Window and Door Defects
Other window defects include frame cracks at other locations than just the panel windows inclusive of the casement window.
The crack is a product failure as evident by the window next to it of the same construction without a crack. The window manufacturer will not honor product warranties for cracked frames. We provided them with an extensive 22 page picture rich presentation with text showing all of these issue and received no substantive response.
Other Points To Consider
The same water infiltration issue with this company's windows occurs with their doors.
The door shown at right was the third to be tried in the same location and eventually pulled out. We simply could not get any of the of this company's supplied doors to not leak.
The base of this door was completely rotted out and was growing mushrooms.
This door was inspected by the second home inspector and he found where water was infiltrating inside from the outside bottom sill at the joint to the side cladding. A corner crack we now have seen systemic to the window construction.
The homeowner kept this door as seen in the picture for the the window company's contracted water infiltration tester and he had no interest at exploring this issue.
A further side note. The homeowner removed the lock mechanism from this door and installed it into a second door from the same manufacturer that had broken, again within warranty, however the homeowner knew from past experience that this window and door company would not honor their warranty so he just did the work himself.
Not all windows from this company leak. Just the component panel windows. This further rules out the poor installation claim the window company has made.
On this wall of the house with all windows being from the same window company the top window, the half circle, does not leak. It is of a different design with a glass to frame connection superior to that of the square and rectangular windows. Our point here is that this company knows what a no leak design is and has demonstrated capability to produce that reliable product and that knowledge should have been applied to their square and rectangular models.
The half round window with it better frame to window surface area ratio also does not bellow in the wind. Another key point the window company refuses to examine or admit exists.
The interior trim of the other windows show water infiltration damage to include the adjoining casement windows showing just how broad the water infiltration was through the panel windows.
The portion of the house with Eagle Brand windows do not have any leaks. The answer for why the the other brand of windows leak and the Eagle brand does not in the same house with the same construction comes down to window design. Pictured below is one of the Eagle windows, a panel window. The design difference will become apparent.
Notice the window panel frame and window frame used to fill the house wall is a contiguous frame with cladding having unbroken or sealed corners. No gap for water infiltration unlike the large gap and poorly supported window panel of the component window design at point in this web site. This other brand window company created a window with more components and seals thereby increasing the chances for failure. The Eagle brand panel window is also of single glass pane and ridged to the point of not bellowing in the wind.
A closer look at the solid window design of the Eagle window providing further proof that two different brands of the same type of panel windows in the same house with one brand leaking and one not that the cause is window design failure. No gaps, no cracks.
No place for water to enter, much like the half circle window picture earlier.