1st biggie

wow got all the towels out so we can see where it needs to be sealed

One small leak in Bedroom.

No sweat

Z

We have eighty year old windows in our house that are metal windows in metal frames that open inwards. This means that all the rain that hits the window runs down the glass between the frame and window, and into the room, metal on metal just does not seal. Last year I tried the foam weather stripping and it leaked, this year I found a weather stripping that is a soft flexible rubberized tube that gets squeezed between the window and frame - looks promising but last night it proved to leak also. I talked to a long time resident here and his answer is - put a towel on the window sill and wipe up any puddles, the rains are only here a short time - there has to be a better way.
Any help or advice on this problem which I am guessing must be common here.

It sounds like the foam pieces are what is called 'backing rod' - which means you are halfway there. Now you must use silicone caulking to fill the joint. Here is a Dow Corning manual which will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. Remember the surfaces must be dry and clean. The best is to use a cloth and isopropynol alcohol (drugstores carry it) as high a percentage you can get. It cleans and it dries quickly.

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/62-1471-01.pdf

Thanks for the advise Chillin but if I seal it with silicone they will never open again. These are opening windows with in most cases screens on the outside. The leaks are between the metal frame holding the glass on the opening window and the metal frame it closes onto.

I'm curious now - how did you get 80 year old windows? That's a really old house for this area. I know a lot about building restoration/preservation if you are interested

We bought an old timer in Chapala centro that was a wreck, it has been around a long time, the windows that leak are only the original windows. The soft rubberized sealer/weather stripping I used has worked on all the newly installed windows since the renovation, but not the originals.
I too have been around the reno. field all my life and spent many years teaching building construction and building sub-trades at the high school level in N.A. but that was there and not the same materials and standards like here at all, no sealed units in this old place.
I thought there has to be more then me with this problem with the number of old places still around and if original they probably all leak too.

The solution is simple, buy the house across the street and sell yours! ;-)

That would put a smile on all of our faces!!!

Call Brad Grieve: Carretera #33E Oriente (Upstairs), Ajijic, MX.
+52 376 766 2836. He has solutions up his sleeve for just about every
home maintenance problem.