Wind and water coming in through windows.

[elcottero]

Hi folks.

I am having issues with wind and water coming through my windows. They are uPVC units installed in Feb 2008. I have had problems with them since soon after installation. I had the company who installed them out but all they did was put some new silicon sealant on.
So I have put up with it until recently when it was really stormy and the wind whistling through the windows was annoying as hell.
I decided to put some expanding foam sealant around the top of the windows as there was a big gap ( 45mm ) and this was where the wind was getting in.

I have a couple of questions.

Is a 45mm gap normal? The same size gap is at the top of all 6 windows that the company installed.

Will sealing it with foam do the job? and should that not have been done during installation?

I am currently in talks with the installers so any advice would be appreciated.

I have included some pics. The foam shown in the pics was put there by me.

 

[ronniecabers]

45mm is a huge gap to leave unfilled.......should have had at least the foam put in at insatllation, or even better a frame add on could have been used. The foam will help , but my major concern would be where any water is getting in....

 

[crank39]

Thistle or CR Smith?

 

[AronSearle]

Will sealing it with foam do the job?

Thermally yes, and it will improve wind resistance.

But most of the weather resistance will be from coverings and mastics, which will need maintenance.

Bit of a sloppy job, but not much you can do now.

and should that not have been done during installation?

It is considered good practice and glass and glazing federation guidance recommends it.

But unless it is agreed beforehand then it is not 'required'.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

this kind of thing REALLY frustrates me. i remember 15 or so years ago my mum was getting new double glazing (to replace old wooden windows) and i said to the guy in the showroom 'would it help if i remove small sections of the wooden surrounds, window sill etc so the surveyor can accurately measure from brick to brick both horizontally and vertically? after all it'll all be getting ripped off anyway.' the reply was essentially 'no don't go to that bother, they're experts and will still be able to measure accurately.'

once the windows were fitted it was blatantly obvious they could have been a few cm's bigger in the vertical, so filler pieces of upvc were used along bottom giving a chunky look to the bottom horizontal!

we had to get one of the upstairs tilt and turns replaced x years later (still under guarantee) and i bumped my gums about getting this one measured more accurately. low and behold, it was obviously a few cm's bigger in the vertical and there was no requirement for a filler strip of upvc.

to me (and i don't care what experts say tbh) it simply shouts shoddy measuring when there are gaps like that. okay you expect some degree of gap i.e. they need to have some tolerance to ensure the unit actually fits, but 45mm?!?

oh and by the way crank39 ... it was CR Smith i won't bore you with the stories of things i had to rectify myself e.g. wooden sills that weren't packed enough etc!