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Mold on vinyl frame inside

13 years ago

First of all I live in WA state and it's very damp here. These windows were replaced in 1998 and they're from a company called Alpine which is no longer in business. My ques. is why would the interior frame on the vinyl get moldy? Is it because they were not sealed properly? They were installed when it was snowing could that be why? Excuse me if I seem naive, but that's my guess. Anyone care to elaborate on this? Also, it's not happening on all the windows but still a few too many.

Thanks!!!

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Comments (2)

mydreamhome
13 years ago
Are there HVAC vents under your windows that this is occurring on? Do you have any type of blinds/shutters/shades/draperies on these windows? I ask because we had the same issue in our last house that had all vinyl windows. We had plantation style blinds (not shutters) that stayed closed the vast majority of the time. We would get mold along the base of the window where vinyl meets glass and then along the top of the bottom sash frame where it locks together with the upper sash frame. It formed especially quickly on the bathroom window. We figured the air was blowing straight up out of the vent & getting caught between the blinds & the window causing light condensation to form which would never completely evaporate thus causing the mold. We resolved the problem by putting plastic vent "deflectors" on the vents which directed the air out toward the room vs. straight up. We picked them up at Lowe's--I think they're made by the Deflect-o company and ran around $5 each. They just snap on the vent cover. Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Deflect-o Air Deflectors
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
13 years ago
Moisture + food source + darkness (ideally) = Mildew/Mold

Make sure that any window coverings that you have over that window are open and there is air circulation at that opening.

There may be enough of a thermal bridging effect there that is allowing for condensation at the location in question or enough air infiltration around that section of the window that is also allowing for condensation to form (i.e. Dew Point temperatures).

Have you checked the interior humidity levels?
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I wish it weren't so large, but being a brick house, I guess we're stuck with it. Is it possible to match the brick? If not, one idea (I've never done this) would be to install a smaller window and flank it with shutters to cover the fill-in. Add a flower box to the bottom if you want a shorter window. This would be totally acceptable to me IF the window in question faces the backyard. Would work streetside, too, if you have shutters on other windows. Another make-do approach might be to install a smaller window and add a Bahama shutter to cover the original window opening... Yes, I would get a different window. This one has failed & it would be reasonable to assume the next one will fail eventually, too. Plus, your stated wish to have an operating window for ventilation. ETA that this leaky window almost certainly doesn't match the rest of the windows in the house anyway. [That it doesn't match the other windows helps make the case for a make do (adding shutters, window boxes, etc.) or whatever else you can come up with regarding smaller window/ adding a shower...]
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