Window Siding Leak

The presence of a housewrap on modern buildings or felt on older buildings combined with proper flashing at windows doors and other openings are relied upon to keep water from entering the structure itself.

Window siding leak.

This old house general contractor tom silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva shows how to prevent water from leaking in behind vinyl siding. Many homeowners see water stains near the windows and automatically assume that the glass itself must be leaking. Video of the day.

This does not make it a correct installation however. The water will go left or right to the side j s and then out the bottom. Unfortunately stains on the top of the window frame are more likely to indicate a leak within the walls of your home. If an installer uses a material such as incorrectly this only exacerbates the problem.

Any water which hits the wall above the window rolls down the siding panels into the top j. Vinyl is a potentially leaky material and water trapped behind siding leads to decay and mold. If your window is leaking around the top of the frame you may not actually be experiencing a window leak at all. Choose a dry day with moderate temperatures to recaulk leaking vinyl and metal windows with waterproof caulk.

Pull off all peeling and loose caulk and wash the window with a detergent solution to. Inspect the area above the leak including both indoors and out. Another truth water hits your building s j channel then goes down and goes between the metal siding and window wrap tyvec and out the bottom. Vinyl siding is designed as an exterior cladding only and is supposed to be installed over other materials such as a weather resistant barrier.

It is at the lower corners of the window where the potential for a leak occurs. A glass seal is designed to maintain a layer of gas between in the indoor and outdoor panes of your window. When you see water between the panes it is usually a sign of a bad glass seal. While gaps and openings permit leaks behind the siding some siding openings are normal such as aluminum or vinyl siding bottom edge vents.

The window is unlikely to develop an indoor leak anytime soon even though it looks like the panes are leaking.