If your cottage windows have condensation or wet sill plates, it’s a sign that something’s wrong. Ignore a weepy window, and you’ll eventually have to contend with mouldy frames, rotten studs, and expensive repairs. Spare yourself future grief with these three simple fixes.
1) Banish the pane fog
The temperature dropped and now your windows have gone all misty. Condensation on windows is caused by warm humid air meeting cold glass. Throw open the curtains; in warm weather, open the windows and let in some fresh air. Window coverings can trap air against the window, insulating the glass and making it colder. Opening the window encourages air circulation and replaces humid indoor air with dry outdoor air.
If this doesn’t do the trick, there may just be too much water in the air. Bathroom and kitchen windows are prone to condensation because they’re in high humidity environments. Crank your range hood and exhaust fans to evacuate all that moist air. If you only see condensation occasionally, in extremely cold weather, you can place a towel on the sill to absorb the excess moisture.
Why you need to upgrade to modern windows
Condensation between the panes in a double-glazed window indicates that the seal holding the insulative gas between the windows has failed. Without that gas, the window is far less energy efficient; you need to replace the glass unit or even the whole window.
2) Clear the weep holes
Many operable windows have weep holes on the bottom edge of the frame designed to drain water. These small openings can become clogged with debris, allowing water to rot the sill. Once a year, check the holes and unplug them with a brush, a toothpick, or a stream of compressed air.
3) Stop cracking up
When window caulking fails, water can creep in and rot the frame and walls. Inspect your caulking annually, looking for cracks, deterioration, and little gaps.
One particularly high-risk area is where the vertical jambs meet the horizontal sill. Water hits the exterior glass and runs down to the sill. If the window is slightly angled back or the sill isn’t sufficiently sloped, water won’t drip off the sill. Instead, it can run back under the jambs and into the wall (if the caulking has failed at this joint).
How to apply new caulking
To fix, first remove any failed caulking and clean the surface thoroughly. Then apply a bead of high-quality exterior-grade silicone caulking. Cut the nozzle at a 45-degree angle with an opening of 3/8″. Apply the sealant over the gap and against both surfaces. Take a caulking tool or, even easier, a latex-gloved finger (dipped in soapy water) and run it along the bead with light pressure to even out any lumps and ensure that the sealant is filling the entire gap. You’re aiming to create a “fillet” profile—a cross-section of your bead should be triangular, with equal sides attached to the two adjacent window surfaces.
This article was originally published in the March/April 2022 issue of Cottage Life.
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