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Vinyl Window Leaking Inside Wall of Newer Home

13 years ago

Help! I have a 7 year old home with a leaking vinyl window. The inside and the sill are dry. However, somehow water is getting in the wall.

My house is built with modern vinyl windows, OSB, 1" thick styrofoam, and then vinyl siding. The leak started a few months ago and we had to remove the siding, remove the styrofoam, replace the wet OSB, reseal around the windows (we assume it was due to the tape / blueskin around the windows not sealing properly - even though it looked okay). Well now it is better sealed and moisture gets in the wall. With every styorofoam seam blueskinned the moisture is trapped in the wall and now I see the OSB getting wet again. I am confident the water is not getting around the blueskin. I figure it either has to be somehow through the window or mullion, or coming from above in the attic. I went in the attic and the OSB is dry.

Anything else I could check? This has been very frustrating. I just want it fixed beofre my house rots out.

I wonder if it is not simehow the mullion leaking between the two window halves and then leaking out the base of the window in the wall. I know the water damage was centered in below each window.

I had to remove the siding and replace the OSB below both pairs of windows. I am told the vinyl caulking must be leakproof. Also the outside channels / flanges do not look cracked. The drain plugs are not plugged, etc.

Any ideas? Thanks for any help. The damage was primarily centered below the two upper windows, but since that area is finished inside, I see the moisture above and below the basement windows. I think the mullion has a holllow channel on the inside of the house.

I uploaded pictures at Diychatroom:

http://www.diychatroom.com/f19...e-70924/

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

c3uo
Original Author
13 years ago
http://www.diychatroom.com/f19/leaking-vinyl-windows-7-year-old-home-70924/

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.diychatroom.com/f19/leaking-vinyl-windows-7-year-old-home-70924/
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
13 years ago
Do not caulk the lower section of the window if that is the drainage path which I suspect it is.

I would take a hose to the windows windows while you have them exposed.

Were the units field mulled into twins or where they manufactured that way. They look like factor twins with the integrated J-channel.
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theporchguy
13 years ago
I'd check the tops of these factory mulled D/H's. Its sounds logical since the leak is in the center, at the vertical mullion point.

The Porch Guy
HU-370101300
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I had a vinyl replacement window leak due to a pinched seal between the upper and lower windows. These windows were designed to be washed from the inside of the house tilt inwards to access the outside surfaces for cleaning. A rubber seal was found to be folded over at one side. This caused the windows to have a small space between them when locked shut. The problem went unnoticed until after the water leaked in during a torrential rain storm. It took only about 10 seconds to correct the window problem by tilting the windows inward as if to wash the outside surfaces and then holding the pinched seal straight while carefully snapping the windows back into the vertical position. Check to see if this is your problem.

Unfortunately I now have a strong musty smell due to water that leaked into my wall and probably underneath my new linoleum floor. The linoleum floor is glued on top of tongue and groove wafer-board panels that have a 1/8" thick plastic grid to to allow airflow between the concrete floor and the wafer-board. This is a down stairs bathroom, so replacing the floor involves removing the toilet and vanity. There is no visible sign of mold, just a musty smell. Anyone have any simpler remedies?
millworkman
5 years ago
theporchguy, this post is over 8 years old.

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