Moisture in Double Glazing
LongYP
glass and it looks very unsightly plus you have trouble seeing out of the
window...
Aside from simply replacing the windows is there anything I can do to at
least get rid of some of the moisture to tidy things up a little?
Many thanks
BigWallop
"LongYP" <pa...@stickinsect.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:caefpp$lk$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
There isn't really much you can do LongYP, as the glass in these types of units
are sealed together to make them as one. It is this seal that has perished some
where around the edge, and it could just be a pin prick, let has allowed the
moisture to be sucked in.
You could bash the outer skin of glass with a hard rubber ball and claim it on
your home insurance.
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it on
> your home insurance.
>
Check your insurance policy first!!
LongYP
What if I try and drill a hole into the inner pain allowing the winow to
'breathe'??????
--or is this the sort of suggestion that has earnt me the knickname 'wiggy'
in my household?
"BigWallop" <spamguard@_spam_guard.com> wrote in message
news:SJAyc.2300$Jm6.20...@news-text.cableinet.net...
ian
------
Ian Mc
Malcolm Stewart
news:nkolc056l11l6hr9d...@4ax.com...
> I wouldn't advise that if the glass is toughened it will burst.
Does the BS etched in a corner indicate if it's toughened glass?
--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ms1938/
Stickems
telephoning a few window installers.
"LongYP" <pa...@stickinsect.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
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ian
>"ian" <ne...@ianmc.plus.com> wrote in message
>news:nkolc056l11l6hr9d...@4ax.com...
>> I wouldn't advise that if the glass is toughened it will burst.
>
>Does the BS etched in a corner indicate if it's toughened glass?
------
Ian Mc
BigWallop
> Consider I am a complete DIY disaster before reading the following!
>
> What if I try and drill a hole into the inner pain allowing the winow to
> 'breathe'??????
>
> --or is this the sort of suggestion that has earnt me the knickname 'wiggy'
> in my household?
>
>
If you drill the glass you'll break it to bits because, which might not be a bad
thing if you check your insurance policy first, it isn't the glass that needs to
breathe. The two pieces of glass are laid in an epoxy resin with spacers in it.
The edges of the glass are then bonded with an aluminium strip to hold them all
together. Over a time, and because of all the weathering it takes, the epoxy
can crack slightly and allow air to be sucked in between the glass sheets.
The crack can be as small as a pin prick, but this is enough to allow air to be
moist air to be drawn, and then the space begins to heat up and the moisture
turns to steam. Then it gets cooler again and the moisture turns to condensate
on the gap between the glass.
There is nothing you can do unless you remove the double glazed unit and take it
completely apart. Then you need to make sure that the glass is perfectly dry
and clean and glue it all back together again.
It is easier to break one pane and have your insurance company get a glass man
out to you. Accidents happen, and that's why you pay so much to have them
covered.
Icky at dot dot dot
large pane of glass early on a sunny day. By evening the moisture had
disappeared and I sealed the holes with some clear epoxy. They needed doing
again around 18 months later so I just drilled the epoxy out and repeated
the process. It worked fine. Then we moved house. It wasn't you who bought
it, was it?
"Stickems" <Stickems.@last.invalid> wrote in message
news:SSCyc.398$QQ2.156@newsfe5-win...
LongYP
"Icky" <news(at)tat(dot)nildram(dot)co(dot)uk> wrote in message
news:40cb4859$0$6335$65c6...@mercury.nildram.net...
Icky at dot dot dot
tile" drills from B&Q. I didn't drive it all the way through (the drill is
arrowhead shaped) but made holes about 3 - 4 mm in size. Drilling 2 holes
meant there could be some kind of convection airflow as the window heated in
the sun. I remember now that I gave it a helping hand by gently warming the
glass around where the condensation was situated with a hairdryer.
BTW - I drilled the holes in diagonally opposite corners as I thought the
resultant airflow would be more effective.
(This was when we lived in Thurso so the method works even up there. But I
did have to wait awhile for a day which promised to be sunny !!! )
"LongYP" <pa...@stickinsect.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cafn21$jbl$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
Malcolm Stewart
> No, I went into the glass near the corners. I used one of those "glass or
> tile" drills from B&Q. I didn't drive it all the way through (the drill is
> arrowhead shaped) but made holes about 3 - 4 mm in size. Drilling 2 holes
> meant there could be some kind of convection airflow as the window heated in
> the sun. I remember now that I gave it a helping hand by gently warming the
> glass around where the condensation was situated with a hairdryer.
> BTW - I drilled the holes in diagonally opposite corners as I thought the
> resultant airflow would be more effective.
What's wrong with leaving the holes open? (Apart from spiders etc. getting in.)
Ian Middleton
"Malcolm Stewart" <malcolm...@megalith.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in
message news:cajkib$ukb$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
top, during the summer to get rid of the condensation. Worked fine,
encouraged drying by using a hair dryer as well to gently warm the glass.
Sealed holes with araldite and condensation didn't come back too much,
before I replaced all the windows anyway. I drilled using a 2-3mm masonary
drill (I think) dripping on oil as lubicant.
The lounge window was worse, having got mould growing in the gap, but I
managed to get the aluminium frame apart and slide the glass out. Was just
two sheets of glass with rubber spacer all round resting on more rubber.
Cleaned glass and reassembled.
Graham H
"Ian Middleton" <ia...@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:od6dnbtRh-f...@tcp.co.uk...
Two points i would like to add,
The Double glazing Company that fitted the windows may have a gaurantee of
10 or more years so they may replace them free of charge if still under
warranty, they did for me.
Claiming on insurance may cost you, as they often have an excess like the
first Ł50 towards cost.
I have a couple of windows getting misted up again but out of warranty so
the drilling hole idea might be worth ago.
Incidentally, roughly how much do they charge for a replacement Double
glazed unit.
Regards,
...................Graham
Icky at dot dot dot
"Malcolm Stewart" <malcolm...@megalith.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in
message news:cajkib$ukb$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> news:40cba4ba$0$6329$65c6...@mercury.nildram.net...
> > No, I went into the glass near the corners. I used one of those "glass
or
> > tile" drills from B&Q. I didn't drive it all the way through (the drill
is
> > arrowhead shaped) but made holes about 3 - 4 mm in size. Drilling 2
holes
> > meant there could be some kind of convection airflow as the window
heated in
> > the sun. I remember now that I gave it a helping hand by gently warming
the
> > glass around where the condensation was situated with a hairdryer.
> > BTW - I drilled the holes in diagonally opposite corners as I thought
the
> > resultant airflow would be more effective.
>
> What's wrong with leaving the holes open? (Apart from spiders etc.
getting in.)
> Milton Keynes, UK
> www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm
> http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ms1938/
>
2. Defeats the whole object of Double Glazing.
3. More condensation will get in at any time.
4. Why ?
Malcolm Stewart
>
> 1. Spiders etc getting in.
> 2. Defeats the whole object of Double Glazing.
> 3. More condensation will get in at any time.
> 4. Why ?
1 I'll ignore this as I suggested it.
2 The object of Double Glazing is to provide better insulation, by trapping a
thickness of air in which convection currents are unlikely due to the friction
of the trapped air against the panes of glass. To do this it is not necessary
to have air that is isolated from the external air. (I'm neglecting the current
stuff about low emissivity glass, triple glazing etc.)
3 The real point of my query. I'm not convinced that more condensation will
get in if the holes are left open. Dew point etc.
Years ago before double glazed units were commonplace, if we had installed
secondary glazing we were recommended to drill small holes in the (timber) frame
from the outside to the trapped air between the window glass and the internal
secondary glass so as to stop condensation. It certainly worked where I tried
it - but my secondary pane wasn't that well sealed from the internal air.
hence
4 Why ?....
--
Icky at dot dot dot
Para 2. The air isn't trapped if there's a hole left. If you are not
convinced
that condensation will occur if the holes are left unsealed then where did
the moisture come from which you are now trying to remove. I reckon it
came from imperfections in the glass seal. If it is left unsealed, there is
bound
to be an exchange of air due to temperature differences between the
'trapped' air and the air on the other side of the glass which is drilled,
and
there is every chance that the air will be moisture laden. This moisture
will
condense on the first cold surface it meets. The fact that the panes are
originally built sealed is to keep a superdry atmosphere within and spiders
out. Years ago the seal might not have been as good as they are supposed to
be today. Hence the advice that there was a need to drill holes.
I bet, if you leave the hole unsealed, you will have more problems trying to
get a spider out than you ever have trying to get condensation out.
OK, perhaps any condensation might disappear as soon as the weather, air
pressure, dew point etc changes but why not seal the hole up and not get it
in the first place !
hence
Para 4. Why ?.....
Brian S Gray
Provided the hole allowing air into the cavity allows it to enter from
the outside and not the room, then any air entering the cavity will
warm up slightly and dry out (warmer air holds more water than colder
air). I think the main inflow and outflow will be associated with
changes of air-pressure which are quite large if you think about them.
I would rather have the odd spider than condensation in the
cavity. And I certainly used to drill holes to the outside in wooden
frames for my early efforts at diy secondary double glazing.