Stain starts appearing under the bedroom window following a wet week, but nothing seems wrong with the window pane itself. In most cases, homeowners blame the window, and rush for a new tube of sealant.
The Silent Work Of Flashing?
The role of window flashing Melbourne includes redirecting moisture away from the points of joining the window. Flashing can be located in the head of the window, in the sill and sometimes even on the sides. In case there is no flashing or it is poorly installed, moisture will find its way into the wall structure.
Leakage seldom occurs where the moisture first penetrates. Instead, moisture is capable of travelling along timber frames, showing up quite far from where it actually penetrated.
There are several popular types of flashing:
- Metal flashing – either aluminium or coated steel, designed according to opening dimensions.
- Flexible membrane flashing – which is overlapped using tape.
Melbourne Weather Finds its Weak Points
Melbourne rain is notoriously vicious. It doesn’t just fall gently, instead strong winds drive it sideways into walls, pushing water into gaps that more gentle rain would miss. Upper storeys, corner windows and anywhere else that’s exposed to the elements tend to cop the worst of it.
Temperature swings put extra pressure on things too. On warm afternoons, frames expand, and then overnight they contract again, slowly letting air seep in and sealant joints start to open up. And let’s be honest, some older homes were built a good while back, before waterproofing was even a thing, so you really need to get them inspected to see what’s going on.
The Signs That Are Worth Paying Attention To
Homeowners don’t have to climb a ladder to spot trouble on the horizon:
- If the plaster around your window corners is starting to bubble or swell.
- If the paint on your inside sills is peeling off.
- If there are rust streaks running down from the outside sill.
- If you can see cracks forming between the frame and the wall.
- And if you get a musty smell after heavy rain. That’s not normal.
Mould is a special case though. The Victorian health advice is clear on this: indoor mould can trigger breathing problems, make asthma and allergies worse and it’s not worth ignoring the signs.
Keeping a Diary of Leaks
Leaks are pretty unpredictable, which makes them hard to track down. Keeping a simple record helps whoever tries to fix the problem later. Jot down the date, the weather, the wind direction and exactly where the leak or stain was.
Before you know it, patterns start to emerge. A leak that only shows up during strong southerly storms is probably something different from one that appears every time you have a shower it helps to know that when someone comes to sort it out.
What a Thorough Inspection Actually Involves?
A proper inspection goes way beyond just looking at the stain. The person doing the inspection is looking at the whole window, checking for issues with the flashing, sealant, frame joins, the slope of the sill and the wall surface around the opening. Moisture meters can even show how far dampness has spread inside the wall.
Sometimes, part of the lining or cladding needs to be opened up to see the flashing, which sounds a bit extreme, but trust us, it’s usually better to get it sorted out properly rather than just guessing and ending up with a bigger bill down the line.
New Homes Aren’t Immune Either
And it’s not just old homes that have this problem. New houses and apartments can get water problems because of faulty or missing flashing. If the flashing is poorly overlapped, wrongly sealed or just plain missing, it may not show up right away, but the first time you get a big winter rain you’ll probably wish you’d caught the problem earlier.
If you’re having trouble getting a builder to fix a defect, there’s a service available in Victoria called Domestic Building Dispute Resolution. They provide a free service to help sort out disputes and they can help you build a record of the leaks and other problems you’re having.
Fixing It Right
Just putting in some extra sealant around the frame isn’t enough it might just hide the symptoms while the water keeps finding its way in. To fix it properly, you need to work out where the water is actually coming from, and then sort out whatever part of the system has failed whether that’s the flashing, sealant, the frame or the wall itself.
When you’re doing some planned facade work, it’s a good idea to get the flashing sorted out at the same time. If you’re doing some window cladding or shrouds, you may be able to get the work done all at once, which could save you some hassle and disruption in the long run.
