Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 52
CANADA
08-14-15, 08:10 AM
#1
Replacing insulation in window PANE - worth it?
Hi all, a large window pane in the master bedroom has somehow 'failed' it's insulation (not really sure how it works so that's what I understood of the explanation I was given).
Anyway, it is REALLY cold in the winter and fogs up inside. Window does not open (it's just a panel) and I was told that there is a way to somehow fill it back up(?) with the insulating gas.
The question is does this work? Is it worth it? and finally, What should something like that cost?
Thanks
Anyway, it is REALLY cold in the winter and fogs up inside. Window does not open (it's just a panel) and I was told that there is a way to somehow fill it back up(?) with the insulating gas.
The question is does this work? Is it worth it? and finally, What should something like that cost?
Thanks
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Group Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 19,316
NE
08-14-15, 08:20 AM
#2
Whoever told you that information was not "quite" right... especially the part about repairing it.
If a double paned insulating glass unit (IGU) is fogged, it must be replaced. Both panes are sealed together, so you can't fix it. Call any glass company and they will come measure it, they will have to have it made (which takes a week or two depending on how busy they are) then they can come put it in.
Any piece of glass can be replaced, so don't let them try and sell you a new window.
An IGU can fail for many reasons. The seal around the edge can leak or completely fail causing one piece of glass to separate from the other, letting fresh air in, which has humidity and it becomes like a greenhouse between the panes. Or the seal may be fine and it's the dessicant that has failed. Dessicant is an absorbant pellet that often fills the aluminum spacer around the perimeter of the glass. If the dessicant gets old, or goes through too many cycles of humidity changes, it can fail, and there is no fixing it. Not all IGUs have a special gas between the panes. Some have Argon or Krypton but usually on older IGUs it's simply the ambient air that was between the glass when the IGU was assembled.
If a double paned insulating glass unit (IGU) is fogged, it must be replaced. Both panes are sealed together, so you can't fix it. Call any glass company and they will come measure it, they will have to have it made (which takes a week or two depending on how busy they are) then they can come put it in.
Any piece of glass can be replaced, so don't let them try and sell you a new window.
An IGU can fail for many reasons. The seal around the edge can leak or completely fail causing one piece of glass to separate from the other, letting fresh air in, which has humidity and it becomes like a greenhouse between the panes. Or the seal may be fine and it's the dessicant that has failed. Dessicant is an absorbant pellet that often fills the aluminum spacer around the perimeter of the glass. If the dessicant gets old, or goes through too many cycles of humidity changes, it can fail, and there is no fixing it. Not all IGUs have a special gas between the panes. Some have Argon or Krypton but usually on older IGUs it's simply the ambient air that was between the glass when the IGU was assembled.
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,476
WI
08-14-15, 09:15 AM
#3
As X said, this is not fixable, the IGU must be replaced. We do this probably a dozen times a year throughout all of our units.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 52
CANADA
