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Sunshine is the biggest cause of window failure, which is why your south and west facing windows usually fail first. Sunshine causes both a process known as “solar pumping" and the hardening of the sealant that forms the seals of the window.


Solar Pumping and Why Windows Fail


Desiccant in window spacer

At some point the desiccant will have absorbed all the moisture it can hold and that is the day a hazy, misty bluish fog clouds your glass window pane. From this point on the window begins deteriorating rapidly. If left untreated, the trapped moisture quickly corrodes the inner window glass surfaces, eventually leaving mineral deposits and a permanent white silica haze. So your window can go from just a bit of a blue haze, to fog in the window, to mist and finally a thick opaque white haze.

Rotten sill on wood framed window

The biggest cause of early failure in wood framed windows is lack of maintenance. Every two years the exterior seam where the glass meets the wood needs to be caulked and the frames painted. Otherwise, rain hits the glass and runs down between the wood and the glass, pools at the bottom of the IGU (Integrated Glass Unit) and rots both the seal of the IGU and the wood frame of the window from the inside out. Once the seal has failed haze, fog and eventually a mineral deposit will develop in your window.

Anything that makes a window hotter also will shorten it's life. Use external sunshades rather than inside drapes to protect the window from heat. Be aware that solar film--while useful in many places--significantly increases the heat inside a window and always voids the manufacturer's warranty for the window.

Read our article on 10 Things Every Homeowner Should Know About Windows to learn more of the inside story on your windows.