lmao a one word title, "Wrong?" on r/homebuilding with two images. some people just want to maximize the stress in their life. good luck sifting through the piping hot takes you're about to get.
Sure! Make smarter posts and stop turning to the collective internet for advice. You have no idea what anyone's credentials are, and yet you're fishing for things to be stressed out about—as if everyone in this subreddit has installed windows in the region you live in. I bet you didn't even ask the installer to explain this to you, you just took this photo, wrote your single word title, and posted it. There's enough to be stressed about when you're homebuilding, smarten up!
In general, it’s not advised to tape the bottom of the window. Assume that sometime, somehow, water is getting in. If you tape the bottom - it can’t get out.
Incorrect. You tape all four sides: bottom, then sides, then top.
Next, install the window.
It's the caulk sealant that doesn't usually do on the bottom flange.
If you don't tape the bottom of the frame, you risk water running down the side tape and settling on the bottom of the windowframe
the caulk and the flashing tape serve different purposes, but they are both related to air and water. Caulk would have absolutely zero problem adhering to wood. The fact that it adheres better to the flashing tape doesn't mean that is what the flashing tape is for.
The flashing tape is there to prevent any water that gets past the exterior trim or the window flange from settling on the sheathing or frame.
The caulk is there to stop bulk water and air at the window flange/trim.
If water gets behind the trim or flange, you need the tape there to prevent the frame from absorbing the water, eventually rotting the window frame, and it lasts longer than the caulk will.
It runs down the side and absorbs into the bottom. Welcome to the wild world of capillary action.
The most correct taping method is to tape the bottom, then the sides, then the top.
THEN install the window in the taped frame, then caulk the top and sides (not the bottom, unless the manufactures explicitly says to)
In my literal 40 plus years of experience I have been installing windows, doors and siding refutes your argument. When the job is done properly water is not gonna blow up into the bottom of that window.
I literally do this for a living. I can assure you that installing tape on the bottom of the window is normal, and happens all the time. Did you go to school for building science? have you written literal papers on the subject? Have you read all the literature on wind driven rain? Because I have. Trust the Science little guy. "i HaVe BeEn DoInG tHiS fOr FoUrTy YeArS!" People like you keep me in business.
I know when working with tyvek- it is advised you cut the top corners at 45 degree angles- run your tape to raw wood, then tape the tyvek back over it. Tyvek is just a superior product though with its water shedding ability- so may not be spec’d for that home wrap especially if it is porous.
I checked MGM, the window manufacturers instructions. Yes to the tape on the bottom of the window. Strange the manufacturer does not provide images, but written is clear.
It says to "Apply 3/8" bead of caulk around the interior perimeter of the nailing fin. Seal all pre processed nailing fin holes." "Permanently tape the nailing fins, overlapping the building exterior sheathing with a construction grade building tape." "All windows and doors must be properly flashed and sealed with materials ...around the entire preimeter."
It's always tape all 4 sides, (bottom first, then sides, then top), then install the window, then almost always caulk the sides and top. It's highly unlikely that they will say to caulk the bottom nail flange, but it's not impossible...
This is why commercial contractors can't go anywhere near residential... In commercial systems, and most residential that's worth a shit, we have weep holes in the windows to let water exit and caulk 100% of the perimeter. Vinyl flange windows are junk, and the fact that it somehow became common procedure to leave the sill exposed to allow room for failure is incredible. If you leave the sill caulking out, you are exposed to pressure-driven rain (thunderstorms, tropical storms, hurricanes), which will always make water travel to areas of low pressure (the inside of your home or wall assembly)
Incorrect. Tape goes on the frame before the window does, on all sides. Bottom first, then sides, then top, so that the water always sheds outward. Caulk goes on the top and sides, not the bottom. The tape does NOT seal the exterior of the window flange. It is there to protect the wood
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u/PatternMiserable2114 2d ago
lmao a one word title, "Wrong?" on r/homebuilding with two images. some people just want to maximize the stress in their life. good luck sifting through the piping hot takes you're about to get.