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Condensate window damage


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Huge old historic "mansion" was moved to an intown location and "renovated" about ten years ago.

Contractor stuffed insulation into walls, ceilings, etc, but did not, for historic reasons, make any changes to single glazed wood sash, double hung, some with meeting rails that stopped airflow, others with simple meeting rails without bevels. Windows were not original but were "replicated".

A carpenter friend has been hired to replace most of them because condensate on the inside has gotten down into muntin pockets and rotted sash bottom rails.

How can they avoid the ten-year service life on historic wood sash?

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Epoxy is the miracle answer. Abaton is great. WEST is good too. Some folks have some other specialty mfg's. they like better, but it's all epoxy AFAIC. Mix it up, thin it down to water viscosity, soak the sash. I've save a lot of windows that way.

Around here we get closer to 100 years on those sash because the old growth material is so highly decay resistant. All the sash on my 90+ year old house and the 100+ windows on the 90+ year old apartment building are fine. Some of the sills decayed from pooling water due to condensation, but that's partly due to them being set directly on the limestone window sills and water wicking from the limestone into the sill. I fix the sills with an epoxy bath. Works great.

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Ten year old "replicants" were def not old heart pine. This carpenter has been using clear pine treated and then kiln dried for external trim apps. I think he may be doing these windows from same. It is expensive but more durable.

It's called 'building job security'. He knows they'll be calling back in ten years to do it again.

Marc

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Ten year old "replicants" were def not old heart pine. This carpenter has been using clear pine treated and then kiln dried for external trim apps. I think he may be doing these windows from same. It is expensive but more durable.

By treated do you mean pressure treated? I would use salvaged old growth wood or redwood. For saving rotted wood the liquid epoxy consolidant is great.

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By treated I meant pressure treated clear SYP that is kiln dried after treatment. It was used for replicated brick mold on another old building. Don't really know his plan for the current windows. I just saw the damage to the ones he had in his shop.

Ten year old "replicants" were def not old heart pine. This carpenter has been using clear pine treated and then kiln dried for external trim apps. I think he may be doing these windows from same. It is expensive but more durable.

By treated do you mean pressure treated? I would use salvaged old growth wood or redwood. For saving rotted wood the liquid epoxy consolidant is great.

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By treated I meant pressure treated clear SYP that is kiln dried after treatment. It was used for replicated brick mold on another old building. Don't really know his plan for the current windows. I just saw the damage to the ones he had in his shop.

Ten year old "replicants" were def not old heart pine. This carpenter has been using clear pine treated and then kiln dried for external trim apps. I think he may be doing these windows from same. It is expensive but more durable.

By treated do you mean pressure treated? I would use salvaged old growth wood or redwood. For saving rotted wood the liquid epoxy consolidant is great.

I realize that in GA SYP is the common available wood, but I cannot imagine using it for trim. Too hard and warps too much.

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Down here in the piney woods is a great variety of SYP, some of which is very good material. It has a waxy surface and is actually very stable if you can get the real clear stuff with regular grain.

I guess by the time the material stream reaches PA it has been picked through pretty good.

Also, the forest products biz has been growing "super trees" whose grain is so widely spaced that the Southern Pine Council and the ICC have derated syp in its span tables.

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Down here in the piney woods is a great variety of SYP, some of which is very good material. It has a waxy surface and is actually very stable if you can get the real clear stuff with regular grain.

I guess by the time the material stream reaches PA it has been picked through pretty good.

Also, the forest products biz has been growing "super trees" whose grain is so widely spaced that the Southern Pine Council and the ICC have derated syp in its span tables.

Pretty much the only SYP up here is PT framing lumber and T&G sub-flooring, which of course is not used much.

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