Window Defects
The suspect windows have easily identified defects and are shown in the next series of pages. The window company remains mute on the homeowner request to honor their warranty on identified defects. The window company warranty includes the quote below taken from the warranty the window company sent to the homeowner.
"All Hurd windows and door components are warranted to be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of ten (10) years from the date of purchase".
These defects pictured on this web site and available to all three home inspections were communicated to by different means over an extended period of time to include the 22 page picture rich presentation that pre-dated this web site. Never did the this window manufacturer, their on-site representatives or the regional representatives, past and present, made any effort to recognize any of these defects to be in contravention of their glass and non-glass ten year warranty.
The panel window design has more defects than the casement windows. The defects are varied and combine to focus attention for rain water leaks on the panel window design. Further evidence of problems with this product is the contracted window company tester during test 3 stated he does not think this window company makes these windows any longer. That alone is testament that if this product was good it would continue to be a current production item.
Focusing on the panel window design is the first evidence of window failure as easily seen from standing outside and looking at the windows. The window panel inside the window frame has sunk for lack of proper support. Take note of the seal at the top of the window, the open air gap between the seal and the window frame, a water entry point. Remember that when examining the next several pictures on this page. See below.
This sunk window panel added understanding for one of the three types of window leaks of passing rain water and appearing in the top sill of the bottom window, but not the top windows.
The bottom windows show more water penetration as the rain water shed from the top of the house exterior adds water volume traveling down the house side cumulative with rain fall and wind blowing water into that top gap, filling the channel created by the sunken panel combined with other window defects (next pictures) allows more water penetration of the lower than the upper windows that are protected by the house roof eves.
An interesting point about this picture is that when the window panel sunk inside the window frame the bottom plastic/rubber tubular seal is crashed flat between the window panel and the window frame closing off the bottom edge drains of the window design. That raises another interesting point. The same point the window manufacturer criticizes about the homeowner's efforts to find a solution to the leaking windows.
These windows are aluminum clad wood frame windows. The design allows water penetration behind the aluminum cladding, against the wood frame and then has drain holes on the bottom edge of the aluminum frame cladding to allow water to escape. That idea fails when the window panel sinks inside the window frame and smashes the tubular rubber window seal against the drain holes stopping water exfiltration.
The window tubular seal are shown below with a second failure point as well.
Combine that seal exposure to the window panel corner picture shown below and the same one as shown in the contracted third window water test gives further evidence to how water can pass through the window, see below.
This window company continues to express their windows are not the cause for water infiltration into the home.
This picture (immediately above) shows better how the corner crack seen in the picture at the frame corner above, extends to the outside of the window frame. Once water is able to enter internal to the window cladding as that crack is existent at all four corners of the window, allows that water then can travel in any direction inside that frame and similarly exit in any location. This gives rainwater multiple paths to follow internal and external the cladding to include behind the window panel frame to the window wall frame.
Looking into the corner of each of the panel and casement window frame (above), in the shadow the window frame crack can be seen.
The portion of the window involved in the corner crack pictures above at right. This is the same window the window company's contracted window tester inspected with water test, photographed interior leaks on and pulled out of the window frame. Yet found no window entry for the water leaks, product failure or defects in manufacturing in-spite of seeing first hand all the points made in these pictures.
We propose that the reasonable person will expect that no house window frame should have weather permeable cracks at any location.