Draughty Upvc Window internal trim

[Farn]

Hi, quick question before I call out the DG fitters.

Last year I had new DG fitted but have now noticed the are draughts on most of the windows coming from where the plastic internal trim has been fitted all around the internal walls. The trim is showing signs of coming away from the walls with cracks where the draughts are.

The question is, should the windows had been made draught proof without the trims being there. Should the trim be for asthetic purpose to cover the dodgy plaster left by having the DG fitted.

In my case the trim seems to have been used as part of the draught proofing, is this just poor fitting the the installers ?

Thanks

 

[Mw Roofline]

The question is, should the windows had been made draught proof without the trims being there. Should the trim be for asthetic purpose to cover the dodgy plaster left by having the DG fitted.

Yes. All the sealing up should be done on the outside. Sometimes in houses you can get draughty cavities though but nonetheless you do need to get them in to seal it all up again.

 

[Farn]

Thanks for the reply Mw Roofline. That was going to be another question of mine that how can the wind blow in from the outside in the first place. We also have cavity wall insulation to I don't think there would be too much of a draught within the cavity. Its more localised to the trim area as when a gust of wind blows you can feel the draught instantly.

The question now is can anyone list what exactly what the fitters need to do to recify the problem ?

I.e. Remove internal strips, silicone up the inside gaps and refit trims. Then remove all outside sealant and reseal seal ?

What do I need them to do to get a lasting result ?

Thanks.

 

[Mw Roofline]

The outer silicone will never come off, it will just have to be re-sealed. The inner trim can be used again, the silicone easily comes off it.

Its just probably a case of 10 mins with a silicone gun, as simple as that.

Have a look underneath the window cill from outside (a place where no one looks) is it all sealed up with either silicone or mortar?

 

[Farn]

DG fitters have said wind is blowing through cavity wall due to existing problem. Said there was mold behind the original windows when taken out explaining previous cold spot problem (I've posted different problem before). So basically its my fault for having a drafty cavity !

I have cavity wall insulation so don't see how I can have draughty cavitys. The wind blows & it comes directly in at the same time.

Any help would be great, thanks.

 

[tomaz64]

had the same problems with mine! in the end removed the internal plastic trims on either side of a couple of bay windows using a stanley knife . Then filled the gap with expanding foam, then when dried cut off the excess and reapplied the trim to the window, hope that helps

 

[Farn]

Thanks for the tip, what if the gap is too small to squirt the foam down. I was thinking of using some kind of mastic then reattach trim, can anyone suggest the right type of mastic too use.

On another thought could the outside air/wind get through to the cavity from cracks in the mortar. I can see some small cracks that run for about 2 mtrs or so on the outside brick work not far from the problem areas.

cheers.

 

[The Bullet]

Doubt very much you'd be getting draughts if the gap was too small to get foam in!

Fill it with foam, the foam will squirt out anyway: then when it's expanded and dry just cut the excess away, put the trims back on, and reseal.

Forget about the cracks in the mortar, it won't be because of them. Either it's coming through from the cavity or the external hasn't been sealed properly.

 

[PBSCO]

Tip for using foam...It will go everywhere if you are not careful....spray water on your window frame first,this will minimize the foams ability to stick on your frame...where you don't want it.

Once you have foamed the gaps then spray water again and it will stop the foam expanding much further,back out through the hole you applied it to