Key Window Failure
A series of events concerning this window shown in the picture below reveled the poor window design that lead to the understanding how water infiltration occurs.
The first event was on the homeowner returning one day the window shown above was found with the interior glass pane of this two pane window, as are all of the windows in this house from this window company, shattered from side to side, top to bottom scattering glass onto the floor. The exterior pane was intact and showed no damage. This window is in that portion of the house with an open ceiling from the ground floor to the second level ceiling. No children, house guest or pets were present in the house when the window broke.
The homeowner contacted window manufacture for warranty replacement. Their response was that their window warranty does not apply as for a window to shatter in this manner indicated the house has settled and crushed the widow through collapsing the house wall window opening down on to the window.
The homeowner then made an insurance claim, picked a home repair company that set on a six month effort to repair this window.
The first repair step was to measure the window panel, capture the window information off the other windows, supply that information to the window manufacture. The window company stated that they can not supply that window as the matching window data taken from two other same model panel windows in the house was not in their inventory. The window company later refused to confirm or deny they had this window in production. They did eventually send a replacement window panel.
The home repair company secured the Hurd window replacement panel, used scaffolding, opened the interior and exterior wood trim to remove the entire window structure to repair the crushed window opening only to find the window opening as did the cement foundation and plaster walls showed no evidence of settling or crushing the window panel.
In discussion and examination of the remaining exterior glass pane and that of the other panel windows one discovery and a second earlier observation showed:
The fist discovery was the plastic film between the two glass panes of the window construction showed stretch lines radiating out from all four corners of the window panel. That along with earlier observations of the widows bellowing in and out by force of wind lead us to believe the interior window shattered due to wind force pressing in on the windows. Since that observation all panel windows on two sides of this house have the plastic film stretch lines radiating from the window corners and during rain storms the window glass can be seen and felt bellowing with the wind.
It was the conclusion of the home repair company that due to the absents of any evidence suggesting house settling, the intact exterior pane of the two pane window design and the stretch marks of the middle plastic layer evident in the other panel windows that the interior glass pane broke due to wind stress.
The next event was when attempting to install the window company supplied window panel into the frame it was found not to fit. The home repair company in telephone communication with window manufacture became frustrated to the point they contracted with a local window company to replicate the window panel.
The replaced glass was of a thick single pane design that did not yield to wind as did the Hurd windows. The passing of rain water of this window greatly diminished. The problem of the sunken window panel within the window frame as not overcome by this replacement glass.
Then came a discovery during the second home inspection shown below.
The wind generated bellow effect on the window glass working the glass back and forth opened up a gap in the window panel frame largest in the center and tapering down to the corners on all four sides of the window panel frame. The wood shim in the picture easily fit into this gap in the center of the window frame. The green splotches along with the less evident gray areas are mold and mildew that also penetrated the seal between the glass and frame where the seal should be.
Between the window glass and panel frame the black layer is reported to be 3m double sided tape used to hold the glass to the window frame and make a weather impermeable seal. That seal was broken by the bellowing glass forcing apart the metal cladding around the wood window frame. The 3m seal was further easily broken up by the stiff nylon brush used to clean out this gap of all molds, mildew, dust and bugs in preparation for the homeowner's sealant experiment.
The interior widow pane shattering and the seal separation discovery during the second home inspection were discussed with the window company contracted window tester during the third test. His evaluation was that perhaps these windows are of insufficient rating for our area and are not designed to withstand the natural elements in our region. Further support for this position is that the size difference between the various panel windows does correspond that the larger the window glass surface area the greater the rain water infiltration.