Water on the Sill After the Rain? When the Glass Still Looks Fine in Metro Vancouver
Late October in Metro Vancouver is often the week the rain stops being a shower and sits on the glass. Halloween is Saturday, October 31. The clocks fall back on Sunday, November 1, so the trip home is dark an hour sooner. Across Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam, and the Fraser Valley, people come in wet and find a puddle on a sill under a window that still looks whole.
A wet sill is not an open pane. The glass can be intact while water passes the edge, backs up in the frame, or forms on the room side and runs. A fine crack from summer can track a line only when the wind is on that wall.
A crack with no water is a different note. Start with our [window that cracked by itself](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/window-cracked-by-itself-thermal-stress-cold-weather-vancouver) guide if nobody hit the pane. If the glass is open to the weather, use the [first hour after a fall storm](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/fall-storm-broken-window-first-hour-vancouver). This one stays on water where the pane still looks fine.
## Why this rain shows a leak the dry weeks hid
Summer rain here is often short and straight down. A fall system lasts, and the wind holds it on the glass.
- **The rain lasts.** A seal that sheds a shower can weep after half a day of wind.
- **The wind picks the wall.** South and west faces take rain the other sides miss.
- **Leaves sit in the track.** Grit blocks the outside sill, so water that should drain stays on the glass. Clearing those openings is in our [clogged weep holes](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/clogged-window-weep-holes-fall-leaves-vancouver) post. Do not caulk them shut.
- **Dark evenings show it.** After the clocks change, the lamp is on when you walk in, and a wet sill is hard to miss.
[Window glass replacement](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/window-replacement) fits when the pane or the sealed unit is what failed.
## Five places the water usually comes from
Most wet sills this week come from one of these. They can overlap.
**Room-side moisture.** Cooking, showers, or a drying rack can fog the inside face until it drips. It wipes off, and it can return on a clear cold night. The wipe test is in our [room-side condensation versus a failed seal](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/room-side-condensation-vs-fogged-igu-vancouver-fall) post. Dew on the outside is in our [exterior condensation](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/condensation-outside-windows-fall-mornings-vancouver) note.
**A blocked weep.** Many vinyl and aluminium frames drain through small holes on the outside bottom. Leaves plug them. Water then spills inside while the glass stays clear.
**A tired gasket or stop.** Look for a line at a corner, or a dark streak under the bottom stop, only while rain is on that face. Vinyl gaskets in Surrey, Coquitlam, and the Fraser Valley can harden and pull back.
**A crack or chip you barely see.** A hairline at the edge can stay dry until wind holds rain on it. If a fingernail catches a chip, that is damage in the glass. Our [scratched and chipped glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/scratched-chipped-window-glass-repair-or-replace-vancouver) guide sorts scratches from chips. A crack from the frame, with no impact mark, is the usual thermal-stress pattern.
**The wall above the glass.** A stain over the window often came in at the head flashing or the cladding. Bays add joints. That check is in our [bay and bow before winter](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/bay-bow-window-glass-before-winter-vancouver) post.
## A short look while the glass is still wet
Stay on the floor. Do not stand on the sill, and do not press a cracked pane.
- **Wipe one patch.** If the wetness returns as a film on the glass, with no drip at the frame, think condensation.
- **Watch the bottom corners.** A gasket leak usually starts there, then runs along the sill.
- **Shine a light along the pane.** Rain film hides a crack. Look for a line that starts at the frame.
- **Check leaves from the ground.** A packed outside sill is a clue.
- **Leave a stuck sash alone.** Forcing a swollen frame can crack the glass.
If you can see through the opening, or the glass moves, call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency). A stable hairline and a damp sill can usually wait for a measured visit.
## What to do the same evening
Keep people off the wet floor.
- **Clear the drip path.** Lift cords, papers, and rugs. Unplug anything the water can reach.
- **Catch a slow weep** with a towel and a shallow pan.
- **Leave weep holes open.** Caulk or tape on the outside drains traps the next rain in the frame.
- **Do not caulk wet glass.** Sealant rarely sticks, and it can close the path water uses to get out.
- **Tape is only for the night,** and only on ordinary glass. It will not hold tempered glass. A spidered lite is replaced, which our [tempered glass after a crack](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/tempered-glass-cracks-after-fall-storms-vancouver) post explains.
- **Photograph before you wipe.** Take a wide shot, the spot where water meets the frame, and the outside from the ground if that is safe.
A stream, loose glass, or a room open to the rain needs a board for the night. How long plywood should stay is in our [board-up duration](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/emergency-board-up-how-long-before-permanent-glass-vancouver) note. Call police first if it looks forced. We can help with insurance documentation after a storm. Coverage depends on the policy, and the list is in our [storm window insurance](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/storm-window-insurance-documentation-vancouver) post.
## When a new pane is the usual fix
Glass in the frame you have often fits when the water tracks from one lite, that lite is cracked or the gasket has pulled away, and the frame is still square and firm. Fog that will not wipe off belongs to that sealed unit.
The usual repair is a sealed unit, or a single pane, made to that opening. One cracked sheet in double glazing usually means the whole unit. Use our [glass-only versus full window](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/fogged-window-glass-only-vs-full-window-fall-vancouver) guide for the frame. Milky glass left wet for months can etch. See our [etching and mold](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/fogged-window-etching-mold-risk-waiting-wet-season-vancouver) post.
New glass is the wrong first step when the sill is soft, the stain starts above the head, or several windows on that wall leak at once. Water in a packed patio track, with clear glass, is often the door. Our [sticky patio door](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/sticky-patio-door-fall-track-vs-glass-vancouver) post separates the track from the lite. [Patio door glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/patio-door-glass) covers the lite.
[Broken window repair](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/broken-window-repair) covers a pane that is cracked or out. The quote should separate new glass from the frame. With over 15 years here as a licensed and insured shop, that split is the useful part of the visit. Measuring is free and no-obligation through [Get A Quote](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/quote). Same-day service is offered when possible.
## Suites, strata, and what to send
Glass near the ground takes the splash first. The longer walk is in our [basement and ground-floor check](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/basement-ground-floor-window-glass-check-fall-vancouver). A lane well can leak from the well, not the pane.
In a strata building, the glass, the frame, and the wall can sit with different people. Bylaws vary. This is not legal advice. Tell the manager before glass is ordered if you are unsure. A stream into the suite is still the urgent call. Councils can use our [strata glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/strata) page and our [strata winter checklist](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/strata-glass-winter-checklist-property-managers-vancouver). Renters should dry the sill, then check the lease.
Send the address, the floor, and which wall faces the weather. Useful photos are the wet sill, the wet edge, and the outside if you can take it safely. Add one line: only in wind, every rain, or also on a clear night. Mention a crack, or a board that is already up.
## Which wet sill usually fits which fix
| What you notice | Often means | Usual next step |
|---|---|---|
| A film on the room side that wipes off, even on a dry night | Condensation on cold glass | Ventilate and watch |
| Clear glass, leaves in the outside sill, water only in hard rain | Drainage in the frame is blocked | Clear the weeps, then watch the next rain |
| A line at one corner in the wind, frame still firm | Tired gasket, or a hairline at that lite | Measure that opening |
| A crack you can see, sill wet only in storms | That pane is open to the weather | Replace the pane or sealed unit |
| A stain above the window, or several windows on the wall | Water entering above the glass | Frame or wall before new glass |
| A stream, loose glass, or a hole | The opening is not weathertight | Board-up, then measured glass |
## FAQ
### Is a wet sill an emergency if the glass is still in?
Usually no. A slow weep, with the pane firm and the lock working, can wait for a regular visit. Call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency) if water is streaming, the glass is loose, or the sash will not close. Board-up is available 24 hours.
### Can I caulk the outside to stop the leak?
Often that makes the next storm worse. Weep holes let water leave the frame. Caulk over them, or over a wet edge, traps rain so it spills inside. Check the gasket on a dry day.
### Does a wet sill mean the sealed unit failed?
Not by itself. A failed seal is usually haze between the panes that will not wipe off. A wet sill can be condensation, a clogged weep, a tired gasket, a crack, or the wall. Find the path before you order glass.
### Will new glass stop rain coming through the wall?
No. A stain above the glass, or several openings leaking together, usually means the water is already past the pane. New glass in a soft frame can leak again.
## Ready to sort the leak before the next rain?
A puddle under glass that still looks whole is common this week. Condensation wipes off. A packed sill is drainage. A line at one firm lite is often the glass or the gasket. A stain above the head is usually not the pane. A stream, or glass that moves, is the after-hours call.
[Get A Quote](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/quote) · Call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency) · See [window replacement](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/window-replacement) · Call or text **778-239-6052** · Email **info@vancityglassltd.com**
*VanCity Glass Team*
