Replacing windows with broken seals

Depending on the severity of the issue, replacing the entire window is often your best option. While this is a total fix and will rectify all your issues fog and broken seal , it can often be the more expensive solution. If the problem is not too severe, you could replace the glass unit itself without replacing the entire window and frame.

This is the most cost-effective short-term solution, especially since no painting or staining is required. However, if there is an issue with your window frame as well, then simply replacing the glass might be a temporary fix but you will most likely run into the same problem down the track if you do not eventually fix or replace the frame. In most cases, Windows on Washington would suggest replacing the entire window.

It is difficult to separate the old panes, clean them and reseal them. Old seals are tricky to remove in order to get new seals, and generally a repair is simply not cost-effective. At the end of the day, the best defense against a fogged, failed window is to begin with a high-quality window and a good warranty. WoW only uses the best window products on the market and we pride ourselves on our excellent workmanship and installation. Despite the window being a seemingly low-touch aspect of your home, many homeowners experience problems with their windows.

A broken window seal is one of them. If you are concerned that you may have a window seal failure and are wondering how to repair it, you have come to the right place. Windows are more advanced than many homeowners would assume.

For example, you might not know that double and triple pane windows are typically filled with gas insulation. I tried wiping both the inside and the outside of the window, but no luck. What can I do to make my window clear again? A: Your window woe is likely the result of a broken window seal. Officially known as an insulated glass unit IGU , these types of windows are also called a double-pane, multipane, or thermopane.

The layer of air between panes may also contain an inert gas, such as argon or krypton, to further reduce the transfer of outdoor heat or cold through the window. If you do nothing, the fog may lessen or worsen in conjunction with weather changes and fluctuating outdoor humidity levels. Now that the seal is broken, however, the problem will persist, and if the window contained an inert gas, its enhanced insulating factor is now gone. Keep reading to learn why windows seals fail, what your repair options are, and what you can do to reduce the risk of seals failing in other windows.

On IGUs that are filled with inert gas, when a seal fails and the gas leaks out, the panes may collapse inward slightly, or even crack. The cause is a failure in the edge seal that secures the individual panes of glass. This common problem raises two equally common questions: Is there anything you can do about this issue, other than replacing the entire window?

And is it really necessary to do anything? A thermal window features two or three panes of glass with open space between the panes. This window assembly is known in the industry as an IGU—an acronym that stands for insulated glazing unit or insulated glass unit.

Thermal windows are sometimes called thermopanes or insulated windows. The space between the glass panes of an IGU is emptied of air by means of vacuum suction, and it is often filled with an inert noble gas, such as argon or krypton, to slow the passage of heat through the window unit.

Inert gasses are less heat-conductive than air or a vacuum space. However, if the seals that protect the edges of the IGU develop a break, then the inert gases can escape and ambient air and moisture can enter the space between the panes, resulting in the IGU losing its extra insulating value.

The visible symptom of this failure is the tell-tale fogginess or condensation inside the IGU unit, on the inside surface of the glass.

Not only do you lose the aesthetic value of a clear window, but the energy-saving value of the window will be cut dramatically. The edges of the glass panes in double- or triple-pane IGU windows are embedded in a sealing material. While it appears to be one seal, it is actually two seals working together.

The inner sealant is typically made of polyisobutylene PIB. The outer sealant is an elastic rubber-like seal that, according to AkzoNobel a maker of the gases used to fill thermal windows , "functions as an adhesive, holding the glass unit together and keeping it tight during the service life.

Although these window seals are meant to be long-lasting and may hold up for decades, they can and do fail. Seals can be damaged by house painters using heat guns to strip paint or by homeowners using pressure washers to clean the windows. Improper installation of an IGU window can also cause a seal to fail.