Remember the first time you toured your future home? The yard size was good, the neighborhood was great, and the windows were amazing! While windows are some of the best features of your house, they are also susceptible to mold growth, wood rot, and even foundation problems. Typically, window leaks are due to 1) poorly installed windows and 2) cracked window panes. Whether you should simply repair your existing windows or replace them with new ones, that moisture can damage the window sills, sheet rock and floors around the leak.
With more time at home, you might have applied some elbow grease to shine up the windows. But take a better look, your windows might be causing some water damage and may need restoration services
Worn Casings and Frames
Sure, the glass in your windows can break, but it is much more likely that your windows will fail from the framing around the glass. Window casings seal the home from the outside elements. They see a lot of wear over time as they expand and contract with the weather. Once window casings become splintered, gouged, soft and rotted, you no longer have a reliable barrier to weather. As the seal fails, water can accumulate around the window and ruin the sills and sashes.
Condensation
Condensation is water that forms when warm, moist air hits a cooler surface. A good analogy is when you have an iced drink on a warm summer day, and the glass has moisture on the outside of the glass. The warmer air meeting the cooler surface of the glass causes condensation to form.
Interior window condensation is caused by excessive moisture in the house. In the mid-west, it can occur 1) in the winter when the warm air inside the house condenses on the cold windows and 2) when the A/C is cranked for the reverse. Condensation forms on the coldest surface in a room which is often the glass in a window. This accumulation can degrade the surrounding porous surfaces and may call for water damage restoration on sills, frames, drywall, drapes.
Look for damp, discoloration and signs for damage all around the window.
Skylights
No matter how well your skylights were installed, it is still possible for them to leak during heavy rains. Over time, the seals and flashing can deteriorate, providing an opportunity for water to penetrate your roof.
When you have a skylight problem, you have two problems. You need to address the roof maintenance by repairing the flashing. You also must repair the interior with water damage restoration on sheet rock, ceilings, floors, furnishings.
Leaky windows are only one of the countless areas that can cause water damage to your home. TRAC Solutions is a locally-owned Chippewa Valley company with more than 25 years of experience repairing damage in Western Wisconsin. With so many years of experience, they have seen many preventable problems and many unpreventable disasters. When your home suffers from water damage, call the water damage restoration experts in Eau Claire for immediate help.
