5 MIN READ
Do I Need A Window Leak Repair Expert?
Owning a home is a part of the American dream. While the definition may have changed over the years, homeownership is still something to feel very proud of. Therefore, whether it’s your dream home or a house you live in until you move into the ideal situation, you still want to enjoy it. However, part of owning a home includes cleaning, maintaining, and repairing the house when necessary. Above all, it will allow you to continue to enjoy your space and its surroundings. Unfortunately, things happen; one thing in the Pacific Northwest that is common is window leaks. For instance, this can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you have not experienced a specific issue, like a water leak before, and need to call a window leak repair expert.
In this SFW Construction training video, we teach our employees how to complete a repair around a window and correctly install DuPont Tyvek Weather Resistant Barrier Products. Therefore, this window is meant for training purposes only and is not a real window. Every team member is required to go through this process and prove they can complete this repair along with many others before working on your home.
Why Do I Need A Window Leak Repair Expert?
One of the most common issues we see in the Pacific Northwest is the incorrect installation of or missing weather-resistant barriers (WRB). This is a massive mistake for such a large investment! Today, WRB plays a vital role in keeping homes energy-efficient and healthy. In addition, the weather-resistant barrier shields the walls from water and air infiltration and moisture accumulation within the wall. The need for WRB became apparent in the late 20th century when windows and doors, and skylights continued to leak, causing dry rot around the opening, we have not looked back since.
How Do I Prevent My Windows From Leaking In The Future?
Initial designs of WRB were not permeable, allowing moisture to become trapped in the walls leading to mold and dry rot throughout the wood, but especially around windows and doors. After that, it became clear weather-resistant barriers needed to be air- and moisture-resistant while also being permeable to vapor, allowing water to escape from the wall system and protect your home from damage and deterioration. Therefore, properly installed weather-resistant barriers are a game-changer for homeowners and help prevent the need for window leak repairs.
Will A Weather-Resistant Barrier Really Stop My Windows From Leaking?
Siding, the first layer of defense, goes over the weather-resistant barrier, the second line of defense, protecting against moisture entering the home. Weather-resistant barriers prevent air and water infiltration into the structure. Above all, the WRB must be correctly installed for the water to stay out and away from behind your siding, limiting your need for a window leak repair in the future.
Tyvek DrainWrap
Tyvek DrainWrap, made from a unique non-woven fiber structure, is a moisture barrier responsible for holding out a bulk of the water. It works behind claddings to channel water away from the wall assembly while allowing water vapor to pass through. In addition, this vertically-grooved, pre-wrinkled surface provides added protection along with air resistance and structural durability during construction.
Having a wrinkled surface provides added protection against water by enhancing drainage away from the wall assembly. DuPont Tyvek DrainWrap is a moisture barrier designed to provide efficient drainage in areas subject to extreme wind-driven rain as we experience in the Pacific Northwest.
Why Tyvek DrainWrap?
The strength of Tyvek combines superior air and water resistance, vapor permeability, and a vertically grooved surface to enhance the ability to channel water to the outside safely.
Features And Benefits
Lightweight, Flexible And Durable
- Easy to handle and install
- Maintains constant drainage rate
Non-Woven Fiber Structure
- Improves energy efficiency
- Prevents air movement between walls
Wide Roll
- Usually only takes two carpenters to install which keeps labor cost down
- Minimizes seams
Vertical Grooved
- Allows water vapor to pass through the drywall system
- Channels water away from the wall systems
- Helps prevent mold, dry rot, and water damage
- Enhanced drainage behind the siding
Tyvek HomeWrap
Tyvek HomeWrap is a unique material made to provide superior performance. A non-woven, breathable structure promotes drying in wall systems to help insulation perform closer to its R-value.
DuPont Tyvek HomeWrap is the original house wrap, incorporating unique material to keep air and water out while letting water vapor escape. Tyvek HomeWrap can improve the building’s durability by protecting homes against damaging rain and wind that can penetrate the siding. It can also reduce home energy bills by controlling airflow and water intrusion, which helps insulation, allowing the HVAC system to work more efficiently.
Why Tyvek HomeWrap?
The HomeWrap designed to keep your house dry all year round and is an excellent choice of protection for your home. Keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter with Tyvek HomeWrap.
Features And Benefits
Lightweight And Easy To Handle
- Cost-effective
- Fast and easy installation
Controls Airflow And Water Intrusion
- Reduce energy bills
- Keeps homes cool in summer, warm in winter, and dry year around
Unique Non-Woven Structure
- Breathable, allowing moisture to pass-through
DuPont FlexWrap
FlexWrap provides a fastener-free way to prevent water intrusion. Instead of fasteners, the FlexWrap uses a self-adhering butyl flashing that integrates with the other DuPont air and water barriers. This flashing material is a one-step solution for keeping water out and from seeping through window and door sills.
This self-adhered flashing does not require mechanical fasteners and provides easy one-step insulation for hard-to-seal corners around windows and doors.
Why DuPont FlexWrap?
FlexWrap is useful and helps vulnerable corners against air and water intrusion as a part of a complete DuPont Building Envelope Solution.
DuPont StraightFlash
StraightFlash is self-adhered flashing made with a DuPont Tyvek top sheet that helps prevent air and water leaks around doors and windows. DuPont StraightFlash is a premium flashing material that helps create a window barrier to protect against air and water intrusion.
Why DuPont StraightFlash?
By bridging the interface between the fenestration and the water-resistive barrier, DuPont StraightFlash covers the areas that are more vulnerable and are so often subject to potential water damage.
Features And Benefits
Superior Durability
- Withstand up to 270 days of UV exposure
- Tear-resistant
Quick-Release Scored Backlog
- Excellent adhesion
- Performs through extreme weather conditions and temperatures
Tyvek Tape
DuPont Tyvek seam tape made for the installation of weather-barriers. Part of a continuous building envelope system, Tyvek tape is needed to seal against air and water. Correct use of the tape will add to the durability and energy efficiency of homes. Incorrect installation or not finishing the project with superior seam – DuPont Tyvek Tape is just as good as not installing it at all as the continuous building envelope system that keeps water and air out. By having a professional install the DuPont weather-barrier products, you can provide your home with better durability and improved energy efficiency through reduced air leakage.
Tyvek Tape is oriented polypropylene film, coated with a specially formulated permanent acrylic adhesive to create the best adhesion between seam tape and DuPont Tyvek weather barriers. The tape is strong, easy to use, and highly waterproof. From residential to commercial buildings air and water infiltration can make insulation significantly less effective, heating and air conditioning more costly. In addition, Tyvek Tape contributes to energy efficiency by sealing the building envelope, which controls airflow and water intrusion in the wall assembly.
Features And Benefits
Contributes To Energy Efficiency
- Controls airflow and water intrusion
Keep Your Home Dry!
So, why do we choose DuPont Tyvek products? Simply put, they are the best! Many companies make weather-resistant barriers; however, they are unmatched in quality and proven methodology. Above all, it is important because keeping homes in the Pacific Northwest dry and waterproof is our number one priority. Many homes here are built by cutting corners, without the best products. Even if they do have the best products, they lack craftsmanship, defeating the purpose because your home will not be protected.
With the right weather-resistant barrier products and correct installation, you can keep your home safe from the weather conditions we deal with here in the Pacific Northwest. So, next time you have a leaking window, door, or skylight, remember that not just anyone can fix this issue. In conclusion, do your research and understand the method behind the window leak repair; it will save you time, money, and the hassle of having multiple people touch your project.