5 Signs It’s Time for Window Replacements

While the walls provide insulation to keep the inside of your home just right, windows let in light, which is good for the mind, body, and soul. After time, they need to be replaced to continue letting in the light but not other elements. If you have no idea how old your windows are or even what they are made of, you may not know exactly when the right time is to have them replaced. We have outlined a few signs that become obvious when it’s time to replace your old windows.

1. Your windows get condensation or you notice frost build up.

Condensation is more than just irritating. It causes damage as well — not just around the windows, but to the entire home, which can cost you a lot of money. Condensation causes paint around the window frame to peel and can cause structural damage. If condensation is consistently building up, it can lead to water damage, mold, and even mildew.

2. You feel a draft.

When the air feels drastically different around your windows, colder in winter and warmer in summer, than the rest of the house, your windows aren’t doing their job. Sometimes the drafts can be fixed with weather stripping or caulking, but if you’ve tried that and it’s still drafty, replacing the windows may be the only way to fix it.

3. The window frame is cracking or rotting.

When there are cracks in the window frame, water will seep into those cracks and cause mold to grow. This mold is what causes wood to rot. If the damage is small enough, it’s possible that you could remove the rotting wood and replace it with epoxy filler. However, if the degree of wood rot is great enough, it’s possible that the entire frame will need to be replaced.

4. Your windows don’t have the latest safety features.

There are many safety regulations covering the window industry that weren’t in place a century ago. For example, today’s glass doesn’t shatter into a billion shards like it once did. Imagine if your child were to accidently drop something through a window. Do you want a window that shatters or one that has safety break? This is just one example of how windows are safer today than they used to be.

5. They’re getting harder and harder to open.

If the windows in your home have always been difficult to open, or if they became difficult to open very gradually, then you may not think of the fact that they’re hard to open as a warning sign that you need to replace them. However, keep in mind that your windows should never be hard to open. If they are, then it means they’ve swollen, they’re dirty, they’ve come off tract, or they simply need to be replaced.

6. Clemens Tip: Be sure to consider whether the new windows will fit in with the era that the house was built. New, inexpensive vinyl windows will not fit in with a home built 100 years ago that has character and charming details. Replacing the windows with low-cost ones could actually decrease the value of your home.

Many people are finding huge savings in their heating and cooling bills with newly installed windows that are energy efficient and hold the heat in during the winter months and keep the cool air in during the summer. Let us know if we can help assess your windows and provide a free estimate.