Should window frames be caulked when installed in vinyl siding?
Answers:
NO!! Ive done a lot of work, replacing windows/doors etc, over the years... the caulk should be applied between the window, and the sheathing/framing.
The siding itself has to be able to expand and contract.... if you caulk it in place, you will end up with sections of it becoming distorted, because it could not move.
The vinyl siding is supposed to be butted up into a channel... either a piece of vinyl J-channel provided as trim around the window, or a channel built into the window itself.... in both cases... the window and the J-channel extend farther behind the vinyl siding, than you can see from the surface.
The kind of force that is going to be needed to get blowing rain behind the vinyl sidng, and far enough away from the window or trim.... is going to be causing problems with other things.... like shingles being torn off your roof.... sections of vinyl siding sent flying for blocks... etc etc. Normal storms/blowing rain will not be a problem for the usual vinyl siding installation. Only those extremely strong storms will run any danger of that... and as I mentioned, you are just as likely to lose the siding altogether, as you are to have some rain blown back behind the siding.
If you insist on doing anything .... then peel the siding back away from the windows, and staple some plastic to the walls around them... say about 1 to 2 ft wide, to either side of the window. Start under the window.... run plastic all the way up, from the bottom of the wall, to the bottom of the window. Add the 1 or 2 foot strips to either side, and then a 6 inch to 1 foot strip along the top. Then replace the vinyl siding.
I do not know how many homes I have had to replace vinyl siding on, because it cracked, or broke, after someone had caulked it in place.....
Congrats on the new house, hope you enjoy it.
Other answers:
Yes!!
Yes!!
Yes but it has to be done neatly so the caulk isnt smeared wide all over your siding .Damn builder hacks trying to save a buck.Forgot to say if you have Tyveck (home wrap)on the house your good to go without the caulk.
yes and do it quickly water is your worst enemy
yessssss
no. vinyl siding is only a cladding for your home. it is not water proof. water will enter around all channels, corners and at seams. if you caulk your j channel around the windows you a giving the water one less place to escape. this is why preparation for siding is just as important. if the house has had a good house wrap and the windows sealed properly you should have no concerns.