What is double glazing?
Double-glazed doors and windows are made up of two sealed sheets of glass with an insulating void between them. This gap is either in the form of a vacuum, or more commonly filled with a heavy inert gas such as argon. Together, the panes of glass and the void between them are very effective at preventing heat loss. In fact the U-value for a new double glazed window can be as low as 1.7, while a single glazed window in comparison has a u-value closer to 5.
However, over time the effectiveness of the double-glazing can wane, especially if the seal goes around one of the panes of glass, allowing air to replace either the vacuum or the inert gas between the panes.
The most common side effect of a seal going is that the window will fog up, as water vapour condenses on the inside surface of the window. If you notice your windows have become foggy, misty or steamy when you try to look through them, it means that the seals have started to fail.
Why have my double glazing seals become damaged?
This can happen due to a number of reasons, however the most common tends to be general wear and tear as the double-glazing unit ages. Continuous changes in temperature cause fluctuations in the size of the glazed unit, since they expand in warmth and contract in the cold, and over time this can loosen and damage the seals.
Particularly strong cleaning products can also sometimes eat away at the seal, so even though we all like being able to see through really clean windows, it is wise to make sure the cleaning product you are using is not chemically abrasive.
Other reasons for your double-glazing unit failing include faulty installations or faulty production methods. However on the whole these should be covered by your window installer. It is therefore key to make sure you keep your FENSA certificate and a receipt of any work carried out.
As the perimeter seal goes, moisture will start to enter the double-glazing unit. Normally there is a silica strip within the void that absorbs small amounts of moisture and separates the glazing units; however as soon as this becomes saturated the condensation rapidly increases, leading to it misting up the entire unit.
What is the best way to fix broken double-glazing seals?
Please click onto Page 2 to find out.
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So thats it then !!!
Well mine are out of warranty so I asked original fitter and was quoted
£2,000 for one bedroom window 2m x 1m .
Hubby says wait till summer and we will try and reseal ourselves if possible .
Are you sure that you got the right number of zeros? Replacement double glazed panes are cheap. I would expect a large window like yours to be about £200 (I got 3 smaller ones done for £200 by a local supplier).
Who done yours because we need 5 doing x
Where did you get yours done with we need 5 windows doing thankx
Hi Ray, entirely depends on the installer and the warranty that they offer with it. I can’t imagine that for £200 you got a terribly long warranty or it was Fensa approved?
You could get a new window installed for that!
Shop around more!
I know of one case where the householder imported TG windows from Scandinavia and had them installed by a local builder cheaper than specialist firm’s quotes. The market here charges what the buyer will pay. I didn’t pay more than £165 for a 1.8square meter pane for top quality Low-E DG.
These are quotes I got to replace 7 large DG panes, the installer’s firm is at the bottom.:
2 @ 1483w X 1185h Toughened on the inside = £157 Inc vat each therefore £314 Inc vat for both
2 @ 1540w X 1210h Toughened on the inside = £165 Inc vat each therefore £330 Inc vat for both
1 @ 1450w X 1200h = £149 Inc vat
Total = £793 Inc vat
The above cost includes survey, installation and disposal of existing units.
All our glass units achieve a u-value of 1.8 by using a softcoat on the inside skin and gas insert instead of air with a warmedge spacerbar (not silver or gold which may be what you currently have)
Diamond h2o Ltd
Unit 3a Boucher Plaza,
4 – 6 Boucher Road,
Belfast
Hundreds of thousands of units are repaired and saved from landfill by the equipment sold by Get The Mist Out. Dozens of Housing Associations now use this system as the prefered method of dealing with failed units.
Not every unit can be saved, as long as it is just fog or condensate in the unit it is repairable, damaged units with white streaks and stains can not be reversed.
Testing verified by Wolverhampton University confirmed the process has no effect on the units thermal performance.
Available as a DIY kit or find a local contractor.
I have 2 misty panes and one with condensation in between the double glazing on a door that has six panes
Get-The-Mist-Out and similar DIY kits might ‘get some mist out’ but they don’t fix the underlying problem – which is that there is a leak in the seal on your window. That’s how the moisture got in and will get in again if you don’t fix that seal. It doesn’t matter if the repair itself if air-tight. So don’t fall for these short-term de-misting kits. The only way to fix the problem is either properly re-seal the DG (can be done DIY, and is cheap but you need some patience to separate the panes and reseal and add new moisture absorbing materials) or replace the DG unit (but not the frame).
You could try a specialist window de fogging company, they drill a small hole in the outside pane suck out the wet air and add back in heaven argon, leaving your windows “Crystal Clear” with a 10 year garentee
We use this system for social housing and save a fortune on replacing double glazed units…… Is the unit can’t be repaired they will replace at a fair price
Allegedly only 4 companies in uk have the patent yo do this work
Hello Mark
I would really appreciate it if you could send me the details of the ‘specialist de fogging’ companies you mentioned.
many thanks
Daphne
Can you name these 4 companies please? Can you recommend any of them?
Did you get these names and did it work at what price I only have one half of the window doing
could you please send me details of firms capable of misting
Hi Muriel, by far the easiest way of doing this is using the film. This is a pretty simple DIY job and is much cheaper than buying a misted glazing unit.
Hi Mary
Please send me details of these companies.
Many thanks
M
The sealed unit has broken down and letting in moisture because the perimeter edge has failed.I am in the glass trade and would advise anyone considering paying for this to see a job thats been done and not whats printed on the website.The drilling of the glass and fitting of ‘valves’ is unsightly and the sealed unit is no longer a sealed unit and willl not give the same thermal qualities as a new sealed unit.The cost of fitting a new pane will work out a lot cheaper in the long run.£2000 for a 2meter x 1 metre pane is a joke and like another poster said £200 max is about right
We are currently going through an insurance claim when a large farm trailer came off the back of the tractor and rolled downhill into the side of our property. All 6 double glazing units in windows at the front of the property are now misted up. The quantity surveyor and loss adjustor are saying they do not have enough knowledge to know if this is as a result of the impact. Please can you advise
Hi Sheila,
it is impossible to say, but it does indeed sound like the seal have gone on the windows. I assume the misting up is taking place between the panes of glass – not on the inside or outside of the window?
Water running down the windows
The house next door to me was in a fire I need to get my windows seal again
I need my 2 bedroom double glazing windows resealed
my double glazing is 15+yrs old and alot of the rubber seals are perished. Are these easily replaced?
Hi Billy, they aren’t to be honest. The good news is that even though the seals have gone, the thermal performance of the windows will not be that bad. To be honest, the double glazing is only worth replacing if the windows have condensation inside and you can no longer see through them. From an energy saving point of view it is not worth it.
Hi
We have the same problem, with the rubber gaskets around several of our double glazed units having perished in bedrooms, to the point where there are quite bad draughts coming through these gaps. The rubbers just don’t marry up any more with the upvc frames when the windows are closed.
As a temporary fix in my son’s room I’ve daubed Vaseline in the gaps this winter – it’s reduced the breeze a little but really it feels like replacing the rubbers is a better long term fix.
Is this a fool’s errand?
We get a lot of condensation on the room side of the inner panel in the morning (after a night’s sleeping in the rooms) but nothing between the panes leading me to think the units themselves are still sealed. The condensation seems to form because the inner panel is so cold from the draughts, added to the moisture from our breath
Can I replace the double glazed glass in my windows with triple glazed glass
Hi Joe. You would have to rip out the existing frames and put a whole new set of windows in. Not worth it in our opinion!
Hi can you reseal windows I feel like the windows are letting to much cold and draughts through and can’t warm house up quickly is it possible to just reseal all the draughts or would you need to replace all windows just looking for a cheaper option than replacing all the windows in my house
I have a double glazed unit that has condensation on the inside,the size is 520mm x 560mm ,what would be the cost of supplying a replacement unit,maybe as the frame is in good condition I can replace myself.
Need estimate to re-seal patio sliding door both sides
I’ve been offered secondary glazing by the highways agency as part of a noise reduction scheme, but some of my old double glazed units are fogged up badly. I can’t afford to get them repaired.
Will the installation of secondary glazing make future repairs impossible?
Hello. I hv dried out my old dbl pane windows. The seal has waned but now I will silicon seal all around frames and mount them on wood frame. Hopefully this will keep them clear.
we have Aluminium double windows and Mahagony frames, there is nothing wrong with the wooden frames or the aluminium, there is condensation in the 7 double glazed units. we also need to change the hinges on the top quarter windows and the locking handles.
I brought 17 windows in total and have had issues from the start to present day with no assistance from Fensa even though i ensured I used a registered Fensa agent called Lorna Windows. We opted for the bespoke windows at an extra cost but made for our home an inspection was carried out by their inspector before the installation. The issues we had was from the start gaps of 2 to 3 inches from window to window. the reason given was they were unable to fit the extensions due to the metal fittings inlaid into the lintels so they fitted UPC plastic strips to hid the gaps which in my opinion reduced the 98.2% energy effeminacy. They did after complaining finish by filling the effected areas with foam which they said was acceptable resolution but then left leaving all the inside windows without any UPV plastic coverings to hid the foam that had been injected. I again complained because the foam ran down the windows and caused a great deal of mess and IN addition the walls needed plastering as a lot of damage was caused when installing them. There response was it was not their fault they had to come from Newton Abbot and they had left enough materials for me to finish the job myself and as for the interior damage it happens and not part of the job to make good any repairs caused. We also had issues when it rained the rain came into the living room and some of the windows did not close and let in the windy weather. They did come back some 3 month later to clean the foam of the windows but we had to carry out the plastering jobs left behind which effected every room. I even had to wash the parking areas outside my home because its where they liked to leave their chewing gum and spit and leave their bodily fluids. I did try for nearly two years when they rudely said staff were being made reductant and i had a neck for complaining as people are losing there jobs. I then contacted Fensa for assistance whom asked me if i had taken out insurance with them when i purchased the windows to which i was unaware I had to but apparently you have to take out an additional insurance to be covered by Fensa. Maybe it might be an idea to inform customers of this prior to buying the product rather than saying make sure you get a Fensa recognized company. Fensa were unable to help and we were left we all the repairs and leaks as we are today in hind sight we would have had a better idea so please ensure you take out the additional insurance that Fensa do not tell you about. It does however say on their web page that the relevant company has to provide an insurance back guarantee to be accepted by Fensa to ensure protection for the customer but Fensa did not reply to my questions as their was nothing they could do. It is very disappointing all round and i accept it was our first big expense and something we know know about now after the horse has bolted. Its interesting to note shortly after Lorna went bust they reopen re employing their staff but not having to honor any outstanding works in anyway. Shame on you stay safe but hopefully someone can save thousands of pounds.
If my windows don’t mist up but get condensation if I get new sealed units will it stop the condention.