What could cause so much moisture in a bay window?
The underside of the bay window was bulging.
Pushing on it the material was very soft and felt wet. It had rained the night before.
Measuring with the moisture meter the needle jumped to >30%, indicating saturation.
And Mighty Mo showed how the moisture had collected inside the window. The water was literally resting inside the space.
That is a lot of moisture!
So what caused it?
The window material was all wrapped with an aluminum covering to protect the wood from moisture and rot.
It was well done, and caulked properly.
Unfortunately when the deck was built someone had improperly "attached" decking materials with nails!
And the nails punctured the metal wrapping all over the bay window's wood framing.
Over time, of course, each of those punctures becomes a via for water, which needs little opportunity to get anywhere. And water will take any opportunity allowed it!
The rain the night before was just the latest opportunity for that water to enter the window space.
And where did the water go? To the bottom.
My recommendation: professionalism is everything! Surely a contractor needs to understand that a metal wrapping that is punctured will allow water to get behind it and damage the wood underneath. And that is what happened here. Physics is physics and will work based on laws that don't change. We conform to those laws, natural codes if you will, or we face the consequences. And this bay window has experienced many such consequences. Don't mess with Mother Nature's codes! She will win in the end. She always wins in the end.
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