Sealed windows question

[abbotale]

I have heard somewhere about a method of mending sealed window units whose seals have broken down by drilling a hole in the glass and doing something.

Anyone know how this works?

DAB.

[Phil Anthropist]

I have heard this too, it is supposed to be a cure for misting on the glass inside sealed double glazing. The 'doing something' I have heard of is drilling one or two holes in the glass, sucking the air out with a vacuum cleaner, then sealing the holes with rubber plugs. Even if the holes could be drilled without breaking the glass the air sucked in would contain moisture and the problem of condensation will remain. Presumably you would need a diamond-tipped drill bit or similar to drill through glass. My understanding is that the only cure for misting double glazing is new replacement sealed units which will have been filled with dry air or a dry gas such as argon, just like the original units.

[Ian_m]

In my last house I drilled two holes in the inside pane (use plastercine/blu-tac to make a "cup" to hold lubricating oil) top and bottom of glass in the summer which after a while did the trick in. Sealed with silicone. Didn't work in my lounge as the condensation had gone green and didn't get too much sun to dry it. In the end new units all round cured it.

How to do it using a fish air pump here:-