Surely windows are sealed from the inside?

[Turquoisetamborine]

Every time we get heavy rain I get water dripping down my French doors. I've had a couple of workmen out to look at it and the answers have varied from its coming in from the roof (had roof checked, it's fine) to they don't have a clue.

However my door isn't sealed with putty or whatever they use on the inside. There's just the upvc and then the plaster. Surely it should have been sealed? The firm who fitted it three years ago has gone bust.

I can't see from your pictures, but sealing against rain penetration is done on the OUTside of doors and windows.

If the gap is small and neat then a fillet of flexible silicone will do. If it is large and clumsy, a plastic strip on the outside may be needed. The profiles of plastic frames is designed so that any rain that gets in should run outside and escape through little channels that you may see near the sill.

Ask around for a local firm that repairs plastic windows and patio doors. There will be one, because they often go wrong. Don't use a national agency with an 0800 or 0870 number.

Expanding foam is not suitable for blocking rain, because it gets damp and holds water. However, it can be used, inside, to keep out dry draughts.

Thanks for the reply. I'll contact a window company to get them to have a look rather than handy men like I've tried before.

When we bought our house we had leakage through double glazed windows. They weren't properly sealed on the outside. Once that was done they have been fine even in the heavy rain.