Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 25
DE
06-22-15, 08:25 AM
#1
Can you replace only a fixed portion of sliding glass doors?
I have condensation between the glass panes in the fixed portion of my sliding glass door.
Is it possible to just slip in a replacement fixed portion? The door is probably 15 years old with no identifying marks, other than the glass...
Any thoughts?
Is it possible to just slip in a replacement fixed portion? The door is probably 15 years old with no identifying marks, other than the glass...
Any thoughts?
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,476
WI
06-22-15, 08:28 AM
#2
We replace just the IGUs all the time in our units.
At this point, I would think you'd be able to do that or you'd likely have to change out the whole thing to keep it matching.
At this point, I would think you'd be able to do that or you'd likely have to change out the whole thing to keep it matching.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,476
WI
06-22-15, 08:38 AM
#4
Vinyl can change color a lot with age, I think a match is going to be harder than you think it will be.
Go ahead and try the big box store, that's a reasonable place to look.
Go ahead and try the big box store, that's a reasonable place to look.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,476
WI
06-22-15, 08:58 AM
#6
You could replace the IGU. The problem is not that the glass is tempered but because you have two panes of glass with a specific gas between them and a seal that has now failed allowing air into the space. Fixing this is not reasonably possible.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 19,283
NE
06-22-15, 09:17 AM
#9
No, people who do that are scammers.
There is not a vacuum between the glass, that is a common misconception. There is usually a nitrogen based dessicant inside the aluminum spacer that is around the perimeter of the glass. The purpose of the dessicant is to absorb any moisture that is between the panes when the unit is glued together in the factory. Sometimes an inert gas is added, sometimes not... but that is besides the point. The problem is likely that the dessicant has reached its saturation point and can no longer hold any additional moisture, so that is why you are seeing moisture between the panes. Ocasionally the 2 panes of glass will actually separate from one another, letting air into the unit, which is bad, because the dessicant cannot handle the moisture in that added volume of air.
As we have both mentioned, your option is to replace the glass. "Fixing the glass" is not an option. Replacing it is.
There is not a vacuum between the glass, that is a common misconception. There is usually a nitrogen based dessicant inside the aluminum spacer that is around the perimeter of the glass. The purpose of the dessicant is to absorb any moisture that is between the panes when the unit is glued together in the factory. Sometimes an inert gas is added, sometimes not... but that is besides the point. The problem is likely that the dessicant has reached its saturation point and can no longer hold any additional moisture, so that is why you are seeing moisture between the panes. Ocasionally the 2 panes of glass will actually separate from one another, letting air into the unit, which is bad, because the dessicant cannot handle the moisture in that added volume of air.
As we have both mentioned, your option is to replace the glass. "Fixing the glass" is not an option. Replacing it is.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,476
WI
06-22-15, 09:33 AM
#11
You're not just replacing the glass, you're replacing the whole Insulated Glass Unit which is already sealed ready to go.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 42,787
TN
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 787
WA
06-22-15, 04:22 PM
#13
Might be cheaper to buy a new sliding glass door and DYI it. That's what I would do. The other side may be close to leaking also.
Mike
Retired Real Estate Broker
Home Remodeler
Do it Yourselfer