Brown Mold Between Window Panes

LESLIE: Now I’ve got Regina in Texas on the line who’s got a window question. Tell us what’s going on.

REGINA: Hi. We bought a house in 2002 new and here it is, 2010, when I started noticing we have got something – it looks like it’s going between the double panes of our windows. Not on all the windows, just some of the windows. And it doesn’t matter whether there’s – just facing north, south, east or west.

LESLIE: When you say it looks like there’s something growing, does it almost seem like it’s a condensation that’s almost like a fog that’s permanently in there?

REGINA: No. It looks almost like a lichen or something.

LESLIE: Really?

REGINA: Yes. It looks like somebody has splashed some brown, dirty water up in there. There are no uniform sizes; it doesn’t cover the whole thing. There’s deep spots, small spots, kind of like they took a paint brush and flicked it.

TOM: Yeah, it sounds like you’ve got bad seals and you’re getting humidity in there and you probably are growing some mold on the humidity.

REGINA: OK.

LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Because there’s probably some dirt or dust that got in there and then the moisture gets in and now mold is growing. And unfortunately, when a bad seal happens with a window – which just sometimes is the luck of the draw – there’s really nothing you can do about it.

REGINA: OK. Except replace the window or have unsightly windows, am I correct?

TOM: Right. Mm-hmm.

LESLIE: Exactly.

TOM: Yeah, exactly. Yes, that’s correct.

REGINA: OK.

TOM: The good news is that it’s probably not affecting your energy-efficiency too much and it’s not a leak in that it’s damaging the exterior walls. It’s really a cosmetic issue at this point and while it’s really gross-looking, it’s going to be something that you have to live with until you’re ready to replace the windows.

REGINA: OK. Well, that was – I was hoping I – you can’t get in there.

LESLIE: Yeah, no. I’ve looked.

TOM: Yeah. No, you really can’t. It’s not designed to let you in there either. Those windows are sealed in a vacuum.

REGINA: Well, I’ll just replace my windows eventually but the house is new and I hate to do that just for cosmetic reasons.

TOM: Yeah, understood. Alright, Regina. Well, good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.