Hi everyone - I am new to the forum, and I read a number of threads all filled with great information. I didn't find exactly what I am looking for so I thought I would post my own thread to see if anyone can assist. I have an old home (111 years) with original wood windows covered by aluminum storms. I am seeing some condensation which is freezing in the winter and I want to avoid it to prevent further rot in the frame and sills. I understand that the condensation is coming from the different temperatures inside and outside, and why it forms. Here is my plan to prevent it and fix it; 1) weatherstrip some of the loose areas inside on the wooden windows to prevent or lessen warm air flowing into the space between windows 2) Remove old broken caulk from the outside storm and recaulk the top and both sides, to make the seal completely tight. 3) I will NOT caulk the bottom on the outside as I want moisture an escape route to prevent it being trapped. 4) I will clear out the weeping holes inside. There seem to be two vertical "slots" at the bottom of each storm, however they don't go all the way through to the outside. I can only assume there must be a drain or something in the bottom of the aluminum so that when the moisture goes into the slots it runs down into a hole which then runs off the sill and outside? Does that make sense? 5) I am also going to need to repair some sills and clean up some moisture/mildew/mold type issues where water already did its damage. 6) I will caulk the bottom of the storm from the inside to prevent airflow and water getting in. I will of course not cover any weeping holes. Once the caulk is in I will do careful cleaning to prep the surface and repaint the sills and frame inside. 7) After all is finished I will paint the caulk and storms to clean them up a bit and have them match the rest of the house. I am most concerned with the weeping holes, as I am not sure how they work. I was expecting for the small slots to go right through the aluminum frame, but they just don't appear on the outside, which makes me think they are draining somehow downward after moisture gets in the slot. I think what happened in the past is that the moisture was sealed in by blocking weeping holes and caulking all the way around the window. Will this approach work and fix my moisture problem? There some some windows which don't open and won't be opened. They are painted shut inside and the outside storm is caulked and sealed all the way around. I don't seem to see any moisture issues in these at all, as I am guessing moist warm air from inside is just not getting into the space between the panes. Is it OK to leave them like this, or should all storms have some venting or weeping holes as part of the installation. Thanks for readint his far. I would live some advice on the whole caulking the entire storm outside, versus leaving the bottom open. I have seen others suggest caulking the entire bottom but leaving a 1/4" gap in the caulk to allow moisture out via the weeping holes? Is that a better solution?

I have old Andersen windows in my house. I've been there 20 years. These are probably 25 - 30 yrs. I identified them once but didn't write anything down so I'll have to do it again. The cords are starting to break and my question is can I replace the cord and reuse the balancers or do I need new balancers? Thanks for any help.