Why are my window corners wet when it rains?

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akinun

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Hello everyone, this is my first post here. It is great to find such a large and helpful community of home maintenance and repair enthusiasts. As a new homeowner, I believe I will be spending a lot of time here for the foreseeable future.

The reason for joining this forum is to as a question for window manufacturers/installers and/or home insulation experts: Our recently installed (6 months) upvc windows are getting wet on the inside wall corners when it rains/snows. This only happens on one corner each of 2 windows, whereas the rest are ok. The Installer contractor is being very unhelpful and avoids responsibility, blaming the external insulator company. The insulator company is blaming the window installers citing inadequate silicone/mastic work. My frustration with both companies is mounting to the extent that I’m thinking about DIY-ing this. I am pretty sure I can get a more helpful response and solution here. Any ideas about what may be causing this and how to go about fixing it? Thank you very much in advance.
 

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Can you check outside on the top and sides of the window to verify there is sufficient caulking around it?
 
Can you check outside on the top and sides of the window to verify there is sufficient caulking around it?
Thank you very much. Yes, the caulking around the window is fresh - last year, we thought this was a caulking issue and redid all of the caulking around the windows fresh. I have to options in mind: a) water moving into the window frame during windy rains and inner frame channels are directing the water towards the wall (no inner caulking inside the wall end frames), b) condensation (mainly because as seen in the photos, the window sill is marble.
 
If the window installer failed to properly install flashing before setting the windows, water could migrate down and cause the damage I saw in your pictures. I'd recommend to take care of this issue now, before you end up with thousands of $ in damage.
 
Can you check outside on the top and sides of the window to verify there is sufficient caulking around it?

If the window installer failed to properly install flashing before setting the windows, water could migrate down and cause the damage I saw in your pictures. I'd recommend to take care of this issue now, before you end up with thousands of $ in damage.
Thank you very much. After inspecting the exterior for caulking damage and not finding any visually, I hired an infrared camera heat loss detection contractor, who actually did find some caulking problems that were not visible to the eye.

The problem with the following photos is that this caulking was made twice in the last two years. First original caulking was peeling off, so this summer we used a different contractor with a different caulk brand to redo all windows. And it is peeling again.

So now my question has changed to: "why is my caulking wearing off so quickly?"

First polyurethane caulk we tried was Soudal: Soudaflex 40FC Sealant - Sealant Supplies Ltd
and the second one was a locally popular and high rated brand: DAYSON EXTRA POLYURETHANE SEALANT

Both are peeling off or having punctures within a year. What could be the problem? Possible culprits:

- This is a coastal region. Caulking was done in summer so probably done during high humidity.
- The leaks come from the northern wall of the house. The area receives heavy rain with northern winds, so this may wear off caulk faster

Any pointers or thoughts hugely appreciated.
 

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I've had a similar issue. I think it is the flashing, which could be expensive to repair.

Personally I am going to try resealing the window first to see if that helps at all...fingers crossed.
 

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