How to avoidHow to avoid Water Leaking through Water Leaking through Airlite Windows

[reysmith]

I have Airlite Windows throughout my house remodeled in the last 3 months. I discover that continually in huge rainfall, with windows closed firmly that water penetrates through the joint in the frame built of aluminum. While in many circumstances this results of waters collecting right exactly in corner of the frames, in huge rain when too much water gathers, this results to dripping from our frame down to our walls.

I am interested if how would you guys fixed this kind of issue without contacting any repair companies.

 

[Squeetard]

Window Caulking.

 

[gururu2]

check the drain holes in the window ledge. it is normal for water to collect at the base of the sill but it should drip out to the exterior. sometimes the holes get plugged.

 

[Greenman]

Call the contractor that installed them.

 

[DrPizza]

Many (most?) windows have weep holes for the purpose of draining any water away. Since it's only been 3 months, I'm going to take a guess that the contractor decided to caulk those holes closed, thinking it would increase efficiency? I'm not familiar with your particular brand of window though.

http://www.doorandwindow.com/windows/installation/weep-holes-are-nothing-to-cry-about.php

Water flows with gravity, downhill, which is the principle used to drain water away from a wood or aluminum window instead of into your home. That is why most wood windows have a sill that slopes away from the window. During a rain storm water hits the outside of the glass, dropping to the sill and draining away from the window.
Many vinyl replacement windows, however, are made on all four sides from the same extrusion, the technical name for the lineal vinyl piece that is cut into sections and welded together to form the frame. The reason you need weep holes is because the sill is the exact same-shaped extrusion as the jambs, which means that the window tracks that hold the sash when in the vertical position of the frame will collect and hold water when functioning as the sill in the bottom horizontal position of the frame. Weep holes allow this water to drain.


So, if there are holes to drain the water out, won't they also allow wind to come in?
Vinyl window manufacturers have anticipated your concerns and have solved that problem in a variety of ways:

1. Little doors or flaps are inserted to cover the weep holes. They open outward when water is exiting the window and close to prevent wind pushing against them to get into the window.
2. The extrusions are filled with a network of compartments designed primarily to give added strength to the frame, but these chambers also act as baffles against the incoming air, preventing it from entering the house.
3. The exterior weep holes that drain the water out of the window are not aligned with the interior weep holes; thus, they block direct air flow into the window.

More information at that site. Seems odd that they'd be clogged in only 3 months; and per my experience and that site, most windows have weep holes. Thus, perhaps your contractor thought that you'd get air penetration, so sealed those holes. A quick inspection should allow you to figure that out. If so, see Greenman's advice - make the contractor come and clean them out. (fwiw, I learned this the hard way )