"Replacement isn't always necessary, just gotta pinpoint what's really causing your leak first."
Yeah, that's the tricky part—figuring out exactly where the water's sneaking in. Ever tried the hose test method? It's messy but usually reveals the culprit pretty quick...or at least makes for a fun afternoon.
The hose test is a solid idea, even if it does get a bit messy. I've done it myself—ended up soaked but found the leak pretty fast. If you haven't tried yet, start low and work your way up slowly, giving each area around the window frame a good minute or two. Patience pays off here because leaks can be sneaky little things. Hang in there, you'll nail it down soon enough.
The hose test can work, sure, but honestly I've found it a bit hit-or-miss. Had one job where we spent ages spraying water, thought we'd nailed the leak, caulked it up, and next big rainstorm—bam, water again. Turned out the issue was higher up, water sneaking behind the siding and running down inside. So yeah, patience helps, but don't get tunnel vision on the window alone. Check above and around too... leaks are sneaky, and sometimes they're not even where you'd expect.
"leaks are sneaky, and sometimes they're not even where you'd expect."
Totally agree with this. Had a similar issue last spring—thought it was the window seal, but turned out water was sneaking in from a tiny gap near the roofline. Keep at it, you'll find it eventually... leaks can't hide forever.
Had something similar happen a few years back—spent ages sealing around the window frame, only to find out later it was actually dripping down from a loose gutter bracket above. Sneaky indeed... sometimes you gotta think like water to track these things down.
Had the same issue last spring. Thought it was the window seal at first, but after wasting half a weekend messing with caulk and weather stripping, I finally figured out it was actually coming from a tiny crack in the siding above. Water's sneaky like that... it'll travel along weird paths before showing up inside. I'd definitely check gutters, siding, or even roof flashing first before you go nuts sealing around windows. Save yourself some headaches.
Had something similar happen a couple years back—spent ages sealing around the window only to find out later it was actually the gutter overflowing during heavy rain. Ever checked if your gutters are clear or angled right? Sometimes it's not even obvious they're clogged until you get up there. Water can be tricky, like you said... always finds the weirdest paths to sneak inside. Might save yourself some trouble by looking higher up first before tackling windows again.
Hadn't thought about gutters initially, but that's a solid point. Water infiltration can be deceptive—I've seen cases where the flashing above the window was improperly installed or had deteriorated over time, causing leaks that looked like window seal issues. Have you checked the flashing condition or siding integrity around that area? Sometimes it's worth stepping back and examining the broader picture before diving into detailed sealing work again...
"Water infiltration can be deceptive—I've seen cases where the flashing above the window was improperly installed or had deteriorated over time..."
Yeah, that's spot on. Flashing is sneaky like that... I remember spending a whole weekend resealing around my windows only to find out later it was actually the siding higher up letting water trickle down. Definitely worth checking the siding and flashing carefully before you break out the caulk gun again. Might save yourself some frustration down the road.
Had a similar issue last spring... thought it was the window seals at first, but turned out water was sneaking behind the gutters and dripping down behind the siding. Took forever to figure that out. Did you check if your gutters are clear and draining properly? Sometimes it's something simple like leaves clogging things up and causing overflow.