blown window seal?

[Hamilton Audio]

when we purchased our house, a single window in the basement had some "fog" in between the panes. home inspector told us it was a simple blown seal and is easily replaced.

I've ignored it until now cause it was just a fog more or less...I've noticed now that there are run marks inside the glass that indicates the moisture is welling up into droplets and moving downwards. I can't imagine this to be very good for the frame and surrounding materials.

the single glass guy I spoke with quoted me about $130 cdn to replace it, materials and labour (estimate). this is a three-window setup (with frames between each). the glass is from 1984....is it worthwhile to have just the single section changed out, or make more sense to have the entire window replaced??

does $130-$150 cdn sound right for a window of 27.5" x 19.0" ?? this is just double pane sealed glass.

ideas?

b

[Joseph Meehan]

Don't bother with the rest of the panes. They may last another 20 years. With labor and all that sounds like a reasonable price.

[Hamilton Audio]

sweet...I like honest advice. the window guy noted that the age of the windows, this was going to happen more and more :( oh well....

I'll phone around to the various window places to get quotes firmed on the exact size, and go ahead from there.

thanks bud! b

[Art]

Are they brand name windows? You might be better off with a factory replacement if they are.

[Joseph Meehan]

They may be more likely to go out, but I would not bother to replace them all now.

[Hamilton Audio]

how do I know if they are brand name? inside the glass on the frame I can read "Twinsulite" and "1984". the rest is code of some kind....

? b

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Just call a service guy who repelace sealed units. He'll replace it with exact replacement. The price sounds OK. Tony

[Phisherman]

That's about right. Window seals fail over time. There's just a little water condensation between the glass. If you can live with it, just install sheer curtains until all your windows' seals break--then replace all the windows at one time. Invest your $150 wisely, and add to it monthly for the "big day."

[Hamilton Audio]

I guess my big question is this....that little buit of moisture between the panes doesn't bother me in the least bit, but I'm worried about that moisture running down inside the window frame and doing damage to surrounding materials.

any thoughts? is there enough moisture there to be worried about?

[Ron]

You don't NEED to replace the unit if you don't want to. It is just moisture and it will not get out of the unit or do any harm.

One of two things has happened.

1) The glue that is used to keep the unit airtight has gone bad.

2) The moisture absorbing material that is inside of the metal frame that is between the two panes of glass has gone bad.

Probably a combination of both. The seal probably developed a small leak which caused the moisture absorbing material inside of the metal frame to have to work harder and it finally lost it's ability to absorb moisture.

BTW, YES, the whole unit needs to be replaced when you decide to do so.

[Hamilton Audio]

interesting ron, because the window place here says the moisture is badly damaging stuff and we should replace soon as possible. you gotta think, where is this moisture going when it runs down the inside of the window?

b

You don't NEED to replace the unit if you don't want to. It is just moisture and it will not get out of the unit or do any harm.

One of two things has happened.

1) The glue that is used to keep the unit airtight has gone bad.

2) The moisture absorbing material that is inside of the metal frame that is between the two panes of glass has gone bad.

Probably a combination of both. The seal probably developed a small leak which caused the moisture absorbing material inside of the metal frame to have to work harder and it finally lost it's ability to absorb moisture.

BTW, YES, the whole unit needs to be replaced when you decide to do so.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Then you have too much moisture inside the house. Try to reduce it by ventilating the whole house. What is your R.H. inside the house? Tony

[Ron]

It's not like it is water running down inside the window (unit), it is just moisture.

Actually, it is just condensation.

It just stays inside the unit until the sun hits it and dries it up or what is left of the absorbent material inside the inner frame dries it out.

The unit is supposed to be airtight. If you get an air leak in the seal that is around the unit that will result in condensation.

If it is just fogging up with a little bit of condensation there is nothing to worry about.

If it looks like it's pouring down rain inside, then you need to get it replaced, that indicates that the entire unit has failed.

Also I went back and looked at your first post and you said; "this is a three-window setup (with frames between each). the glass is from

1984....is it worthwhile to have just the single section changed out, or make more sense to have the entire window replaced??"

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Can you describe to me in more detail? Is it aluminum or wood? Stationery or moveable? How big are the windows?

And are they near a door?

I was gonna suggest that you just put in a regular pane of glass (1/4") thick.

I'm just assuming that the unit is 1/4" thick.

[Ron]

Do you even have a clue about what you are talking about?

I can answer that question for you, NO!

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, I think you don't have a clue. Too much moisture can promote mold growth. When is your house built? Tony

[Ron]

My house was built Star Date 2160.

[Hamilton Audio]

all summer it was just fogging, but this time of year it has turned to little drips running down inside. it is a bank of windows all side by side, each unit being 19x28". it is going to be replaced shortly.

no, the window is not near a door, but is just above the knee-wall in my bilevel home. I think in search of at least the same energy efficiency I had previously I'm going to replace with a 2 pane sealed unit. do they replace these from the outside or inside? how do they do it? remove the window trim and then pull the unit out? is there not risk of damage to the window frame this way (cosmetic damage?)

b