I am experiencing an issue on the north-west side of my 2-story house: in the morning 2 hours after sunrise we get infested with gnats. There are hundreds of them inside the house at the main level by the sliding doors and on the windows seals. We vacuum them up and it is up again within minutes. After a couple of hours we manage to clear up all of them until the next morning... It is frustrating. Even a window that does not open seem to be impacted. Yesterday I had a glass company send a tech to my house to take a look. He offered to replace the windows but stated he had no clues whether this would help. He said I should talk to a windows company to replace my windows. I noticed that the weather strip on the sliding doors is not in the best shape so I will replace it this weekend. My current solution is to apply painters tape everywhere I feel there is a light draft or visible gaps on the frames. Do I need to replace the windows? The brand is quanex and the glass thermatru. The house is 5 yo and in Southern California.
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3First move would be to tape up outside. If gnats still come in, it won't be the windows. If they don't, then remove strips one at a time, until they do. Problem found.– TimCommented Mar 5, 2021 at 10:22
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2Might not be the windows, windows just where you see them. Do you have plants inside? Can also google for pictures of gnats/small flies and find exactly the type of gnats/bugs and go from there.– crip659Commented Mar 5, 2021 at 12:47
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As Tim suggested, try applying the painters tape to the exterior of the window and then check for drafts again. Sometimes a draft originates between the outside of the window assembly and the rough opening, i.e. in the wall, and masquerades as a window draft. Fixing it might be a matter of pulling the trim and sealing with caulk and/or expanding foam as needed. Some window designs also provide nice hiding places for diminutive creatures, e.g. casement windows have latch and crank mechanisms on the interior side of any seals.– HABOCommented Mar 5, 2021 at 15:22
2 Answers
I feel there is a light draft or visible gaps
That's most likely your problem. If you can feel air blowing around the edges of your windows and/or sliding door, then they're not sealed properly. Same if you can see light through it.
Since you know the window manufacturer and you know they're only 5 years old, you may want to contact them to see if they offer a warranty on the windows/doors. If so, you may get them replaced for free and be done with both the bugs and the heat/AC loss.
If they're no longer under warranty, I'm sure they'd be happy to sell you new ones, but for a far more reasonable price, you can tackle replacing weather stripping.
NOTE: Depending on where the air/light is coming from, you could have issues with the sealing between the window and the exterior of the house. This could be allowing water behind the siding, where it could be pooling and starting to rot your house framing. You may also want to contact the home builder to see if they offer any sort of home warranty and if it's still in effect.
So I moved 2 plants to the garage and now the flies are by the windows in the garage and no longer in the house. Seems like I found the culprit. Thanks all for the ideas!