Last updated October 2026
A cold breeze across the lounge with every window shut, a ranch slider that whistles in a southerly, or water pooling in a window track after rain: all of them usually come back to the same small part. Weather seals are the strips of rubber, brush and foam that close the gaps around windows and doors, and like anything flexible left in the sun for years, they wear out.
★View the Best Glass Repairs in Tauranga→Here is how to find where the air or water is getting in, what kind of seal is involved, and when a seal needs replacing rather than a quick fix.
Find the gap first
It is easy to blame the glass or the frame when the real problem is a perished seal, or the other way round. A few minutes of checking tells you which.
Building Performance’s Smarter Homes guide to stopping draughts on building.govt.nz suggests a simple test: move a strip of single-ply toilet paper slowly around the edge of the window frame, and it will flutter where the draught is coming in. Curtains that move with the windows shut are another giveaway.
The same guide makes a point worth remembering: draughts from doors and windows are often a symptom of a need for maintenance. Before sealing anything, check that the catches, hinges and stays close the window or door properly. A sash that no longer pulls in tight will leak air whatever seal it has.
The seals on a typical window or door
Glazing rubber, often called wedge or gasket rubber
- Where you find it
- Between the glass and the aluminium frame
- What it does
- Holds the glass firmly and keeps water out around the pane
Weather seal on an opening sash
- Where you find it
- Around the edge of awning and casement windows
- What it does
- Closes the gap between the opening sash and the frame
Pile or brush strip
- Where you find it
- Along the edges of sliding doors and windows
- What it does
- Lets the panel slide while blocking wind and dust
Door seal or bottom brush
- Where you find it
- Around and under hinged doors
- What it does
- Stops draughts and rain at the door edge and threshold
Foam or V seal
- Where you find it
- Added to timber windows and door frames
- What it does
- Fills small gaps where there was no seal, or where an old one has gone
Signs your seals have had it
- Cracked, hard or shrunken rubber, especially rubber that has pulled back from the corners of the glass
- Flattened or missing brush strips on sliders, so daylight shows along the edge
- Whistling or rattling on windy days
- Water inside the track or on the sill after rain, or damp marks on the wall below
- Condensation and mould around the frame, which can be made worse by moist air leaking past the seal
In coastal suburbs such as Mount Maunganui and Papamoa, salt and sand add to the wear on sliding door brushes and seals.
What you can do yourself
Some draught-stopping is a weekend job. The Smarter Homes guide notes that self-adhesive foam suits door frames so the door closes snugly, that self-adhesive V seals suit windows, particularly older wooden sliding, sash and casement types, and that foam should not be used on wooden windows because it can warp them. It also notes that rubber strips last longer than foam and cost a little more, and that a brush strip fitted to the bottom of an external door helps stop the draught underneath.
What is harder to do yourself is the glazing rubber on aluminium windows. It has to match the frame’s profile exactly and go back in without stretching, or it shrinks away from the corners again. If the glass has to come out to replace it, that is a job for someone who handles glass every day.
Leaks are not always the seal
Water in an aluminium window or slider track is not always a failed seal. Sliding windows and doors are designed to drain water out through small holes at the bottom of the frame. If those drainage holes are blocked with dirt, water backs up and spills inside. Clearing them is worth trying before replacing anything.
If water is coming in around the outside of the frame itself, rather than past the opening sash or glass, the problem may be the flashing or cladding around the window, and that needs a builder’s eye rather than a new seal.
Questions to ask when you book a seal repair
- Which seals are failing: the glazing rubber, the sash seals or the brush strips?
- Does the glass need to come out to replace the glazing rubber?
- Are matching seals available for this joinery system?
- Are the stays, catches or rollers part of the problem too?
- Could the leak be coming from blocked drainage holes or the frame flashing instead?
Where OnCall Repairs fits
OnCall Repairs is a Tauranga business specialising in glass, window, door and lock repairs across Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Papamoa. It provides weather seal installation and replacement for windows and doors, starting by assessing the existing seals before recommending what to replace.
Draughts often come with other wear, and the business also repairs aluminium window and door joinery, from alignment problems to worn hardware, as part of its window and door repairs. It works for homeowners, property managers and businesses.
To arrange a visit, request a quote through the OnCall Repairs website or call 027 329 2163.
