Weep holes are an ingenious feature of many windows. They’re designed to allow water to drain away from your windows so that rain can freely flow down the window glass and into the track of the window frame, then out of the weep hole and onto the ground. For such a tiny opening, the weep hole has a big job. By making way for water to escape instead of build up and overflow the track, the weep hole saves the bottom of the window frame from becoming a trough of standing water, risking infiltration into your home.
What is a Weep Hole?
The weep hole is simply a tiny rectangular opening in the bottom of the window’s outer frame. It is designed to provide easy drainage to prevent standing water in the bottom track of the outer frame. Weep holes in window frames are most commonly found in metal or vinyl replacement windows.
Do all windows have weep holes? No, many windows don’t have weep holes. They’re not usually found in wooden window structures. But you can expect to find weep holes in many vinyl windows and aluminum models and any window type that slides or rests in an outer frame that has a bottom track. Sliding doors and window screens also typically have weep holes built into their tracks.
Why Do I Need Weep Holes in My Windows?
Without weep holes, the bottom of the window frame can fill with rainwater, dirt, and debris. The track that holds the bottom of the window sash could not drain freely. Soon the bottom of the frame would begin to fill with water, dirt, and debris that would stay in the track because it would have no way of flowing through weep holes and draining out of the frame.
What are the Other Benefits of Weep Holes?
In addition to providing water drainage that keeps rainwater, snowmelt, and melting ice from infiltrating your home, weep holes in window frames serve multiple other important functions:
- Prevent windows from being ideal breeding places for mosquitoes, flies, and other pests.
- Protect the window frame from rapid deterioration from staying in standing water.
- Help prevent mold and mildew from forming due to dampness.
- Prevents unhealthy conditions of stagnant water at your windows.
- Allows water to freely flow and clean away dirt and dust from the window frame.
- Helps keep the track unobstructed by dirt and debris that make windows hard to open.
How Can I Tell if Weep Holes are Clogged?
You can easily test the weep holes in your window frames to ensure that they’re all draining properly. Just use a garden hose or even a small container of water and spray or pour water on the outer side of the window so that it will run down the window and into the frame track. If the weep holes are free from clogs, the water will flow freely out of those openings in the outer frame. If the water remains in the frame and does not escape, try using an air compressor or a piece of stiff wire to unclog the weep holes.
Best Vinyl Windows – Advanced Window Products
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