Hey Guys,

I wonder if you can help. We had a house built for us and we have a big problem with the windows. We have masses of condensation inside the glass and damp all around the window frames. We have black mold growing and flaking plaster. If you ran a fingernail across the plaster, it comes off like butter.

From the outside it looks like there is no DPC, and they have used a metal truss above the windows. A foam barrier has been sprayed but that appears to be all. As you can imagine it is cold and we have big draughts.
I am English but the house is in Russia – we currently have -20 weather, we are losing heat and we have this damp problem but the house is generally warm inside, part from the draughts.

It looks like the foam they used is only rated for -10 according to a few empty cans I found. The plaster is coming off inside and I can feel the foam layer at the top of most windows, so I can only assume this is all we have for a seal against the outside.

A question is how can we treat this? I doubt we can get the windows removed and reinstalled. I am thinking of insulating from the outside using batons or shielding with a membrane or foam added?
Any help please?

 

Could be that air infiltration is making the frames extra cold. If you can remove exterior trim and / or siding, do that so a membrane can be applied over the nailing fin. That will help air seal.

You can remove interior trim and cut out the foam. It could be there are gaps or maybe it is just not fully insulated.

The type of frame can also contribute to heat loss. You would notice that the most on poor quality windows that are not meant for cold climates.

Finally, humidity can be an issue. Lower the humidity as much as possible. If your furnace has a humidifier, turn it off in winter months. Run bath fans after showers. Make sure dryer vents are not clogged and that they vent to the outside.

Your drywall should not contact the window frame and joint compound should not be used where they meet. It should be a water resistant setting compound, and a tearaway L-bead can be used to prevent direct contact.

 

You are also experiencing air infiltration through the bricks. I am assuming the first picture is pointed up to include the soldier course under the window. Correct if not the case. Note the voids in the pointing. Like XSleeper, I think a lot has to do with the inside humidity. Human nature seems to want to pour the heat on in cold weather, when in reality we can live with lower temps or lower humidity and not have mold growing.

 

There is clearly no caulking in Larry's picture... that would be a good place for a white polyurethane sealant.

Looks like there should be a little more space between the brick and window as well... they should not be touching due to the need for expansion and contraction.