PellaSealFailure.com
Online since October, 2008

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Pella Windows.  Until a month ago, I couldn't say enough good about them.  We've enjoyed them tremendously.  We purchased the designer series, and opted for the blinds which are between the window panes.  It is a great idea.  The blinds are clean and the windows look nice and neat; no need for window treatments.

I cannot understand why a great company like Pella Window and Doors would want to make a happy customer like us so upset.

The windows from 1993 had a defect in the design and/or with the Butyl Rubber seal, which caused water to run in behind the aluminum clad.  The window leak caused the wood to rot inside the window at the base of the sill.

Here's a picture of the rotting wood on the inside of the window.  The black may or may not be mold.  I have not had it tested.

Apparently, the 1993 windows had a one year warranty from Pella.  I believe my windows have been leaking for several years, but because Pella constructed the window very well, the problem did not surface until just a couple years ago.  At that time, I did not know why the window had some discoloration.  I was hoping it was nothing and it never occurred to me that the window was, in fact, leaking.  I believe the company, Pella Windows and Doors, was quite aware of this problem and yet they did nothing whatsoever to notify me of it.

It turns out that the rotting wood could have and should have been prevented.  All Pella needed to do was to contact us to tell us that our window seals may fail.  Instead, they did nothing.  After I figured out the problem, I added some caulk to fix the window and door seals.  It took me about three hours to fix, and cost me about $15.00 for materials.

Please check out the timeline to see the detailed history of events.

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