Here at ProMaster Home Repair & Handyman of Cincinnati, we’ve seen an alarming trend of homeowners reporting window leaks. These leaks often result from improperly installed windows or poor home construction techniques that prompt the need for expensive, premature repairs. The following article reveals the warning signs that every homeowner can use to determine if they have a serious window leak.
Watch Video on Window Leaks
Tell Tale Signs of a Leaking Window
Visible moisture on the interior of your home in the vicinity of a window is a rather obvious sign of a window leak. But often there are more insidious window leaks who symptoms take far longer to spot. Unfortunately, these symptoms arise after significant damage has occurred. The following pictures and description will help you spot those problems before they can cost your thousands of dollars in preventable home repairs.
Do These Window Leak Symptoms Look Familiar?
If any of these pictures look familiar, don’t panic. A good home repair professional can isolate and eliminate the source of the leak and repair the resulting water damage. But time is of the essence! Mold growth, wood rot, drywall and insulation damage as well as structural problems may result by delaying the repair.
Window Sill with Peeling Paint
Window Leak with Peeling Wall Paint
Water Causing Major Window Frame Rot
Case Study on the Damage from a Window Leak
To illustrate how a small, insidious window leak can cause enormous frustration for a homeowner, let’s examine a case study from a recent client that we helped in Amelia, Ohio—a suburb of Cincinnati. This home was about 8 years old, and like many tract homes built in the Cincinnati area, have 2-story great rooms with windows composing much of the exterior wall. While this is a wonderful architectural feature, the vinyl siding and construction techniques used in these homes do not generally prevent a large wall of windows like this from leaking.
Click thumbnail for a larger image
The homeowner reports fighting window leaks in this part of the home since shortly after purchase, and indicates that the builder could not resolve the problem. In addition, her neighbors are experiencing similar problems. While one can’t automatically conclude that there is a common building defect in these homes, it is a clue that should lead any home repair professional toward examining the flashing or window installation quality.
Window Leaks Often the Result of Inferior Construction
In the case of this homeowner, her window leaks are the result of improperly flashed windows and the absence of house wrap. Flashing is simply material used to shed water away from areas particularly vulnerable to water intrusion. House wrap is just what it sounds like—a material that covers the wood sheeting and prevents any water that sneaks in behind the brick or siding from soaking the wood it “wraps.”
From the pictures you can see how the absence of proper window flashing and house wrap has allowed the water to penetrate and rot out the wood around the windows while causing significant drywall and insulation damage. More alarming is the mold growth on the wood framing and drywall around the windows inside the home. Aside from the annoyance of water coming in the home during a rain storm, mold growth presents an unacceptable health concern to the family living inside.
If You Suspect a Window Leak
If you suspect or witness a window leak, there are several things you can do to assist your home repair professional with diagnosing and resolving the problem. During the next rain event, ask yourself the following questions and note your observations:
- Does the window always leak when it rains? Or does it only leak during a heavy rain shower?
- Does the window leak when the rain is being driven by wind from a particular direction?
- How long has the window been leaking? Can you identify any event associated with the first time you noticed the window leak? (i.e. significant storm, ice event, extreme winds, etc.)
- Has the window leak worsened? Or has it remained consistent over time?
- Have you attempted to stop the leak? If so, what has been done? Has that helped?
- If you can obtain this information, find out who built your home and when it was constructed.
Help With Window Leaks
If you live in the Cincinnati area and need help troubleshooting, repairing or resolving a window leak, feel free to call us at (513) 724-0539 or visit us at www.MasterMyList.com. ProMaster Home Repair & Handyman of Cincinnati stands ready to resolve all your home repair and handyman projects in a timely and safe manner.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
We get calls frequently where the gutters were partially the cause for basement water damage.
Most problems with leaks are related to missing or improper flashing. Window Signs Decals Wholesale
Very interesting article.
Thanks very much for this well written post.
I wish we lived in your service area… unfortunately, we're in the Philadelphia area. This is exactly what is happening with our windows at the front and back of our house. We had someone out a few years ago, and they simply caulked around the bottom floor window (2 hours of labor costs for 2 people and a $7 tube of caulk). Needless to say, the problem was not solved. Not being very handy ourselves, we struggled trying to figure out what the problem was, and were afraid to pay so much again to have the problem remain unfixed. Now that I have this information, I can discuss our leaking windows with more knowledge.
A question, though… with the years of damage that we have, would you recommend contacting a local handyman, or is this a bigger siding/window company job? Is this something that a remodel company might handle? We are considering an addition on the back of the house, and I wonder if it might make sense to go with the remodel company we are considering for the addition.
Thank you for your assistance. Your blog is wonderful!
Laura-
I'm sorry this has happened to you but the story is all too common. I'd recommend that the company you are looking at to do the addition also perform the repair. More than likely there will be significant wood rot repair and the need to re-flash and seal the windows. Not all handyman or home repair companies are skilled and equipped as we are to do these sorts of jobs, so I would think the GC you hire to do the addition might be the best bet. Although this article doesn't apply specifically to your area, the principles remain the same–I'd suggest you run this on any contractor before you hire them. It can be found here: http://www.mastermylist.com/consumer-education/th…
Good luck and let me know how it turns out for you!
Don
Got water damage calls this week after the heavy rain. 1 of them may have had to do with gutter issues. As stated above "unattended to gutter's" can cause major issues.
This is a very nice article guys – well written and great illustrations. I own a water damage company and we get a lot of calls in the Winter for water damage from bad window seals. i recomend having them checked before the rains start.
We have the same problem in Lexington Kentucky. However, it appears someone or a combination of someones were asleep at the wheel when building these houses. We have a situation where the builder did not install any flashings on any of our 24 windows; the building inspector did not check to ensure windows were flashed; the previous homeowner did not disclose window leakage problems to us when we bought the house; the house inspector overlooked the water leakage signs prior to loan closing; and now we are stuck with a $10,000 repair bill that includes replacement of rotten plywood underneath the brick and major brick removal to properly install window flashings and replace the rotten plywood. Who is responsible and why aren't consumers protected from major expenses such as these due to other folks fraud and negligence?
How old was your home when you discovered that the flashing was missing?
The house was built in 2000. We bought it from the original owner in Sept. 2004. We just found out yesterday the flashing was missing. We have paid $$$$ to several folks to fix numerous leaks that first appear as water stains on the ceiling over the windows or in sophets above the windows. We've had water drain from the window and run into our basement ceiling panels. That took us several months to figure out where the water was coming from. One window was removed and a sealer was put around the frame, but the water eventually came back. There's a little roof over two of the windows that was removed and re-flashed, but since it had nothing to do with the little roof overhang, the leak came back. I guess all the duct tape or caulking they used when building this house in lieu of flashing finally gave way this year, and now all the windows that are on a brick wall outside are leaking. These window leaks have been loccurring over the years like a bag of popcorn slowly popping since 2004 and finally, in 2004 the whole bag has popped!
Didn't purchase the house until 2004. Just discovered there's no flashing above windows, no weep holes in brick, and extremely poreous brick this week. Previous owners purchased from the builder. The builder went out of business in late 2000, right after the house was finished.
I just moved into the house built by my grandfather in 1952 in central Texas. I had the interior reprinted in August, 2010. Now I see peeling paint on top of kitchen sink wood window frame, and on bathroom window frame and sill, and various other windows. Water also condenses heavily throughout house on all windows. I’m not sure where to start in identifying cause or solution, and would appreciate any suggestions. Can anyone help?
When I lived down in Oklahoma I had a similar problem… it could be a result of window condensation. You can either reduce the humidity level in the home, or replace the window.
If the paint is peeling, there is likely a moisture problem. Before replacing the the window, I would recommend you have the roof and siding (or brick, if that is what you have there) inspected to see if there are any obvious signs of water intrusion above those windows. Leaks like this can be tough to find… so be patient… you may have the endure a \”process of elimination.\” Good Luck! – Don
Great, informative article. I purchased a home 5 months ago and have since discovered that all the replacement vinyl windows leak to some degree or another. I've since learned the condition was pre-existing as the seller told me she had patched some drywall b/c "water came in". I've contracted with a window company to replace all the windows with “new-construction”; style windows (windows with a nail fin), where they’ll install the new windows by taking down the siding, putting in the new window and flash around it, and then re-install the siding. This way we can see if there’s any damage to the wood under the siding.
My question is, should I be concerned with mold behind the drywall. There is no visible evidence of mold on the drywall from inside the house so hopefully we’ll get a better idea of a possible mold problem once the window guys start their installation. However, should I test for hidden mold in the wall cavity prior to the window install? Or should the window installers be able to remediate for mold once (if) they see it?
Any guidance would be appreciated. TIA
Yeon-
This reminds me of a massive job we just completed where many of the windows in the home were installed incorrectly–which allowed water to get in and cause mold growth and wood rot. In most cases the mold was minor–so we could simply cut out and throw away the damaged materials. Mold remediation laws vary from state to state–typically governed by the amount or type of mold encountered.
I wouldn\’t worry too much about this–typically mold tends to be worse on the inside than the outside… so if you don\’t have mold growth on the visible side of the drywall… this is a good sign. Yes, you are going to have to \”wait and see\” when your windows are removed the survey the extent of damage. Let me know how this turns out for you!
Don