you folks have always been able to help me before, so here goes...
i had two bay windows installed. one leaks...
there is no water pooling in the weep area or between the screen and the double hung window. the leak appears on the side near an entry way that has a roof around 2 ft from the window. at first i thought that the weep system was being overwhelmed and that is why i am getting a leak, now im not so sure. It rained heavily for the first time since i got the windows installed and a great deal of water is seeping and pooling in the seat on the side that faces the entryway, but i am also wondering if it is possible that the leak is being caused by a faulty seal between the vinyl frame and the oak seat. Any ideas?

 

The water is either penetrating through the window, or it is penetrating around the frame of the window itself. My guess is it is leaking around the frame.

Is the window a replacement bay window, that was installed in an existing opening ? If so, you will want to examine the outside of the window. Was it sealed properly ? My guess is that it was not.

Was the window factory assembled or assembled on the site.
If on the site, then what "caps the astrigal that connects the windows ?

In this case pictures would really help, From the ouside and from inside.

 

the window is a replacement window for original flat windows.
it went into a space smaller than the original window
there is no leak that i can see where the window frame and the wall frame meets, but i don't know if this means anything
the window was preassembled Jeld_win 45 degree with low e.
i do notice that the contractor accidently penetrated with seat with a nail, but don't know if this effects anything.
also i see a crack along the entire area where the seat meets the frame, but i don't know if it is cosmetic or could cause a problem.
there was about 1/8" water that seeped all around the front of the window last night. The pool is on the left side of the window and faces an entry way roof that is about 2 foot from the window. i have pictures, but do not know how to send them
thanks for your reply.
if it is true that when the contractor enstalled the window he broke the seal between the frame and the seat, will a bead of silicon stop the problem? any help is appreciated, i am totally frustrated, the contractor won't return my calls, and jeld_wen hasn't called back yet, they said a day or two and its been 3 days

 

I agree that pictures would help. When you write a message, there is an icon of a picture that you can click, and it allows you to insert a link to a picture that you have previously uploaded to a file sharing website like Photobucket. Or, if you have one uploaded, you can paste the link to the picture here.

You haven't mentioned whether this window has a roof of it's own that your contractor built, or if the window is installed underneath your soffit (overhang).

My first guess would be that water coming off the roof (which you mentioned was 2 ft away) is getting behind the siding and is entering the rough opening.

It could also be water that is getting in on top of the window, and running down the mullion until it hits the seat, at which point it comes in. This could be due to a roof leak, or just bad flashing by the installer. Hard to say.

 

i hope this link works....two pictures, the one from the inside is after i wiped the water up.

the inside of the bay window top is dry as are the side frames.
the space between the screen and the weep hopes is dry, and weep holes are not blocked. the area inside the window frame is dry.
there is a definite hole where the contractor power hammerd a nail to the supporting frame at the bottom of the window.
roof was made by the contractor of aluminum flashing, i believe it is called. and the window is a 45 degree that indeed extends beyond the soffit, though i don't see the front window or side window away from the entryway does not leak.
i did just take a watering can and unloaded it in the window frame from the outside and didn't see any water comming in.
hope this info and link to the pictures helps, i hope, i hope
i am running out of bath towels soaking up the water

 

 

dammit....i'll the the damn thing out heheh

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...ue/t_=72461757

 

When the source of the leak is not obvious, a simple way to narrow down where the leak is coming from is to use a garden hose, trigger sprayer, or sprinkler.

First spray water on the lower half of the window. Let it run this way for 15-30 minutes or so and watch for leaks. (you might spray water on the picture window first before moving to the side window) If nothing shows up, move the sprinkler so that it sprays higher. Then move it so that it sprays on the aluminum flashing roof. If no leak has shown up, lay the garden hose so that water runs off the shingles, where the shingles meet the siding.

Doing this progressively will help you narrow down where the problem is. Just caulking the inside to stop the water is a BAD idea. You need to have your contractor find and FIX the leak. That wood will not take much wetting before it is ruined.

 

did what you folks said, found a portion of plywood attached to the mulion that was exposed. chalked the hell out of anyplace i thought it could be comming in and added a small rain diverter. have to wait a few hours for chalk to dry and will give the old water test again...will let you kind forlks how i make up...
thanks for far
Mike

 

judging from the picture the leak appears to be originating at the corners where the windows are mulled together and that my best guess is they are leaking from the top of the window.

PS I only saw 1 picture, from the inside, how about a shot or two of the outside especially including "aluminum flashing roof"

 

ill try to get the picture tomarrow. i did my water test and there must have been other leaks i did not know about because i seemed to corrected my previous problem, but see seepage right where the seat meets the frame, my guess is that when the window was installed, they broke the chalk seal. this is where water is seeping in now, i applied chalk to inside and will test tomarrow to see if that does it. every place else in the window is bone dry just the seepage at the the part of the window that projects out, not where the window is mounted to the wall. if i did wrong, please let me know, because i simply cannot find any place else in the window roof where it can be leaking. incidently the 30 degree window on the other side of the house is fine, but i wonder if that is because the eave projects out just over it

 

ok, see last message, and here it is dark outside, but just for the hell of it, i went out the the window, and lo and behold i see some dripping at the corners of the skirt farthest from the wall. they were sealed, but i inserted a knife blade and pulled down the flashing on both front corners, a whole lot of water poured out...
i am beginning to think the bay windows were a major mistake,

 

http://www1.snapfish.com/composephot...07/t_=72461757

 

Bay windows wern't the mistake, but I think your installer may
have been. Is the installer taking any responsibility to fix the problem ?

 

i got a packet from the manufacturer, and no the contractor still has not called me back, though i have contacted him several times.
The good news is that i sealed the seat with silicon and tested it today....hooray, no leak.
I want to thank all of you folks that took the time, and patience, to help me. With some luck, i won't have a leak proplem in the future, but if so, I'll just pick up where we left off. Incidently, the manufacturer is leaning towards poor installation. i am not the suing type, but i would guess that after the time and effort of a small claims suit, it would be about as cheap, just to not use him and tell my friends not to use him. He seemed so honest and earnest too.
thanks again all!