Why is there a draft if the window is closed and locked?
The weatherstrip — the seal the sash presses against — has crumbled or flattened. Replacing it restores the seal for $115 per window; no glass or frame work needed.
$115 per window, minimum 3 windows
Drafty Windows? Weatherstripping Replacement — $115 per Window
Sounds like: cold air leaking around the sash in winter · whistling window on windy days · AC bill climbing while windows look fine
Drafty windows usually need new weatherstripping, not new windows. WowFix replaces worn seals with profile-matched weatherstrip for $115 per window (3-window minimum) — the highest-ROI comfort fix in an older home.
Why It Fails
Weatherstrip is the soft seal the sash compresses against, and it has a working life: foam crumbles, felt mats down, vinyl bulbs crack and stay cracked. The window still looks closed — but hold a hand near the meeting rail on a windy January day and you'll feel the leak. Worn seals are why a room with «fine» windows runs cold and why summer AC bills creep up a house that never used to have them.
How the Repair Goes
The fix is profile matching. Sashes take one of a dozen-plus weatherstrip profiles — bulb, fin, kerf-in, compression — and the right one seats into the existing groove like it grew there. We strip the worn seal, fit matched profile on the full sash perimeter, and check the lock tension so the sash actually compresses it. $115 per window with a 3-window minimum — drafts rarely live in just one opening.
Brands
Kerf-in profiles on Andersen and Pella swap cleanly. Builder-grade vinyl often used glued foam that leaves residue — we clean the channel before the new seal goes in, or it peels by spring.
Repair vs. Replacement
Re-sealing a drafty window is $115; replacing it «for efficiency» starts at $1,000 and pays back over decades, not winters.
Honest DIY note: Stick-on foam from the hardware store lasts a season; profile-matched weatherstrip lasts years — the difference is knowing which of the dozen profiles your sash uses.
FAQ
Why is there a 3-window minimum?
Seals age at the same rate house-wide: if one window's weatherstrip died, its neighbors' is next season's draft. Three windows per visit keeps the per-window price at $115.
Will new weatherstripping actually lower energy bills?
It's the highest-ROI comfort fix in an older home: $115 per window against $1,000+ per replacement window «for efficiency» that pays back over decades, not winters.
Window weatherstripping repair near me? Serving Charlotte, Raleigh & Greensboro
Window weatherstripping calls come in from all three of our metros — Charlotte, the Raleigh–Durham Triangle and the Greensboro–Winston-Salem Triad — plus the towns around them, from Huntersville and Matthews to Cary, Apex and Kernersville. The price doesn't change with the zip code: $115 per window, minimum 3 windows, any brand, written 5-year warranty.
Applies to: double-hung, single-hung, sliding, casement. Every repair carries a written 5-year warranty.