I finally figured out why caulk keeps cracking on my window jobs

Been doing windows for 5 years in Austin and kept getting callbacks for cracked caulk after 6 months. Turned out I was using standard acrylic caulk on south-facing windows that get baked in direct sun 8 hours a day. Switched to a high-temp silicone specifically rated for UV exposure and haven't had a single callback in over a year. Anyone else run into this with exterior sealing jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_wilson5d ago

The south Texas sun is brutal man, I'm in San Antonio and had the exact same problem with east facing windows cooking in the morning. Switched to a 100% silicone with a 50 year UV warranty and it's been night and day. Glad you figured it out before losing your mind on those callbacks.

ray_burns5d ago

50 year warranty on silicone... I'd like to see them actually honor that after a decade. Seems like one of those things they throw on the tube to get you to pay double. I'm not saying it didn't help your situation, but I've seen so many of those "lifetime" claims fall apart when you actually try to cash in. The heat down there is no joke though, I get it. Just feels like we get sold on these miracle products way too often.