Aluminium Window leaking

I have a problem with a leak around an aluminium window on the "weather" side of the house which seems to be caused by water building up in the track along which the window slides. There is a small hole at the bottom of the track at one point through which the water flows but it has nowhere to escape from there other than through the silicone seal at the base of the aluminium frame thus it builds up and overflows back into the house. I am wondering whether there should be a small hole at the base of the external frame to allow the water to escape quicker in which case I would drill one. As this would seem to be a general problem with this type of window and frame I am wondering what is the usual way to overcome it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. Weep holes like this should never be caulked shut, and they are rarely placed in locations where this would be likely.

A good example would be the bottom of a storm window, which should never be caulked.

My guess is that someone either caulked the window where it does not need caulk, or they did a poor job and just covered up the weep hole outlets. Scrape off the caulking in these areas and they should drain normally.

 

Thanks very much for the assistance. Actually the hole that I mentioned is at the bottom of what I assume is normally a fly screen track but there are no apparent weep holes externally and I can see right to the bottom of the frame. However, below the frame there appears to be a flexible flashing which is seperated in places and allows water to seep through only not fast enough. I am wondering whether a hole drilled at the base of the frame just above the flashing would overcome the problem.

 

Thanks very much for the assistance. Actually the hole that I mentioned is at the bottom of what I assume is normally a fly screen track but there are no apparent weep holes externally and I can see right to the bottom of the frame. However, below the frame there appears to be a flexible flashing which is seperated in places and allows water to seep through only not fast enough. I am wondering whether a hole drilled at the base of the frame just above the flashing would overcome the problem.

 

It sounds like you might be describing a storm window, and like I mentioned, sometimes people put caulking where there should not be any caulking.

Weep holes are always installed at the lowest point possible, so if you can see a weep hole in the frame, uncover it and let it do what it was designed to do!

If you want to drill a hole, enlarge the existing weep hole. You probably wouldn't want to make a hole in any other place.