Re: foam

["Jim Rojas" <jrojas@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don't be fooled with silicone. Though it is a great water sealer, it doesn't
last forever. I have pulled contacts from sills just to find the silicone
breaking down due to exposure, this is one reason why we don't install
contacts on sills anymore. I have seen mold growing near the baseboards,
under & on the carpeting, under the sills, usually near the contact. So you
can imagine the damage behind the walls...

Once the silicone breaks down, then its just a matter of time before the
contact housing cracks. I have found water, and rotted leads from installs
from just 5 years ago. I made Ranger American aware of this, since they were
usually the company that did most of the prewires in my area. I also did
alot of trimouts & service calls for them, so that made it easier for them
to listen to my concerns.

Since then, they only use surface contacts on windows, and only use recessed
on the doors & patio sliders. This eliminated the problem altogether.

Jim Rojas





"Don" <don@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Wegbh.17280$T6.1185@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> "Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1164777600.758367.36530@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>> J Barnes wrote:
>>> We now use 3/4 contacts on all windows and doors because of the foam
>>> problem.  It is much easier to dig the foam out of a 3/4 hole then a
>>> 3/8.
>>>
>>> James
>>>
>>
>> I can understand a larger contact on doors but how do you drill a 3/4
>> inch hole in the sill of a window and maintain integrity of the weather
>> strip?
>
> What I was thinking.  some of these newer windows are very expensive and
> Rube Goldbergerish.
>
>>
>> Also, it seems to me that I remember seeing a foam solvent on the shelf
>> at Home Depot. Not too sure about that because I wasn't looking for it.
>> But if they have it, you might want to take a look and read the lable
>> or try some on a sample of wire. If it's got acetone or methal ethal
>> keytone, it'll melt the wire insulation.
>
>
> I'll have a look.  might be very useful
>