How Weep Holes in Your Windows Prevent Mold©
By ARTEMISS BPS, CIE, CMC
I’ve had clients ask me what are those rectangular holes with little flaps on the bottom of my windows? Can they let in water or
Weep Hole
hot/cold air into my home? My answer is that these are one of the most important parts of your windows. It lets out rain water that collects in the window tracks on slider windows. Awning windows do not need weep holes, they have no tracks on outside. The covers on the weep holes are designed to prevent airflow into your home from outside.
How Weep Holes are critical in Preventing Mold in your Home
Rain water follows gravity, which is downhill, this is the principle used to drain water away from your aluminum windows in South Florida. If you look at your sill
Clogged Weep Hole
outside of your window, you will notice it slopes downward to encourage rain water to drain away from your windows. When it is raining, the water hits the glass on the outside, goes into the bottom tracks and moves out the weep holes to the sloped sill on the exterior of the window. This is very important, otherwise the water will infiltrate your interior wall. Weep holes allow water to drain to outside.
Window Debris Maintenance and debris-free weep holes Prevent Mold
One of the problems that we find in our inspections is lack of cleaning of the tracks of windows in people’s homes. This debris will clog up your weep holes and allow water to backup and enter your home, thus mold starts to grow under your window on the drywall. Remember, windows are water resistant, not waterproof at the metal seams.
Debris Free Weep Holes Prevent Mold
Clogged Track
Weep Holes need to be kept clear of all items such as caulking or paint. Sometimes, we find old plaster over the weep holes. Remember, this opening must always be kept clean to prevent mold.
In conclusion, fixing this problem is important especially from an Indoor Air Quality point of view. Saving money on you Energy Bill will be a secondary benefit. I always look at things from a heath benefit view. Whatever you decide to do: Do It Now! If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (954) 531-6476
Copyright: Safe-Homes.com 7/23/18©
