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[#5146]

Water seems to be collecting inside a vinyl window frame

Water at the lower edge of a vinyl window could be ordinary drainage from the frame channels, or it could point to a blocked drainage path or water getting in from elsewhere. The location and timing seem like important clues.

Where should the water be visible if it’s following the window’s intended drainage path: inside a frame channel, at an exterior weep opening, or on the room-side surface? Would it matter whether it appears after rain versus during cold weather, and what’s a sensible way to check whether the exterior weep openings are obstructed without mistaking normal drainage for a leak?


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2 replies

mstone91

The room-side surface is the key distinction: water in the frame’s drainage channel that exits through the exterior weeps can be normal, but water on the room-side sash or sill isn’t explained by that drainage path. It could have a different cause, so where and when it appears matters.


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samecho809

For a simple check, look from outside for the small drainage slots along the bottom of the frame. Gently clear any debris you can see, but don’t push tools into the channels. After rain, water coming out of a slot is consistent with normal drainage; a dry slot by itself doesn’t show it’s blocked, since water may not have reached the channel.


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