A four-season maintenance calendar written for Minnesota does not fit Central Texas. Austin has a short, mostly mild winter, a pollen season that starts around Christmas, a stormy spring and a summer that can run from May well into October. Your windows feel each of those differently, so the chores below follow the year as it actually plays out here.
December to February: cedar season and the odd cold snap
Mountain cedar (Ashe juniper) pollinates in the middle of winter, and the clouds of it that blow off the hills west of town find every gap a house has. Windows are a common entry point, mostly through worn weatherstripping and screens that have not been washed since summer.
Check the seals where sash meets frame
Close each window and lock it. Run a hand slowly around the edges on a breezy day and feel for moving air. On a double-hung or single-hung window, pay close attention to the meeting rail in the middle and the bottom of the lower sash. If the weatherstripping looks flattened, torn or brittle, make a note of the window. Many manufacturers sell replacement strips matched to the model, which is one reason to keep your window paperwork handy.
Watch for condensation on cold mornings
Hard freezes are rare but they do happen, and even a 35-degree morning can put a film of water on the inside of the glass. A little moisture on the inner pane that clears by mid-morning usually points to indoor humidity: cooking, showers, a crowded house over the holidays. Wipe it up so it does not sit on the sill. Fog or droplets between the two panes of an insulated window is a different problem. That means the seal on the glass unit has failed, and cleaning will not fix it.
March to May: pollen, storms and hail
Oak pollen takes over from cedar in early spring and coats everything in a yellow-green dust. This is the season for a full wash, inside and out, frames included. Pull the screens, rinse them with a garden hose and mild soap, and let them dry in the sun before you put them back. A clean screen lets more breeze through on the few weeks of the year when you actually want the windows open.
Spring is also when most of Austin’s severe weather arrives. After any storm with hail or high wind, walk the outside of the house and look at each window:
- cracks or chips in the glass, especially near the corners
- bent or torn screens
- caulk that has split or pulled away from the siding or brick
- water stains on the inside sill or the drywall below a window
Take photos before you clean anything up. If you need to file an insurance claim, dated pictures help.
June to September: keeping the heat outside
Summer is the long season here, and it is hard on anything that faces west. Late-afternoon sun on a west wall bakes the glass, the frame and the caulk for hours every day. Those are the windows to watch.
Inspect caulk and sealant on the sunny sides
UV and heat break down exterior caulk faster than anything else. Look for joints that have gone hard and cracked, or that have shrunk away from the frame. Small gaps let hot air and water in. Re-caulking a joint with a good exterior sealant is a reasonable weekend job on a single-story house. On a second story, hire someone.
Keep the weep holes clear
Most vinyl windows have small slots along the bottom of the outside frame. They let rainwater that gets into the sill track drain back out. Dust, dead bugs and grass clippings plug them over the summer. A pipe cleaner or a short length of stiff wire clears them in seconds. A blocked weep can send water toward the inside of the house during the next downpour.
Use shades on purpose
Close blinds or shades on west and south windows before the afternoon peak, not after the room is already hot. If you find yourself doing this every day on the same few windows, that is useful information. Solar heat gain matters more than winter performance for most Austin homes, and newer glass packages are built to reject much more of it.
October and November: the open-window season
Fall is when Austin finally cools off enough to turn the AC down and open the house up. Before you do, give every window a quick operating check. Raise and lower each sash all the way. It should move smoothly and stay where you leave it. Clean the tracks with a vacuum and a damp cloth, and if a sash drags, wipe the track with a small amount of silicone spray rather than oil or grease, which hold dust.
Test every lock while you are at it. If a lock will not engage on a window that is fully closed, or a sash drops when you let go of it, call the company that installed the window. Those issues usually involve the balance system or the sash alignment, and a warranty visit is the safer route than taking the window apart yourself.
Any time of year: signs it is time to replace
Maintenance keeps good windows working. It cannot rescue windows that have reached the end of their life. A lot of homes in Round Rock, Cedar Park and Pflugerville still have their original builder-grade windows, and some older central Austin houses still have single-pane aluminum or wood sash. Consider replacement if you notice:
- fogging between panes on several windows
- sashes that stick or bind every summer, which can follow foundation movement in clay soils
- rotted or soft wood at the sill
- rooms on the west side that stay hot no matter what the thermostat says
You can compare styles and glass options on our replacement windows page before anyone visits.
If your seasonal check turns up more than a quick fix, call The Window Source of Austin at (512) 524-9455 or request a free in-home estimate, and we will look at every window with you.