A window that whistles in wind or lets a draught through is telling you exactly where its seal has failed, and it is one of the few faults that diagnoses itself. It is also one of the cheapest to put right, and one people live with for years because it does not seem like a fault worth calling about.
Finding the gap
On a windy day, run the back of a hand slowly around the closed sash: along the meeting stile, around the frame and at each corner.
Where the draught is strongest is where the gasket has hardened or dropped out.
On a sliding window it is nearly always the brush seal at the meeting point, which wears flat. On a casement it is usually a corner where the gasket has shrunk back. Either way it is a strip of rubber or brush and an hour, not a window.
Why a gasket hardens and what it costs
Rubber and brush seals age with heat and sunlight rather than with use, so a window that is rarely opened has the same hardened gaskets as one in daily use.
Once hard, a gasket stops springing back and no longer presses the sash against the frame.
Replacing them across a flat is inexpensive and it makes a noticeable difference to draughts, dust and noise at once. It is rarely asked for because a hard gasket does not present as a fault — the window still opens and shuts perfectly well.
When it is the sash rather than the seal
If new gaskets do not fix it, the sash is no longer meeting the frame evenly, which is a different problem.
On a slider that usually means worn rollers letting the sash sit low; on a casement, hinges that have dropped or a sash that has been forced.
So the order is: seals first, because they are cheap and usually the answer, then the sash alignment. Replacing a window because it draughts is almost always unnecessary, and we would work through both before ever suggesting it.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you back in about 2 minutesWe confirm what you need and a time to visit. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening and check the walls, floor and ceiling around it. Anything made to size is made to these measurements, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt lists each item, with GST as its own line. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Our own team fits the work, checks that every door and window opens and closes properly, and clears up. Most jobs are done in 3 to 4 days.
