What Is Causing Your Window Problems

Are your windows giving you some trouble? Don’t worry! Reading this will help you find out what’s causing your frustrating window problems and what you can do to fix them.

Sweating

Your windows have a fine layer of condensation on them. It makes them look “sweaty” or “weepy.” Sweating windows can cause long-term problems like mould and mildew. Leaving them alone isn’t a good idea.

Why are your windows sweating? Condensation happens when warm, humid air hits the cold glass of a window. So, if your indoor air is very humid, you might find that you have sweaty windows.

You can reduce the levels of humidity in your house to stop this problem. How?

• Run your bathroom fan when you’re taking a shower or bath. Keep it running for at least 20 minutes after you’ve finished to pull the moisture out of the air.
• Run your kitchen’s exhaust fan whenever you’re cooking on the stovetop.
• Clean your exhaust fan filters to make them more efficient.
• Use a dehumidifier to lower humidity levels in areas with less ventilation, like your basement.

Drafts

There is a simple way to confirm that your windows are letting the outside air inside. On a windy day, close all your windows and hold a lit stick of incense in front of them. If the smoke curling up from the incense starts to pull toward the window or blow away from it, you have an air leak that needs sealing.

How can you plug it? You can plug up air leaks by adding a layer of caulking around your window frames. You can also add weatherstripping inside the window sashes.

If your windows are old (it’s been 20+ years since they’ve been changed), then you may want to upgrade them before doing any caulking or weatherstripping. You can buy new windows with double-paned glass and energy-efficient features like low emissivity glass and fusion-welded corners. These windows have exceptional insulation and temperature control, which should keep all of the summer heat outside where it belongs.

Sticking Frames

You’re having trouble opening and closing your single-hung, double-hung and slider windows. They seem to stick to the frame. Why is that?

Dirt Build-Up:

It’s possible that there’s a lot of build-up on the window tracks. That build-up could be stopping you from sliding it open smoothly. A simple solution is to clean your window tracks and add some lubrication to get them back to normal.

Humidity:

If your windows have wooden frames, humidity could be the problem. Moisture in the air can soak into your wooden frames, making them swell and warp. Enough swelling will make it hard to pull the window open/closed.

The solution for this is similar to the solution for “sweating windows.” Try to decrease the humidity levels in your home to get your windows back to normal.

If you’re planning on upgrading your windows any time soon, look for options with frame materials that can fare better in humidity, like vinyl. In Terra Bloom, more reliable and energy-efficient ventilation products to the world.

Foundation Problems:

Another reason why your window frames could be sticking is that your home has foundation issues. When a foundation starts to shift, it puts pressure on your walls and shifts your window frames from their original position. You’ll need to get foundation repairs to fix this.

Have you figured out what’s behind your window problem? Now, you can fix it!