Dear Builders,
Has any one had experience with Wilmar style Jeld-Wen windows manufactured in Canada. We are currently building a house in the San Juan Islands of Washington. The new windows leak through the top cladding and flashing on the window sill. It doesn’t matter if they are fixed, casement or awning they all leak in rainy, windy weather. So far Jeld-Wen has been stonewalling us on repair or replacement since we notified them of the problem two months ago. We paid many thousands extra for top of the line metal clad exterior and clear grain wood interior windows. Any suggestions on what we can do.
Hugh
Replies
Greetings from a fellow islander. I'm curious, who supplied the windows?
How is it you have determined it's the window leaking and not a faulty installation? Having 3 different types of windows leaking, including an awning??? makes me suspicious something more may be the problem. I do not know jeld-wen specifically but they may be stonewalling you because they realize it is not thier problem
I'd recommend first get your hands on the installation instructions for every window type you have. I'd then removed the interior casing/ extension jambs, or sheet rock to expose the interior of the window. If you find wet insulation the window is probably redirecting the water but by itself not the cause of the leak. If not then spend a couple of hundred bucks to have a leaking window uninstalled directly after a rain. Document the procedure. See what's wet and where. If all the water is confined to the window itself then I'd say you have a manufacturing problem. If framing outside the window is wet it's installation.
As a side note... I have seen alarm system installs create window leaks. Some weep systems are very creative and indescrimiate drilling through a sill can cause massive problems.
Good luck and hope this helps.
I guess I described it poorly. The wind driven rain is not coming in around or under the the window sill. It is coming through the flashing on the exterior part of the window itself and showing up on the inside of the window on top of the wood sill. I have ( I hope) attached several pictures showing the wet interior window sill.
Resized those pics for the dial-up folks.
jt8
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." -- Ronald Reagan
Have the manufacturers seen the pictures?
Not sure why Jeld-Wen was like that.
I have issues with 4 windows. I called corporate, explained my scenario and they gave me the local rep's cell number. I called him, he came to my house, saw what the issue was and ordered me 4 new windows! Mine was a shipping/packaging issue.
10 years or so ago the company got a bad rap for their window sills rotting and other things. They have totally turned things around and customer satisfaction is one of their goals.
Hopefully you can get with the local rep and work this out.
Good luck
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WWPD
This is the reason we put sill pans under all our windows during construction. That and the fact that most window manufacturer directions now call for it. The sill pan drains any leakage to the outside of the building envelope and not on the wood sill to rot and get moldy. Of course they're useless if you have a security company come in and drill right up through the sill for a window sensor.
What kind of sill pans do you use? I'm trimming a house that has Norcos (another one of the Jeld-Wen family). They called for sill pans, too bad the framers made them to stick in a 1/2" past the sheetrock! They'll surely catch all the water, though, ha, ha, ha.I'm damn sure sill pans aren't going to stop the OP's windows from leaking<G>Why isn't the distributor working with Jeld-Wen on this? We just found one cracked one, and the service rep (from the local distributor) checked out all 40 of the windows in the house. Found a couple of things we didn't see. They're supposedly fixing them... What in the gosh darn golly have you done to Rez?
We use Jamsill gaurd from http://www.jamsill.com . The only thing I don't like about using them is they push out the window about 1/8th of an inch which makes moulding on the inside of the house a challenge. The manufacturer recommends making one out of galvanized sheetmetal. Pretty time consuming I would think. They run about 30 bucks a piece for the jamsill depending on length, but that is an average.
We use the Jamsill, too...sometimes they stick in about 1/4". Site made pans are rough at best, corners depend on caulk and positive slope to the outside is minimal . I'd love to find a better way<G> What in the gosh darn golly have you done to Rez?
I've thought about this some. There really needs to be a pan that has a lip 1/2" thick. Then this is installed before OSB and the OSB comes up to it and the overflow flows out onto the house wrap/OSB combo.
Sort of like this crude drawing.
Outwater Plastics is selling something that competes with Jamsill. I cannot comment on it, because I haven't used it.
From what I see in the evidence photos here, what is going on is sash leakage, not opening leakage. Methinks JeldWen's got a problem, here.
Hi,
Thanks for the input. I have attached two pictures taken from the outside of the windows showing how the wood has expanded through the cladding. Also note how the gasket material has curled away from the window it is supposed to protect. Even if we out in a sill tray under the window it would not do any good for this type of situation with our new windows.
Hugh
If you get the chance for a future window install, look into Dupont's FlexWrap and straight flash. Nice product to work with.
Appears that your windows are a manufacturing issue to me-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWPD
Why the huge beads of caulk on the metal?
The huge beads of calk were on the windows when they came out of the package from the manufacturer.
Sounds like evidence of corporate knowledge of a major manufacturing failure and intent to put bandaid on same. Yuck.
At this point I would be concerned that the units need to be replaced in their entirety. I do not see how surface caulking would ever work and certainly would not accept it. If the exterior siding and trim are not installed then you're lucky, because removing the units wholesale will be a lot easier. If it is, then it's going to be major surgery. If we were talking minor leaks thru sash joints only I would say some sash replacement might be the approach, but from the photos it looks like the frames leak.
Is this a mulled unit?
This particular one is a 3 fixed window mulled unit on the first floor. On the second floor I have two sets of casement mulled windows that leak as well. Further, one of our awning widows also leaks significantly in a heavy rain.
I'm wondering if it was mulled correctly.
We have been waiting since the end of August for the Manufacturer's Rep to show up and look at them. They have sent their Sales person and a local repair person to look at the problem. The manufacturer still has not sent someone from the factory to look at their windows. The project has had to come to a halt after the drywall was finished and all exterior siding, trim and caulking was completed. While we wait, winter storms may possibly bring more rain through the windows on to the finished interior walls.
It seems from the posts that the windows are leaking whether mulled or not. What a mess!
How about one from the outside, showing the exterior finish? And explain the install proceedure.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time