Do You Need To Replace Your Windows? Look for These Signs

Windows play an important role in the comfort and security of your home. Nevertheless, they do not last forever. Eventually, they wear out, and this can affect your home’s energy efficiency. Not only that, but they could pose a security risk as it could be easier for bad actors to break into your home. If your windows are over 20 years old, it may be time for an upgrade. Here are some specific signs that you should hire a carpenter handyman in Kelowna to install new windows for you.

Decaying Frames

Window frames are necessarily exposed to different weather conditions, including many types of precipitation. How well they stand up to these conditions depends on what they are made of. Some materials are more weather resistant than others. Wood is an organic material that reacts to moisture by swelling or warping. Water can contribute to fungal growth that can cause wood to rot. As the window frames break down, they can start to leak. This lets more moisture in, which can contribute to further water damage and mould growth, not only from the window but wherever the water flows, including the floors and drywall.

High Energy Bills

Even if the windows are not letting water in, they may be damaged enough to allow air leaks. This affects the efficiency of your heating and cooling system, which has to work harder to counteract the effects. As a result, you may notice your utility bills going up.

If your windows are older, they are more susceptible to leaking due to damaged frames. Additionally, older windows only have single frames, making temperature transfers easier. Contemporary windows have double panes, the space filled with an inert gas to serve as insulation.

Higher bills are only one way you can tell that your windows are leaking air. Other clues include holes in the frame that are large enough to allow light to shine through and glass that feels cold to the touch when the temperature is low outside. You may be able to feel the cold breeze even when you are standing a foot or two away from the window.

Condensation

Condensation refers to droplets of water that gather on a surface. It occurs when warm air that contains a lot of vapour, i.e., water in its gaseous state, meets a mass of cold air. The temperature of the warm air decreases very quickly, causing the water vapour to revert back to its liquid state. The water droplets need somewhere to go, so they typically gather on a nearby surface, such as panes of glass in your windows.

Condensation on windows isn’t always a sign that they need to be replaced. It can sometimes happen on a temporary basis for innocuous reasons. For example, it may occur when the temperature inside is exceptionally warm and the temperature outside is frigid.

Nevertheless, there are situations in which condensation on the windows means big trouble. For example, you should be extremely worried if you have a double-paned window and condensation is forming on the inside in between the two panes. This indicates a failure of the seal. It means that the gas in between that acts as an insulator is leaking out from between the two panes and water vapour is leaking in.

Replacing windows that show condensation between the two panes of glass is important for several reasons. First, condensation between the panes of glass could promote fungal growth in an area that is almost impossible to reach. Second, if the gas between the two panes leaks out, there is nothing to serve as insulation anymore, meaning that your windows have become less efficient.

A Carpenter Handyman in Kelowna Can Replace Your Windows

Installing new windows is a big job that requires professional home repair services. It is one of several areas that Handyman Connection carpenters specialize in. Contact us for a an estimate.