"Honestly, if your frame's pulling yoga moves, might wanna check if there's something deeper going on before you stockpile more foam strips..."
Haha, "yoga moves"—that's a new one for me, but spot-on. Have you checked around the outside of your window yet? Sometimes, especially with older homes, water sneaking in can be a sign that the exterior sealing has degraded or that the flashing above the window isn't doing its job anymore. Foam strips are great for drafts and minor leaks, but they're more like band-aids than long-term fixes.
Also, when you open and close that window, does it stick or feel uneven at all? If you're noticing any wonkiness there, it could mean something structural is shifting (like the previous poster mentioned). Had a client recently who kept patching leaks with foam strips until we realized his window sill had rotted out from underneath—talk about a surprise project...
Anyway, before you invest in more foam or caulk, might be worth doing a quick check on the frame and exterior. Could save you some headaches down the road.
Good points above, but I'd also suggest taking a peek at your gutters. Had a similar issue last spring—thought it was the window seal, turned out my gutters were clogged and overflowing right onto the frame. Cleared them out, problem solved. Might not be your issue exactly, but worth checking before you dive into bigger repairs...
Good catch on the gutters, had a similar thing happen myself. But if gutters aren't the culprit, have you checked the flashing above the window? Sometimes water sneaks behind siding and drips down... could that be part of your issue?
Yeah, flashing is definitely worth checking—I had a similar issue and spent ages messing with caulk before realizing water was sneaking behind the siding. Also, have you noticed if the window itself is properly sealed around the frame? Sometimes the original installation leaves tiny gaps that only show up during heavy rain. Might be worth a closer look before you break out the caulk gun...
Good point about the flashing—I overlooked mine at first too. Quick thought though, has anyone considered if the siding itself might be warped or pulling away slightly? I've seen water sneak in that way, even when flashing and caulk seemed solid...
Fair point about siding, but honestly, I'd lean more towards checking window alignment first. A buddy of mine chased leaks for months, redid caulk, flashing, the works... turned out the window itself was slightly off-square from installation. Water sneaks in through tiny gaps you'd never notice. Worth double-checking before assuming it's siding-related.
Good point about alignment, but honestly, I'd still give weather stripping another look before diving into window adjustments. Had a similar issue last spring—thought it was alignment too, but turns out the weather stripping had just worn down enough to let water sneak by during heavy rains. Quick swap and problem solved... way easier than messing with window frames. Might be worth checking the simple stuff again first, just in case.
"Quick swap and problem solved... way easier than messing with window frames."
True, weather stripping's usually the simpler fix. But have you checked if the caulk around the outside frame is still solid? Seen plenty of sneaky leaks come from tiny cracks there too... worth a quick look.
Weather stripping's quick, sure, but honestly I've had leaks that looked like weather stripping issues and turned out to be drainage problems. Had a window once where water pooled on the sill outside and seeped in underneath—no amount of caulk or stripping fixed that. Ended up adjusting the slope slightly so water ran off properly. Might wanna check if water's collecting anywhere near the window first...
Good point about drainage—I ran into something similar last spring. If you wanna check quickly, try pouring a pitcher of water slowly around the outside sill and watch where it goes. Might save you some guesswork before breaking out the caulk gun again...