Good point about flashing—people always overlook that. Another sneaky spot is the sill itself. Had a window that looked perfectly fine, but water was pooling underneath and soaking into the wood slowly. Ended up pulling the whole thing out, sealing it properly, and adding a drip edge. Dry ever since. Sometimes it's the stuff you can't see that gets ya...
"Sometimes it's the stuff you can't see that gets ya..."
Exactly—this is why I'm always skeptical when people suggest just slapping some caulk on and calling it a day. Sure, caulk can be a quick fix, but if water's sneaking in behind the flashing or pooling under the sill, you're just hiding the problem temporarily. I learned this the hard way when I found rot behind a window I thought I'd sealed perfectly. Better to spend extra time checking the flashing and drip edges than deal with hidden damage later...lesson learned.
That's spot-on advice right there. Caulk's great, but it's no miracle worker if you've got sneaky water issues behind the scenes. Found that out myself when I peeled back some siding and discovered a mini swamp had formed behind my "perfectly sealed" window—complete with its own ecosystem of mold and mystery bugs. Definitely worth spending the extra time making sure your flashing and drainage pathways are clear...unless you're aiming to host nature documentaries from your living room.
"complete with its own ecosystem of mold and mystery bugs."
Ha, been there. Thought I had a simple caulk fix until I noticed water pooling on the sill after every storm. Turns out the flashing was installed backwards—basically funneling rain right into my wall cavity. Caulk's handy, but if your flashing or drainage is messed up, you're just putting lipstick on a pig. Better to bite the bullet and fix it properly...unless you enjoy surprise indoor water features.
Yeah, flashing is sneaky like that. Had a similar issue where I kept patching around the window frame, thinking it was just bad caulk. Nope...turned out the window itself wasn't sealed right from the outside. Took me forever to figure it out, and by then I had a nice little mold colony behind the drywall. Ever check if your window's actually installed correctly? Sometimes it's the stuff you least suspect causing all the trouble.
"Ever check if your window's actually installed correctly? Sometimes it's the stuff you least suspect causing all the trouble."
Yeah, learned that lesson the hard way myself. Spent weeks messing around with caulk and weather stripping, convinced it was just a minor leak. Turns out the installers skipped the flashing entirely on one side—no wonder water kept sneaking in. Ended up redoing the whole thing properly, and now it's bone dry. Always worth double-checking the install before chasing smaller fixes...
Yeah, been there myself—thought I was losing my mind with the caulk gun. Turns out my window wasn't shimmed right, leaving a sneaky gap. Glad you figured yours out too... nothing beats finally having a dry window.
Had a similar issue myself last fall. Thought it was just bad caulking at first, but after redoing it twice (yeah, twice...), I realized the window frame itself was slightly warped. Ended up using weather stripping as a temporary fix, and honestly, it's held up surprisingly well through some pretty heavy storms. Still, I keep wondering if I should bite the bullet and replace the whole window eventually.
Did you find that shimming your window solved the issue completely, or do you still get occasional leaks during heavy rain? I'm curious if shimming is usually enough or if it's more of a temporary fix. Seems like windows can be tricky—just when you think you've got it sorted, water finds another sneaky way in.
"Did you find that shimming your window solved the issue completely, or do you still get occasional leaks during heavy rain? I'm curious if shimming is usually enough or if it's more of a temporary fix."
Honestly, from what I've seen, shimming rarely solves the issue permanently—at least not if your frame's already warped. I had a similar battle a couple years back. At first, I thought I was a genius for shimming it just right to stop the leak... until the next big storm rolled through and I found myself back at square one, towels piled on the windowsill and all. 🙄
Weather stripping can definitely work wonders temporarily, but windows are annoyingly clever at letting water sneak in. Like you said, just when you think you've won, another tiny gap magically appears. I've found that if the frame itself is warped or damaged, no amount of shimming or caulking fully fixes it long-term. You might buy yourself a couple seasons, sure—but eventually, it's probably gonna come down to replacing the whole thing.
I bit the bullet last spring and replaced mine after trying everything else under the sun. It wasn't cheap (ugh), but honestly, haven't had a single drop inside since—even during those crazy sideways rains we had recently. In hindsight, I wasted way more time and money on temporary fixes than I would have if I'd just replaced it sooner.
But hey, if your weather stripping is holding strong for now, no harm riding that wave as long as possible. Just keep an eye out for signs of water damage around the frame or drywall—that stuff sneaks up on you fast.
Just keep an eye out for signs of water damage around the frame or drywall—that stuff sneaks up on you fast.
Shimming can actually be a permanent fix if done right, but it depends on the root cause. If your frame's warped, then yeah, shimming alone won't hold up long-term. But sometimes the problem isn't warping—it's improper installation or settling over time. In those cases, removing the window, re-leveling it properly with quality composite shims (not wood), and sealing thoroughly with exterior-grade caulk usually solves leaks permanently. Replacement isn't always necessary, just gotta pinpoint what's really causing your leak first.