Common Window Defects
- Broken glass
- Glazing - Glazing compound is the putty-like material that is used to secure panes of window glass in place. Older windows that exhibit deferred maintenance (neglect) should be inspected carefully. Scraping, cleaning and re-glazing can cost as much as painting the window. Of course, this will depend on the condition of the glazing.
- Broken sash cords - An examination of older wood, double-hung windows should be made for broken sash cords. The newer double-hung windows usually have either a spring device or a small, nylon cord, such as appears in Anderson windows.
- Malfunctioning window crank mechanisms - These mechanisms are located in casement, awning, and jalousie windows. The hardware for some older windows may not be available, or if it is available, may be difficult to locate. These windows should be checked to ensure that they operate properly.
- Painted shut or painted open windows - Quite often, windows in older houses are painted shut or painted open.
- Failed thermal seals - Failed insulated glass seals will allow condensation to form between the two panes of glass. Sometimes, you can see the actual condensation, or other times you can only see the residue. In the early stages of failure, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to see evidence of the failure. The location of the sun, glare, reflections, time of day, angle and whether you are looking from the inside or outside may impact the visibility of stains from failed seals. Significant staining is easy to recognize, whereas early failures and modest staining may not be easy to see.
- Deteriorated or missing weather stripping - This should be checked, particularly on wood and aluminum windows. Older steel casement windows quite often do not have weather stripping, and there is not a way of easily correcting this situation, short of replacement.
- Condensation - Condensation may form on the inside of glass or metal frame windows when the relative humidity inside the house is high and temperature difference between the inside and outside is large enough to cause the moisture vapors to change to liquid on the colder surfaces. Look for water or water stains on the stool or windowsill, or at the drywall adjacent to the windows