window air seepage

We are getting some airflow into our house around our windows. Mostly it is not alot of air but you can feel air coming in at the latches at the top of the bottom pane and along the bottom of the window. I know it is somewhat normal to have some air seepage but is there any way to fix this?

 

Check your window panes seals are good and caulk around window is good. If not replace seals and touch up caulk and that should take care of the problem.

 

check that your window is square in the framing as well. One window in my house settle so much, the pane _broke_! before then i had noticed that the window and it's frame did not quite sit square, so i got a great deal of draft.... ( more, of course, once the window actually cracked


--- peterd

 

One thing you might want to check, but it will be difficult to check on a completed home, is how your windows were attached to the framing. A former co-worker warned me about this problem while my house was being built 3 years ago, so I was able to check the installation and get it corrected.

For example, my Ryan Home Patriot windows had installation instructions stuck on all the windows. The instructions state the open sash must be attached with a nail "through every other pre-punched hole on the nailing fin. Nails must penetrate the stud at least 1". Apply felt, 4" Tyvek Tape or evuivalent to the jambs" in continuous strips. Although the instructions do not specifically state not to use staples, which many of the Broadlands builders did use to attach windows, they better be using 1"+ staples to penetrate the stud at least 1".

My windows were only nailed at the 4 corners and centers holes of each sash, which I got corrected, and I also had them reapply the tape. At least the front windows were done correctly. The back windows got covered by the wood trim before I was able to confirm if they renailed the sashes. Based on my experience with this builder, I don't have a warm and fuzzy about them. One of my neighbor's windows were stapled and I warned them about it, but I don't know if they got it corrected.

It sounds like the window settlement problems may be caused by improper window installation. I think it was VM who has been already taken to task over this by problem by the county. You might want to check with the County inspector's office or whomever would be in the know on this problem.

Good luck...

 

Speckard,

Not sure how new your house is but our brand new townhouse has leaky windows (leaky as in water and if that comes in, then air does too!). Apparently there was a manufacturers issue that they haven't quite figured out yet. Anyway, it would leak from the bottom pane so the window people came out & did a caulk job. Guess what, they still leak! So anyway we're going to fight to get the lower panes replaced on all our windows since the quick fix didn't work. You may have the same problem.