The article references a study published in the journal Microbiome, describing how researchers at the University of Oregon led by Dr. Ashkaan Fahimipour, Ph.D., created climate-controlled rooms and exposed the bacteria found in indoor dust to three different situations: one in a dark room, one in a room with visible light, and a third in a room with ultraviolet (UV) light. After 90 days, results were collected from each environment and studied, and there was a correlation between light exposure and the number of bacteria in the dust, noted the article. Bacteria were more apt to be alive and reproduce in dark rooms—about 12 percent more on average. However, in rooms where bacteria were exposed to daylight, only 6.8 percent was viable, and where it was exposed to UV light, only 6.1 percent was viable. Bacteria that were kept in the dark were also more closely related to respiratory diseases than those that stayed alive even with exposure to sunlight.

“Our study supports a century-old folk wisdom, that daylight has the potential to kill microbes on dust particles, but we need more research to understand the underlying causes of shifts in the dust microbiome following light exposure,” said Fahimipour, an expert in experimental and computational biology at the university.

Source: Emily Cappiello

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Are your windows leaking and you can’t figure out why? You aren’t alone in this dilemma. A potential leak in your windows can show up in a variety of ways, each of which will require a slightly different solution.

With the right skills and knowledge, you may be able to repair your current structure. However, in some cases, you may need to replace the entire window.
If you’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with a faulty and leaking window, take a look at a few of these common problems to help you determine why your window is leaking.

Water on the Windows When There’s No Rain

Do you have water droplets that form on the inside of your window even when the weather outside is perfectly sunny? This is perhaps the best problem to have when it comes to window leaks because it means that your window isn’t leaking at all.

Water droplets that form on the inside of the glass that doesn’t correspond to the outdoor weather are a sign of condensation. Many homeowners believe that this is a major problem, but that’s just a myth.

Window condensation can be easily remedied by adjusting the humidity of your home with central air conditioning or a dehumidifier. By lowering the moisture levels in the air, you can ultimately reduce the amount of condensation that forms on the window.

You may be tempted to leave this issue to run rampant if there is no “real” problem, but you should be aware that the excess condensation can lead to mold growth over time.

Water Coming in All Around the Window

When it rains, it seems to be pouring inside your home. The water oozes into your house from every angle and crevice around the window, from top to bottom.

In milder cases of this type of leak, you may only see water come in from a few spots such as the sides or the bottom. The culprit is often old or poorly done window sealant.

When the caulking around the window isn’t in tip-top shape, it can crack or peel away from the structure of the home. This allows the water to slide right in around the edges of the window.

Fortunately, this is also a relatively simple fix. All you need to do is apply a new layer of caulking around the window to see if it remedies the issue.

Before you can apply a new layer, you will need to remove the old layer. Take out the damaged and worn-down sections before applying a solid layer of new caulking. This is a relatively inexpensive home repair that you can do on your own.

Water in Between Your Window Panes

Perhaps you don’t have water in the interior of your home at all. Instead, you may see water start to build up in between the panes of your window. The good news is that your home probably isn’t in any danger of a future water leak based on this fact alone.

However, you may still want to consider replacing the entire window at some point in the future. Just make sure you find the right window company – not all window companies are the same.
Water between the window panes typically indicates that there is a bad glass seal on your window. When you originally bought the window, this glass seal helped to keep a layer of gas between the panes in order to make it more energy-efficient.

Over time, the seal seems to be deteriorating which lowers the energy efficiency of your window drastically.

You can attempt to reseal this area using clear caulk when the panes are completely dry. You can seal the glass back to the gasket relatively quickly, but you should ensure that the sill is still pitched to drain the water out and away from the home.

This isn’t necessarily harmful to the interior of your house, so you don’t need to replace the window. Some homeowners may still want to consider doing so if energy efficiency is extremely important though.

Water leaking in Around the Top of Your Window

If your window is leaking around the top of the frame, you may not actually be experiencing a window leak at all. Many homeowners see water stains near the windows and automatically assume that the glass itself must be leaking.

Unfortunately, stains on the top of the window frame are more likely to indicate a leak within the walls of your home.

Take time to survey the quality of your walls and ensure there are no potential areas where leaks could occur. You may need to caulk a few areas in order to resolve this issue, but it can be done.

Water Damage on the Bottom of the Frame

You’ve probably seen it before. The deep brown stains on a white glossy window frame can ruin the entire appearance of a room, especially if you’re rushing to clean the floors before they become soaked.

If the window is no longer keeping the water out of the house where it closes, it may be time to replace the entire window. You can learn more about replacement windows with our ultimate buyer’s guide.

The issues here could be extensive. The window may have warped slightly over time or the window frame may no longer fit the panes appropriately. No matter what the cause, this isn’t likely to be something you can fix with an inexpensive tube of caulking.

Determine the Cause of the Leaks

Understanding why the window leaks are occurring is just as important as identifying the primary cause. In some cases, the water exposure on the windows could be avoided with the addition of gutters and rain spouts on the exterior of the home.

This minimizes the amount of moisture that the windows (and their seals) are exposed to and could serve to prolong their lifespan.

You should be taking the time to survey the overall quality of your windows on a regular basis. Keep an eye on your caulking and seals so you can make repairs in advance of any potential leaks. If you do spot some window leaks, it’s imperative that you repair them quickly.

Allowing the water to build upon the interior of your home can lead to mold growth and extensive repairs in the sheetrock and window frames. This can have a serious impact on your health and quality of life, so make any necessary repairs quickly before mold growth spreads.

You may already be experiencing the early signs and symptoms of mold exposure, many of which mirror the symptoms of a lingering cold or flu virus.

A leaking window doesn’t necessarily have to mean that you will spend hundreds of dollars on the repair. Educating yourself on the potential issues can give you the insight you need to save yourself a few dollars and quickly spot the source of the problem. A handy homeowner could save tons of money with a few of these simple tricks to fixing a leaky window.

Source: Unknown

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What is PVC / Vinyl?

PVC is a thermoplastic polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups (ethenyls) having one of their hydrogens replaced with a chloride group. That’s it! Grab tweezers and make some yourself. Seriously, folks, PVC is the third most widely produced plastic and is expected to exceed 40 million tons by 2016.
PCV is made up of 57% chlorine by weight. The remainder is the petrochemical ethylene. Windows and plumbing pipes are made from rigid, or unplasticized PVC also called “rigid PVC” or “uPVC”. Shower curtains, IV bags, and sex toys are made from plasticized PVC due to their need for flexibility.

Properties of PVC

The good news about vinyl as a window material

Section through vinyl double hung window frame sill. (1)frame jamb (2) insulated glass (3) operable sash (4) lift rail (5) sill insert (6) frame sill (7) insect screen (8) screen frame (9) screen track.

• Generally, PVC has better resistance to thermal conductivity than thermally broken aluminum.
• The color of the product is inherent in the material, so if the window frame is scratched, you still see the same color. This is great if you like white windows because the vast majority of vinyl windows are white.
• PVC is a thermoplastic and can be fused at frame corners. If the frame extrusions are designed so that the sill, jamb, and head are similar to one another, they can be mitered and fused. First, the window frame parts are cut at a miter (45 degrees), and then the cut ends are pressed against a hot metal plate to melt the ends. Then the ends are pushed together to form a (usually) watertight corner. The aluminum and wood window guys haven’t figured out how to melt and fuse corners with their materials yet.

Properties of PVC

The bad news about vinyl as a window material

• PVC is not as rigid as wood or aluminum. Generally, PVC is used only for relatively small windows as a result. It can be fitted with an internal metal frame stiffeners.
• PVC is a thermoplastic with a relatively low melting point, about 212°F (100°C). It begins to soften at 149°F (65°C). If any part of the vinyl window frame heats up too much, it can bend and then “take a set”.
• PVC has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than wood, aluminum, or glass. This means it shrinks and grows more with temperature changes. One of the worst areas where this can have an effect is at the glazing area, where the glass engages in the sash or frame. Glazing sealants can shear because the PVC is moving against the relatively stable glass. Leaks around the glass can result.
• PVC is a little tricky for sealant adhesion – sometimes caulk doesn’t stick to it. When working with any substrates, and especially PVC, you must do adhesion tests two weeks before doing the work.
Here are some problems I have seen with vinyl windows. The numbering does not reflect the frequency of the problem, but rather an attempt at creating the illusion of organization.

1. Water leaks through window frame joinery

Back in the day before vinyl window manufacturers found out how well the fused corners worked, they simply screwed and sealed the frame corners together. To make things worse, the corner joinery was in some cases not conducive to effective sealing. Add in the problems with sealant adhesion, and you have a leak at the bottom of the window, allowing water into the building. You can determine if your vinyl windows have this problem by performing water testing.

Water damage beneath leaking vinyl window. Leaks rusted out the steel opening liner (left), went on to attack the wood (right), ran down inside the wall and destroyed a wood floor.

2. Water leaks through glazing

Because vinyl changes in dimension with changes in temperature much more than glass, long-term movement can shear glazing sealants and bring about glazing leaks

Thermal movement of PVC is seven times that of glass. As the temperature changes, the PVC often slides against the glass. This can put stress and wear on the glazing sealant, which might be only 1/16″ thick, eventually shearing it. I have seen vinyl window sash overflow with a light water spray.

3. Water leaks through trims attached to PVC windows

Trims could be mullions, brick-mold or capping. Generally, these elements must be continuously sealed to the window at the exterior plane. At the interior, screws driven into wet areas of the window will produce leaks and should be avoided.

Left: The vinyl window mullion is split open revealing an aluminum stiffener and an absence of sealant between the H-section and windows. This assembly leaked. Right: Looking down on the top of a pair of windows mulled together. The new assembly has sealant present between the H-section mullion and adjacent windows at the exterior plane (inset-sealant location indicated by arrows)

Gaps between brick mold and vinyl window must be sealed continuously

When vinyl windows are replaced, thin aluminum sheet metal known as capping is formed on-site and applied to the perimeter of the window. Left: Capping peeled away to reveal wood far behind so that capping is not supported. This capping was held in place with a face-nail. Right: New capping is being installed so that its contour is visible. Outward bend in capping makes a good caulk joint design very difficult.

Too often, installers do not understand that water must drain from the top of the steel lintel – the angle that holds up the brick above. So, they clad the lintel with capping so that water goes into the window system, where it is uncontrolled and eventually becomes a rusty leak. At left, the installer is removing the flimsy capping. At right, the steel lintel is revealed. The Caulk joint above the lintel on the brick confirms that the drainage area of the lintel was buried beneath the capping.

Read more at ChicagoWindowExpert.com

Source: Mark Meshulam.

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There be rot! Notice the indentation from my finger. Yeah, that’s a bad sign!

Our reasons for replacing it were not entirely cosmetic–rotten window trim can let water infiltrate behind your sheathing (the board, plywood, or OSB layer underneath your siding). If water gets to your sheathing, all sorts of bad things happen mold, rotting insulation, and in the worst cases, rotting framing members.

We’re lucky because the window itself is a relatively new vinyl replacement window. Vinyl windows are awesomely weather resistant so I knew we didn’t have actual window issues. If our windows were wooden frames, we’d likely have a bigger problem on our hands.

Fixing it isn’t rocket science, but the going local rate for this project is $350-$500. Knowing that this cost is almost entirely labor, we figured we could do better, and we did!

Total Cost: $80.33

Supplies:

Tools:

• Drill / Driver for screwing the trim to the house. We needed to use screws instead of nails for this project due to the type of trim we were installing. And while a standard cordless drill will do fine for driving screws, an impact driver will freaking change your life. This is the one I have, since it uses the same battery packs as my drill. I put off this purchase for a long time and I kick myself for doing so.
• Pry bar for pulling apart the existing trim. For the longest time I resisted getting a real one, thinking that I could do just fine with the claws on a hammer. I was dumb. Pry bars are amazing and I now own 2 in different sizes. It makes pulling stuff apart easier, safer, and less likely to destroy things you don’t intend to destroy.
• Circular Saw for cutting the trim to size. You could use a miter saw, or even a hand saw. But, I have a circular saw so that’s what I used. This project doesn’t need a nice saw, so if you are in the market feel free to get an affordable model. I’d just recommend one that plugs in rather than taking expensive and short-lived batteries.
• Carpenter’s square for making straight lines. This is another tool that’s easy to ignore, but will make your life easier and more accurate. I have an old one from a garage sale (excellent source of tools!) but the standard stanley speed square is a great new option.
• Shop vac for cleaning the area during and after the build. Your neighbors and spouse will thank you. Wait for the cheap one to go on sale at Home Depot / Lowes. Unless you are using one really heavily… they’re all pretty much the same. A handheld “dustbuster” can be used in a pinch, but clean it out well or you’ll be getting yelled at!
• Measuring tape for… I don’t need to explain this, right?

Consumables:

• Cellular PVC trim. This stuff is magical. Looks like wood, cuts like wood, takes paint like wood… but it’s plastic so it won’t ever rot. This is what you want to use if you have to do trim work in wet areas. And if you’re replacing previous trim because of rot, then you definitely want this. It’s more expensive than normal poplar trim, but you’ll never have to do the job again.
• PVC compatible screws. PVC trim is great but you need special screws with reverse threads at the top to prevent it from mushrooming out when you drive it in. There are special trim screws for this, but we found the same thing for less marketed as decking screws for composite decks. Might as well save a few bucks here.
• Spray Foam. There is a special kind made for windows and doors that won’t expand with enough force to bind the window. The “Great Stuff” brand is ubiquitous and just fine.
• Flashing. I used a flexible and sticky asphalt flashing commonly known as “Ice and Water Shield.” It’s sold in big rolls for roofs but you can also find smaller rolls meant for windows.
• Caulk. You want exterior UV-rated paintable silicone caulk. The folks in the paint aisle can point you in the right direction from the multitude of caulk tubes. If this is your first time using caulk, you’ll also need a caulk gun. Don’t worry, they are cheap and sold near the caulk.

How To Replace Exterior Window Trim

Step 1: Demo!

Demolition is my favorite part of any home improvement project. Nothing like bashing things with hammers to make me smile! For this project though, you’ll want to be gentle.

First, try and figure out which trim sections are rotten. Our window had both a flat board (sometimes called a “brick mold”) as well as a decorative molding. I originally thought it was only the brick mold that was rotten, but it turns out the molding was also getting soft in spots. Poke around with a screwdriver and you’ll quickly note which components are in need of repair. If it feels like wood, great! If it feels rubbery or spongy… then it’s time to tear it out!

It’s Everywhere!

Once you’ve determined which components need to go, use a small pry bar to start removing the pieces. Your goal is to expose enough of the boards to get accurate measurements. Once you can clearly see what’s where take a photo and measure the dimensions. If you can keep the trim pieces from falling apart as your demo, it will make cutting your new pieces to fit all that much easier.

Now finish removing all trim boards and pray to the god of old houses that you don’t find additional rot as you delve deeper into your wall. If you do find rotten sheathing or even framing… then you have bigger problems. Not insurmountable, but also maybe not a weekend project. If that’s the case, then you should go find another how-to post

Step 2: Shop

Now that you know the quantity and size of trim boards necessary, head to your local home store and make a beeline for the construction supplies. Here’s a pro-tip: Most of the pros are pretty nice. If you are confused, ask the guy in the filthy shirt with giant bulging muscles for advice. Dude will almost always hook you up. In our case it was a very nice Eastern European gentleman with forearms the size of cantaloupes who explained the finer details between brands of cellular PVC trim.

Step 3: Insulate

It’s time to inspect and insulate around the window. If you have a house built in the last 50 years, it won’t look like this. Modern houses use plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) as their sheathing. Besides being cheap, strong, and not requiring the destruction of old growth forests, OSB and plywood also make for very tight window installs.
Old houses like ours have board sheathing. In addition to being expensive, weak, and requiring the wide-scale deforestation of most of the United States, board sheathing tends to be poorly fitted around windows. Case in point:

Here’s how the window looked without any trim. Note the boards as sheathing.

There’s probably a better way to do this, but wow do I love spray foam. The stuff is magical, especially for filling giant irregular voids.

Four extremely important things to know about spray foam:

1. Wear latex gloves! This stuff is uber sticky. Like interior of a hot marshmallow sticky. And it’s not good for your skin. And you are almost certain to get it all over your hands. Wear some gloves and you’ll thank me later.
2. Make sure the area you’ll be foaming is clean. Foam will stick to anything, including the layer of dust and dirt that likely resides around your window. A shop vac makes short work of this.
3. After it’s applied, it continues foaming and expanding. So make sure you lay down a thinner layer than you need and let it expand to fill. You can always add some more on the second pass.
4. Once you break the seal and pull the trigger on the can of foam there’s no stopping. You can’t re-use a can of spray foam and it starts to harden in the tube after about 15 minutes. Sooner if you don’t spray for a few moments. You have to keep moving and spraying if you want to get your money’s worth out of the can.

Me to Mrs. Frugalwoods: Take all the photos you want BEFORE I start spraying…

So have a plan! Move quickly and evenly apply a light layer of foam wherever your voids are deepest. Keep working your way around the window filling cracks, voids, holes, and whatever else gets in your way. In our case, we had giant voids to fill. If you have a newer home you might only have the area immediately adjacent to the window frame to insulate. In either case, insulation is worth the money while you have the window opened up. Might as well do it right.

After you’ve foamed all there is to be foamed (plus some stuff that probably shouldn’t have been, but you know how it goes…) take a break while the foam hardens. It should be fine to continue working after 20 minutes or so.

Just look at that nicely foamed (sort of) window opening!

Step 4: Flash that window!

If your house was built correctly, you won’t need to do this step as you’ll already have flashing. As for us, we needed it.
Flashing a window is a way to seal the area around the window from water infiltration while allowing any water that gets behind the trim boards to exit the wall structure. You can use all manner of materials as flashing: plastic, aluminum, lead (yes, and it works great!). We chose a flexible, sticky asphalt product commonly know in the trade as “Ice and Water Guard.”
This stuff is really easy to use. Just cut your pieces to size, peel the backing paper off, and stick it up.

Pro-tip: Don’t peel the paper off the flashing until it’s in place. This stuff will stick to anything and everything!

You’ll want to apply the various pieces around the window from bottom to top. That is, you want water to be able to travel down the face of the flashing and never find an overlapped seam facing upwards. For the top strip of flashing, try to get it as far underneath the layer of siding above as possible. For the flashing on the sides, try to end the flashing on top of the bottom course of siding. This sounds great in theory, but reality can prevent it from being perfect. Just try the best you can.

Look at that nicely flashed window!

Step 5: Measure and cut trim boards

Now measure for your trim and cut. I like working from the top down, but I have no idea if that’s actually better.

Our old brick mold wasn’t mitered in the corners so I followed the pattern and butt jointed it. Yes, I just said butt joint. It’s a carpenter’s term, for real. To cut a straight line with a chop saw or miter saw is simple. If you are making the cut with a circular saw, draw a straight line on the board with a carpenter’s square to make sure you don’t wander. Don’t be a cowboy, you and I both know you can’t eyeball it.

Use your handy dandy carpenter’s square to make a nice right angle.

While the left side and top of the window was a dead ringer for 1×5, the right side was juuuust too small for me to wedge it in there. Oh the joys of old houses! So I scribed the 1×5 to match the variation in the siding edge and ripped it with the circular saw. This I did mostly eyeball because I knew I would be covering the crappy edge with the decorative molding. Screw the boards in place with your nifty special screws (they are actually pretty neat) and step back and admire how much more like a window it looks already!

Step 6: Miter your decorative molding

Unlike your trim board brick mold, decorative molding is pretty ugly in the corners unless you cut it on a 45 degree angle–aka a miter joint.
When faced with cutting a miter joint, normal folks would go out and buy a miter saw. This makes it really easy to cut perfect miters every time, but will run you a couple hundred dollars.
If you are like me and a member of team “if it can’t be done with a circular saw then you shouldn’t be doing it,” then read on. Cutting a 45 degree miter is not much harder than a 90 degree straight cut. The trick is getting a good line in place, and for that the carpenter’s square is essential. Measure carefully to the outside of the miter (the longest part) and check your marks twice before cutting. It’s really easy to get confused and draw your 45 degree line in the wrong direction (ask me how I know this…).

Steady hands and a good line to follow make cutting a miter with a circular saw not that bad.

Once you have your line in place, carefully follow it with your circular saw. If you go slowly and check your measurements, no one will ever know you didn’t use a miter saw. Now screw in your molding and admire your handiwork!

Step 7: Caulk

Oh you thought you were finished? Not quite. Break out the caulk and run a bead on all of the joints. Smooth each joint with a moist finger (no joke, the best way to get a good caulk line). Once the caulk is dry you can decide whether you want to paint. So far we haven’t, because the new white trim matches our existing trim pretty well.

Don’t forget to add a dab of caulk to each screw hole as well.

Step 8: Victory!

Now you are actually done. Bask in the glory of saving hundred of dollars. Revel in the new confidence you built in your DIY skills. Or just take a shower. You probably need a shower real bad by now.

The finished product!

Source: Mr. Frugalwoods

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