Upgrade wood pile window gaskets?

[Scott R]

It's very, very cold at my cabin and the inside windows are frosting over where they are leaking. The good news is when the frost builds up it stops leaking. Anyway, I have these:



They are self adhesive from what I can tell and it's the only thing sealing the windows to the frames. The windows are about 10 years old, they are tilt and remove, or sliders all over the house and all of them are leaking.

Does it make sense to replace these with new felts? Do these felt seals ever really seal? Is there and upgrade seal type like silicon or something? Time for new windows?

edit: should say "wool pile" I had the description wrong.

[MRM]

The short answer to your question is yes, there are many upgrades available for the weather strip/gaskets on windows and yes, it makes good sense to do it. The replacement felt is cheap and the benefit can be great. If the leak is between the sash (the moving part of the window that has glass in it) and the frame (the fixed part of the window that is attached to the rough framing) then you don't need new windows, you just need new weather strip.

The symptoms you describe could be air infiltration between the sash and frame, but it could also be interior condensation based on high interior humidity. Either way, the window itself is probably fine. You need to determine which it is.

What brand and age are the windows? Were they new construction or remodeling? Is there a warranty still open on the windows? If there is, call the 1-800 number for service and ask them to send someone out to diagnose the problem. If not, you can call your local building supply company and for a $50 service charge they'll send a tech out to troubleshoot your problem and suggest a remedy. A real window service tech will be able to work magic on your windows the way a factory-trained mechanic with 20 years' experience can tune an air cooled flat six better than a backyard mechanic with a Bentley manual.

Milt (Zeke) is the best on this board for window installation and suggesting a product that will fit your needs. But I'm the best for evaluating an existing product's performance. Let me know what brand, model and vintage your windows are and I'll be able to narrow my questions further. Between the two of us we'll get your squared away. Once we diagnose the source of your air infiltration you'll be well on your way to a solution.

[Scott R]

That's it exactly, I don't know the technical terms here. It's between the "sash" and the frame. The glass is fine, still sealed. This is actually snow/frost where the sash no longer seals.

The windows were "new construction" and while they were the best thing going ten years ago, they take a massive beating above 10k feet and spending much of the year in sub-zero conditions. All of the leaking windows are on the windward side of course.

I'm going to call and find a tech tomorrow, thanks for the suggestion. It had not occurred to me that window companies did anything other then sell and install new windows. Don't know why I had that idea in my head.

[MRM]

What brand? If you have tilt-wash and sliding windows it sounds like you have decent quality wood windows with a vinyl cladding. I',m thinking Jeld-Wen or Pella. How close am I?

The snow/frost you see is the cold outside air hitting the warm interior air and condensing on your window frame. That part is elementary physics. What is causing the cold air to get inside is the question. It could be anything from worn weather strip to sash that got mis-aligned from the frame and small gaps formed between the sash and frame. None of this is a big deal and can be resolved with a few waves of the hand and a puff of magic smoke by a qualified tech.

The better brands have ten year warranties on the components of their windows and up to 20 years on the glass. This case would be related to the components. Call whoever it was who supplied your windows for original construction. It's whoever is the local distributor for your brand. Call them and have them come out. It's probably not covered by warranty, but it might be, and the service call will be in the hundred dollar range and will save you the cost of buying new windows.

High altitude windows are as specialized as coastal product. Very high performance demand. You'll be able to get them fixed up with no problem if you have the right tech work them over.