Don't let your Windows Eat Up Your Vacation Fund!

6/3/2022 (Permalink)

Leaking Windows the Water Damage Culprit 

I personally never knew that I should check my windows for leaks. One of our clients had water leaking through her ceiling and walls in her rec room in her finished basement. She returned from vacation to find several inches of water in her basement. We at SERVPRO of White Plains started the remediation process and then started the demo. Pipes were not leaking her plumber told us. More demo that led to the discovery of the source of loss as being the windows in her 1st floor living room leaking. The west side of her house seemed to take the brunt of the rain storms and the water was pooling in her house. Now she was dealing with a basement down to the studs. We did the reconstruction and she had the windows replaced in her living room. A lesson learned. After speaking to some experts, we came up with a few ways to check your windows for leaking. This process didn’t take too long and we did find a few leaks. Checking for water leaks is the same way you would check for air leaks. You might find your home to be cooler after repairs and your energy bills may be less.  

As windows are often the culprit for both water and air leaks into the home, it’s important to do both a physical and visual inspection of your windows to prevent future damage.     

A physical inspection of your windows for water and air leaks is the first step  

First close all of your windows. (You may not want to do this on the hottest day of the year, but you get my point) 

Lock the windows to make sure you are getting the tightest seal. Limit air flow as much as possible, so try and close all of your windows at once. This will help make the inspection more accurate  

Next step is to turn off the furnace, central air or fans. If you have air leaks there is a good possibility you could have these same leaks, be water leaks.  

To increase the accuracy of your inspection and best determine if you have any air leaks, you should turn off your home’s furnace or air conditioner.  Let the system cycle down so there is no additional air movement in the home.  You want your house as still as possible so turn off any floor fans, exhaust fans and any wall or window air conditioning units for the best results! 

Next step is to light a candle 

As the flicker of a flame or the flicker of smoke is the best way to determine if you have a leaky window, grab a lighter or some matches and light a candle.  Long taper candles work best, but pillar candles can work well too. 

You just need something that you can securely hold in a steady fashion.  If you don’t have any candles, a stick of incense can work as well.  While there isn’t a lit flame with incense, the smoke would be enough of a visual cue. 

Once your candle is lit, slowly move it around the perimeter, or edges of the window.  If you have a window with two operable sashes, like a double hung window or a sliding window, you could also move the candle along the place where the two sashes meet.  If you see the flame flicker or the smoke blow away from the window, you probably have a leaky window.  As you perform this part of the candle test, be sure to take caution to avoid any curtains or drapes which could catch fire. 

Not only is it a good idea to test window leaks from the inside, it is also important to inspect of all your windows from both the inside and outside of your home.  This is especially true if you performed the candle test on a day without a lot of breezes. Even if your test showed only a handful of windows may have a potential leak, it is still a good idea to give them the visual once-over to see if there are any other contributors to a leaky window. 

Interior Inspection 

Pull back your window treatments and look all around the window for any obvious signs of daylight entering your home where there shouldn’t be.  If you do have curtains or drapes, do they move when the wind blows? Even the smallest gap could be a problem so take a good look around all the window’s edges and make a note to further inspect that window from the outside. 

Exterior Inspection 

Now it’s time to take a tour of the outside of your home and inspect your windows from the exterior.  Look for any gaps in the frame around your windows.  Check to see if there are any cracks in the caulking around the top, bottom or sides of the windows.  If your window is single paned, check all the putty between the panes of glass to make sure it’s not cracked.  If you notice any of these issues with your window, you are probably experiencing water or air leaks, if not both! 

Now you have discovered that you do have leaks. What’s next? Here is an easy step  

Reapply Caulk 

One of the simplest fixes for a leaky window is to reapply caulk around the window.  The first step includes removing the old and dried out caulk.  This can be done best with a putty knife.  Then take your new tube of caulk and cut a hole in the tip at an angle, leaving the hole the same width of the gap you will be filling with new caulk.  Apply the caulk to the edges of the window and then smooth out and clean any excess.  Caulk is best applied outside when the temperature is over 45° and with low humidity. 

After it dries spray your window with water and check for leaks one more time. 

If you do have any water issues, from leaky windows or anything else, give us a call at 914.684.1560