Rain is blowing through my windows

It is a real nightmare when in the middle of the night, as people pull their beddings closer; you are trying to fend off water seeping through your house during a downpour. It even gets worse to come home to a mini flood in your home owing to a downpour. Adrian Nangosha, a contractor with Concept MacFaj, shares about the instances that can cause the leakage and the solutions:

For most windows, Nangosha says when there is a leakage during a downpour as the wind blows towards the window, you will find that there were spaces left between the window and the wall, a common occurrence with aluminium windows. “In general, when you have a leak through the window, the easiest way to check is standing in your house in the dark to see if light is coming through where the window frame meets the wall,” he shares.

Be it aluminium, wooden or steel window, he says silicon will help to cover the hole as long as it is not big. However, if it is, Nangosha says you might need to use mortar, especially for the steel windows. “Get a mason to help you plaster around and finish it up neatly,” he advises.

Nangosha adds that aluminium windows are installed after plastering the walls and if the walls are not perfectly straight, it is advisable to apply silicon around the exterior of the window after installation.

Another cause for the leakage is the angle of the louvers of the vents. “If these are not steep enough (30- 45 degrees), you will have water sipping through. On the other hand, the angle might be steep enough but the louvers are short and do not overlap one another well (metallic or aluminium windows). In such instances, when the rain falls with gusts of wind, as the water is dropping off the louvers, owing to the lack of overlap, water droplets will end up getting blown into the house,” he explains.

In both cases, Nangosha says you need to call the welder to have them redone or have a small canopy put above them to prevent that.

With aluminium windows, the age of the rubber between the glass and the frame could also be the cause of the leakage. “Owing to heat from the sun, the rubber gets old and worn out and develops holes. Then water starts sipping through and it will be seen coming from the bottom,” Nangosha shares.

To alleviate the issue, he says maintenance, in the form of replacing the rubber, must be done. “Working with a professional to get the work done is imperative,” he cautions.

For people with wooden windows, Nangosha says the timber used could cause leakages. “If the timber was not well dried, it will warp at the point where two pieces of timber are joined to make a shatter, when it totally dries up. With this a slit will develop at the joinery and water can sip through,” he explains. A solution could be using wood glue to fill up the slip. However, if the hole is big, he says you may need to call a carpenter who will mix wood chippings with wood glue to fill it up. “They will later sand and vanish it for a uniform look.” Nangosha says.

Some steel windows let in water because they do not shut well and the problem could be poor alignment. Nangosha says to correct such banging of the metal might be needed yet it could shatter the glass more so if the problem is on the shutter. “To avoid such an incidence, before installing the glass, it is important to ensure that the shutters close properly because at times. In case an issue arises, it is easier to sort it out then,” he advises.

In regards to doors, Nangosha says if the door does not touch the floor yet both outside and inside is at the same level, water will sip through. “In this case, you need to add a rubber strip either on the door or the floor,” he says. When installing it on the floor, Nangosha says, “If the door opens to the inside, put the rubber strip outside and vice versa. That way, it will not interfere with the opening because the strip is supposed to overlap the door upwards.”

In instances where the veranda is already a step below the house floor yet the water is still seeping into the house, Nangosha says you might want to add a metal plate onto the door. “Make sure the plate goes beyond the floor to flash with the wall thus sealing off the previous opening,” he explains.