Whistling Windows: Wind Noise on Exposed Properties
A whistle is a physical phenomenon, not a mystery: air forced through a narrow slot at speed becomes an oscillating jet. Find the slot and the noise goes. On exposed western-facing properties around Stannington, Crosspool and the Peak fringe, that slot is usually one of three things.
The three usual sources
A partially closed or damaged trickle vent is the most common — the baffle has broken and the aperture is now the wrong shape. Second is a worn gasket on a casement, particularly on 1970s and 80s aluminium units where the rubber has hardened and shrunk at the corners. Third is a gap at the frame-to-masonry joint behind failed external mastic, which whistles only on a specific wind direction.
- Damaged or partly-closed trickle vent
- Hardened, shrunken casement gasket
- Failed perimeter mastic behind the frame
Why it is always the same wind direction
The jet only forms above a threshold velocity across the slot. On an exposed hillside plot a south-westerly hits the front elevation squarely and a north-easterly does not, which is why the noise seems seasonal. Note the direction when it happens — it tells the surveyor which elevation to inspect first.
What the secondary panel adds
Sealing the source is always the first job. Beyond that, a room-side panel puts a second airtight line inboard of every one of those paths, so even a leak that reopens later is contained in the cavity rather than audible in the room. On very exposed elevations we specify compression gaskets rather than brush pile, because brush pile is not an air seal under wind pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Often yes — a replacement trickle vent or a gasket change may be all it needs, and we will tell you if that is the case rather than quote for glazing you do not need.
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