Cracks around window

Smithy99

Should I be concerned about these cracks around my window? Is it best to just caulk them? Thanks

rob7475

That window looks quite old so I'm guessing the sealent is too. Scrape away any old sealant and re-seal with a flexible frame sealent. If there are no other cracks in the walls nearby, don't worry at this point. If the new sealant splits within a few months, maybe get it looked at.

twopenny

Yes, I found this when I moved into a house that hadn't been inhabited for 15yrs.

The heating, cold outside, opening and closing etc and some 'cracks' appeared around the windows and a little shifting in the frames

I resealed and it's stayed. It was later the advice given by a window doctor.

I'm also having to clean out and reseal one of the larger window sills.

Yours appears to be simply sealing. Repair and see what happens.

Has anything changed in the house? Are you there more, the heating etc?

Smithy99

The heating is on for 30mins/1 hour a day more as my partner has been WFH since covid.   The windows are also open all day when it's warm now because someone is home and we've been making a conscious effort to run our dehumidifier more since it's got cold, as we get condensation on the windows in winter.  So that's been running a lot the last week as we've tried to lower the general humidity in the house to 50-55%. 

We've had a fair few cracks appear around the coving in various rooms in the house over the last 18 mths or so as well. 

rob7475

How long have you lived in the house and how old is the property? 

Cracks around coving where it meets the wall / ceiling can be quite normal. If the gap was filled with decorators caulk when the coving was fitted, the cheaper stuff can fail over time as it's not very flexible. You may find the same around tops of skirtings too.

I wouldn't be overly worried. If the coving cracks are bothering you, re-caulk them with some of this - it stays flexible and can be painted easily.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/geocel-painters-mate-flexible-acrylic-filler-white-310ml/35403?tc=PT8&ds_kid=92700058176434269&ds_rl=1249416&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzMGNBhCyARIsANpUkzPsvy-q2xp2ST93q79zu9NjiIXzszxrsdZBzW2e0VrIWoa5vQaqh00aAlmOEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Smithy99

We've been here about 7 years and it was built in the 70's.

I did recaulk the coving with some acrylic paintable caulk.  Thank you.