Window trims causing mould

[honda]

I have two upvc bay windows fitted in my house, one upstairs and one downstairs . The vertical side trims on both,fitted to bridge the gap between where the window ends and the wall, are causing cold spots and mould due I suspect to having no foam having been injected. Is there any way of injecting foam without removing these trims as I've tried and they're stuck fast and threatening to crack or break. The only way I can think of is to drill a hole in the trims,either inside or outside,and then injecting the foam. Or is that a bodge way of doing it?

 

[Burnerman]

Your proposal sounds fine enough, especially if you can blank off the drill holes with some white screw caps.
Do be aware though that excess foam can burst off any trim, so canny as you go.
Are you feeling a draught through the window?
John

 

[foxhole]

Trims can't cause mold, spores exist in every home and only thrive where there is poor ventilation.

 

[honda]

Thanks for replies. No John can't feel any draughts. I've never used foam before so am I right in thinking that if I inject it at the top it will find its way down to the bottom as it expands and before it sets. Or will more than one hole be needed.

 

[Burnerman]

Unfortunately this foam has a mind of its own, and never behaves like it says on the adverts.....
You'll definitely need more than one hole - maybe 4 or so depending on the window size. The foam may expand more than you expect, too......I'd be inclined to give some a try to see how it reacts. Depending on temperature it may continue to expand for quite a while - say 1/2 hour or so.
John

 

[AronSearle]

You need to think about what you are spraying the foam into.

If the cavity has no insulation and the window is not surrounded by cavity battens, where do you think that foam will go?

Without ripping of the trims you will run the risk of missing bits and having voids, which will still allow cold briding and condensation.

Trims can't cause mold, spores exist in every home and only thrive where there is poor ventilation.

In this case you are wrong, some people on this forum need to stop obsessing about ventilation without actually understanding the dynamics.

 

[ronniecabers]

You need to think about what you are spraying the foam into.

If the cavity has no insulation and the window is not surrounded by cavity battens, where do you think that foam will go?

Without ripping of the trims you will run the risk of missing bits and having voids, which will still allow cold briding and condensation.

Trims can't cause mold, spores exist in every home and only thrive where there is poor ventilation.

In this case you are wrong, some people on this forum need to stop
obsessing about ventilation without actually understanding the dynamics.

The trims themselves can not cause mould, they will be PVC based, it will likely be unseen dirt and bacteria that is going ' mouldy ' , or the silicone based product sealing the trim to the window .

You raise very good points Aron, about being careful how you are putting foam in and missing areas, the only real way would be to take the trims off, which are probably superglued on, and completely fill the void. This will indeed 'warm' that trim, but I would not like to guarantee it will stop condensation, as I fear it won't, there are far too many unknown variables to be able to solve condensation in this case , and in fact , all cases on this forum.

 

[honda]

Many thanks for the informative replies. I've decided, due to the posts advising me against drilling holes to inject the foam, to somehow remove the trims to see what's in there and then use the foam accordingly.
Plus the fact I wasn't really happy at the thought of drilling the holes and spoiling the look of the windows. Thanks again.

 

[Rad1o]

Did you have the windows fitted? Have you got details of the fitter/company? If possible go back to them and get details. If the windows were fitted recently they might not comply with regs.

When / If you use foam have a spray bottle with water handy. The water sprayed onto the foam will stop it expanding like cancer and you can control it.