We bought a house a couple of years ago that is about 8 yrs old now. It had double paned aluminum windows with some E-film effect but really pretty basic windows...

Today in DFW area we have icy sleet/snow and temps in 20s--this morning I found the bottom rails (that you raise windows by) had icy film and/or condensate along them...

there is NO condensate between the panes in any of the windows..

there is not a lot of condensation/ice along the bottom edge--and the windows themselves are not dripping condensate on the interior of the glass...

all the windows, first/second floor and facing all directions shows some of same effect

the temps in the house are probably 70 or so right now (my husband likes to keep it warmer than I do so it was probably 72 or so during the night) and the outside temps are about 20

I took towels and laid along the the bottom aluminum so the condensate would not drip on the wood sashes...have had this problem before in another much older home and had damage to the wood sills

I know alum frame windows are not what people recommend but they came with the house and there is no way we could recoup cost of replacing with better ones at this stage/age

I thought these were supposed to have felt "breaker" between the frame to reduce the cold/heat transfer but maybe not--

Have some questions--

DOES this condensate/ice on such cold day mean that the windows were installed improperly--or is this just part/parcel of having alum frame windows when the outside is so cold...

--the glass in the frame is not that cold when I hold my hand on it--and as I said there is no condensate between the two frames

DOES it mean there is likely no break/insulation between the frames themselves so the outside and inside frames are in contact and thus transfer the cold much easier...

Is there any way to check for that without taking a window apart--

I can't find any documentation for the types of windows or who did the install with the other info the sellers left behind for us...

Will calking around the outside of the windows (when weather is better/warmer) help prevent this from happening in future?

And this is real problem I noticed this AM--

There is dining room window that shows signs of water intrusion--I noticed it when I was putting the towels along the sills for all the windows--

the dining room has double windows--separated by some painted millwork and the interior of the window frame is that millwork (vs sheetrock like most of the other windows)...

the inside side (vs the one framed to wall on exterior side) shows place where the paint (shellac vs latex) is cracking and it seems like there is sort of a bulge...

I am wondering if this "millwork" was done with MDF vs wood and thus is more succeptible to moisture intrusion

and/of if the exterior of the window might be allowing water to run into that wall cavity--

the exterior of the house is brick on that side

the window operates fine--opens/closes w/no problem

We have continued the American Shield Home Warrenty that came when we purchased the house--

and water intrusion from leaking window SHOULD be covered...but it costs $60 to have someone come out to check a problem--and we don't get to pick the person sent

would it be smarter to get a contractor we know to check it first

and how could we tell what was causing this w/o taking apart the window frame--the millwork that is showing the problem?