if this is due to the oft-mentioned flashing issues, or actual defective windows. The window rep is coming out in a couple days to take a look. I'd appreciate any comments/suggestions.

The house is a few years old and I haven't noticed this before. We don't get much rain in Phoenix but when we do it can be hard and driving, as it was when I took these photos.

You can see from the photos that the windows aren't leaking around the edges where it meets the drywall, but appear instead to be leaking through the frame itself. Not much water came through - as you can see it's just a few drops at a time, maybe a tablespoon total (that I could see).

Three of these windows are leaking - they're fixed, non-opening windows. I also have a sliding window (slides sideways to open) that gets water inside the track - is that common? I don't recall the problem in my previous home with sliders.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

robin0919
15 years ago
I would expect it to be the flashing. Water might be entering near the top and traveling down to the nearest area where it can come out.....bottom of the window.
chiefneil
Original Author
15 years ago
Well the window guy is here, and it looks like a bad seal between the IGU (insulated glass unit) and the frame/trim. He pulled one IGU out and it looked like some sealant was missing at the corners. Hopefully that's the problem - he's pulling all the IGU's and applying fresh sealant.

Crossing my fingers that the leaks are fixed...
Related Discussions
more of a legal question- neighbors toilet/pipe leaking- he refus
Q
Comments (17)
OK, got it. You can get the management company to say to your elected board that because it is a toilet's wax ring, that is his responsibility to replace, and they can also educate your board about the fact that this leak is lowering property values, in general, and that it has to be dealt with. The mgmnt co maintains and repairs 'common' items. Not someone's wax ring. Unless it is causing damage to "common" areas. The leak passes through a common area before it falls on your neighbor's ceiling, but this is not a strong case to make to justify getting the management company to open a file or make it into an issue they would want to deal with. RE-defining it somehow will make a few people perk up and take notice. Hint hint. First of all, until they come see they cannot say with certainty that it IS a wax ring problem. Right now you have 2 avoiders who are the main parties. When more people are aware of the problem, the one person who is technically suffering the most from this will also come on side. It's inevitable. The elected board will take it seriously too. It's inevitable. Make the description vivid and get awareness going. Once you have a small number of other voting members aware of this too it is very easy to put your foot down and say "that'll be enough fecal matter in my breathing space." The upstairs neighbor would also like to know that you would do the same for him too, if he was receiving fecal matter in brown water dropping onto his ceiling. Hint hint. It's reasonable to expect he will acquiesce when he hears from a few more people that he will also benefit from similar pressure if he is the victim one day. Anyone can start by telling him this. YOu could too, if you knew what to say. Hint hint.
...See More
Anderson Windows gas leak
Q
Comments (14)
"First off the gas leaking out did not cause the panes to collapse." Many of the early sealed units failed to take into account the partial pressure of the gas fill. With 100% argon fill the gas is under ~15 psi trying to get out, while the atmosphere is under ~15 psi trying to get in. A pressure gauge will read zero since it is not sensitive to partial pressures. The argon leaks out faster than the nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere leak in, leading to the panes collapsing (and occasionally failing catastrophically and loudly for tempered glass units). Newer seals have gotten better at holding the fill in and atmosphere out. The leakage comes down to the size of the gas molecules, and argon is mono-atomic and small (noble gas) especially compared to diatomic nitrogen and oxygen.
...See More
are pull out faucets more likely to leak? who has stainless hose?
Q
Comments (18)
“Pulldowns are more ergonomic.“ Not necessarily. Many of the high arc pull-down faucets have short spout reaches - meaning they are closer to the back of the sink rather than reaching farther toward the center of the sink. A faucet with a short spout reach means you have to lean farther into the sink to rinse things, and even an inch or two will make a difference in the strain on your back. Of course different people have different tolerances for this. But often when we see people complain of back pain at the sink, it turns out that their high arc pull-down faucet has a short reach. Pull-out faucets have longer reaches, and so are easier on the back. ”And, with a pulldown, you don’t have to hold down the spray button to use it.” That function has nothing to do with whether the faucet is a pull-down or pull-out style. There are many pull-out faucets that don’t need the button to be held down to stay on the spray mode. ”Pulldowns also have greater reach.” If you mean the length of the hose and the ability to get into all corners of the sink, the pull-out faucets also have long hoses and the ability to get into all corners of the sink. As mentioned, the spout reach is longer with a pull-out faucet. I think there may be a confusion of terminology regarding what is a pull-down vs a pull-out faucet. Delta Linden Pull-out faucet: Kohler Simplice pull-down faucet:
...See More
Super Mysterious Window/Door Leaking During (ONLY Windy) Rain
Q
Comments (10)
Water flows downhill. It could be your upper windows are not adequately flashed. It's always useful to see what's happening when it is raining. Go out in the next windy downpour and look. We had mystery water leaking and crawling around under the porch in a downpour --- utterly miserable --- made everything blazingly clear. We fixed the problem and have had no more water in the basement. The fact that the door has an awning suggests flashing is an issue.
...See More
sierraeast
15 years ago
Hi Chiefneil, good luck with that. An off topic question, but i was curious about the slab moisture issues you had a long while back during or right after completion of your build and how was that solved. Thanks.
dlynn2
15 years ago
What brand are your windows? I have Milgard and they have been trying to fix this for years. I, too, am trying to decide if this is a flashing issue or the windows. Milgard has repaired the sealant and tried a few other things, but they still leak.
chiefneil
Original Author
15 years ago
Oh man, dlynn - I'm sorry to say that I have Milgard windows as well. Now you have me worried! I guess I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Sierraeast, no real resolution of the slab moisture puzzle. I capped off quite a few of the drip irrigation heads in the landscaping that were close to the house (more than 50, in fact). But the slab still seems to put out a lot of moisture. I did talk to an engineering company at one point and they said all they could do was tell me the moisture level - they wouldn't comment on whether it was unusually high or anything like that. So it's just a puzzle that I'm leaving alone as it doesn't seem to be causing any harm.
energy_rater_la
15 years ago
IMO the caulking is just a bandaid fix for flashing issues
while caulking may keep water from entering the house
my concern would be is the water entering the wall?

what cladding do you have on the exterior?
and is that plaster walls?
is your home new or existing?
chiefneil
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi energy_rater. The walls are drywall, exterior is stucco. There's no evidence of moisture around the windows so far, all I could see was water seeping in from around the glass unit itself.

Here's a shot of the exterior to better show what the window tech said was going on. You can see where I have the IGU-to-frame seal highlighted does look like a possible point of entry for water, if the seal isn't 100%. I don't believe flashing would help with this area, but of course I could be wrong. I also need to check out all the weepholes, as the builder didn't do a great job of cleaning out the stucco and paint that got in.

Anyway, it most certainly could be the flashing at fault. I just have to wait for a few more hard rains to see if the problem persists.

{{gwi:1477885}}
montalvo
15 years ago
We had leaky Pella windows within two years of installation. The windows were leaking where the glass meets the frame (aluminum-clad wood frames). The Pella rep told us that their maintenance manual suggests re-caulking EVERY YEAR. Amazing.

Yet another reason I tell people to avoid Pella like the plague...

Bob
houseful
15 years ago
Do you have any pictures of when your house was under construction? They might come in handy when dealing with warranty issues.

OT, I saw you pool used in an advertisement in the Clipper. I assume they had permission to use it, but I just thought I'd mention it.

More leaking windows

Comments (9)

robin0919

chiefneil
Original Author

Related Discussions

sierraeast

dlynn2

chiefneil
Original Author

energy_rater_la

chiefneil
Original Author

montalvo

houseful

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

More leaking windows

Comments (9)

robin0919

chiefneilOriginal Author

Related Discussions

sierraeast

dlynn2

chiefneilOriginal Author

energy_rater_la

chiefneilOriginal Author

montalvo

houseful

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chiefneil
Original Author

chiefneil
Original Author

chiefneil
Original Author