Last night we had a fair amount of rain and wind. This morning I found a 2′ square wet spot on the subfloor of our new construction under a large Marvin Integrity mulled casement. The windows have been in for five months with no leaks. The window was closed and latched and it doesn’t appear that the water got in that way. Drywall is up and we have been painting. I drilled a couple holes in the drywall near the subfloor and the insulation was wet but the moisture is confined to one stud bay that is entirely underneath the window. I checked the attic and didn’t see any obvious leaks there.
My framers installed the windows pretty much according to Marvin’s instructions. I flashed the pan and windows myself with vycor and Tyveks flexible flashing. That side of the house was bricked about a six weeks ago and there are stone sills under the windows with there proper tilt for runoff. I haven’t caulked between the windows and brick but the gap between the stone sill and the window sill is less than an 1/16 of an inch. Even if the water did blow or wick in that gap it seems like it would have been tough for the water to get inside the stud wall under the window with the pan flashed and it hasn’t leaked in five months.
I have attached a picture of the offending window before bricking and you can see the flashing.
Any suggestions on how to diagnose this and more importantly fix it?
Thanks for any advice! I appreciate it very much.
Regards,
Dennis
Replies
I think this is very unlikely, but just in case, did you check the roof for signs of leaks? Water runs down the wall, you know.
Bryan,
I checked the attic/roof twice. No signs of moisture or leaking.
Regards,
Dennis
"The windows have been in for five months with no leaks."
"...and it hasn't leaked in five months."
You seem quite confident of this. But it is possible that it has leaked every time it has rained and only now has it leaked enough to create visible evidence.
Any chance the masons damaged the typar while putting holes in it for the brick ties?
Any chance for a pic of the exterior as it appears today??
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
wink and a nod...it could also be condensation from a job heater on site.
My bet is a plugged path of escape from the mortar gobs that inevitably happen. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Time, time, time look what's become of us..Time is all we have, spend it wisely with fervor..dance for no reason, love with out plans and live without worries..we all can.
Rich,
Thanks for the reply. I have kept a pretty close eye on all the windows after we framed and didn't see any signs of leaking.
Tonight I got out the rotozip and cut a section of the sheetrock out under the sill. It was wet under there. I also cut out a small strip along side the jambs where they meet the sill. That was dry. So it looks like the water is coming in around the bottom of the window, maybe at the bottom nailing fin (which Marvin says not to caulk or flash). My Marvin dealer is coming out tomorrow morning to look at them although I am sure their solution will be lots and lots of caulk.
I will take a picture of the exterior tomorrow.
Thanks again!
Regards,
Dennis
You must have been doing all of this while I was typing my post.
Good work in locating the problem.
I hope the fractory rep can give you the good news now.
Let us know what he says you have to do to fix it.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
Dane and all,
Well the Marvin rep stopped by today and says it isn't the window leaking, just water getting in underneath it, probably at the bottom nailing fin (even though it was installed per their instructions). He wants me to tape off the window with plastic and hose it down for a half hour to see if it leaks. If it does then the install is the problem and his solution was to caulk around the window and stone still with vulcam or some other poly caulk. If it doesn't they will come back and check some more. This is about what I figured they would say.
Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. I will post an update if I figure anything more out.
Regards,
Dennis
I drilled a couple holes in the drywall near the subfloor and the insulation was wet but the moisture is confined to one stud bay that is entirely underneath the window.
Check directly underneath the window and see if it is wet there. (above were you checked near the subfloor) Make your holes small enough so trim will cover it up if it is dry.
Do the same thing above the window if you find that it is wet just below the window.
Check the seal between that curved window and the lower one. Even at the very end of them, against the frame.
Get us a picture of the inside and show us exactly were the wet area is.
These are just a few ideas of where to look to isolate things.
Dane
I will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
I'm betting on the mulling where they put that self adhered piece at the corners. A little time in the sun or any disturbance will give water a channel
I'm not as big a fan of marvin as I used to be. I've been seeing a lot of marvin units fail lately