I'm not aware of such a tool -- fitters I used just used a thin bladed scraper, and I've done the same on occasion. You have to push the unit into the frame to loosen the grip on the beads. Assuming you have gasket strips on the other side, you take them out first to give you some movement to play with. If you have glazing tapes, you aren't going to get the units off them without destroying the tape, and leaving a horrible mess to clean off the units and the frames before refitting with new tape. With the beading, start removal in the middle of the longer side. When you have the middle out, you have to bend the first piece to get it out from the ends. The rest of the pieces then come out more easily.
You sit them on plastic spacers so the bottoms are lifted well clear of the bottom of the frame. This is so water which inevitably leaks past the weather seal can drain away from the sealed unit bottom edge, and out through the frame drains. If the sealed unit ends up sitting in a puddle of water in the frame, it will not be a sealed unit for long. You can buy packs of mixed thickness spacers from about 2mm to 10mm from uPVC suppliers (and probably somewhere like screwfix, although I haven't actually looked for them there).
If you have a uPVC door, the units and spacers play an important role in bracing the door against dropping, by heeling and toeing the bottom corner of the hinge side against the top corner of the lock side, so the unit is acting a bit like a diagonal timber you find on a slatted timber door or gate.
Andrew Gabriel coughed up some electrons that declared:
Hi Andrew,
Scraper - that sounds a fair bet. Or possibly a very sharp bolster might do it. They took a fair et of blows to click them in (about the same as when I saw the window fitter do our rented house - you'd think the glass would break, but it doesn't). Unfortunately I saw him frame fix, foam and bang the beading in, but missed some of the details of using the packers.
I don't have tape - there's an external gasket, which I *don't* think comes out, though I have a second window to inspect. They appeared to be well fixed before I started, but they might pull out.
I did get a pack from the glass merchant that sold me the windows. Being in a hurry to shove the glass in and being, alas, away from the internet at the time, I omitted to research the details of fitting the panels. Spent most of the time preparing for how to fit the frames, which itself went well, though I now know I could do with some frame spacers too, before I foam it in, to get a tighter fit on the screws without bending the frames (window is only loosely in right now, not done up that tight).
Having seen your message and also finding some fitting instructions elsewhere, I realise now that the shop rather short changed me on bridge packers (I got two for 4 DG panels!). I reckon I need 16...
Could do with some more glazing packers to go with these (got about 4 times
4 sizes)
At the moment the glass is in, centred and held by friction. Of course, correct use of packers would have made fitting the DG unit somewhat easier. Never mind, live and learn. The windows are small and it's quite feasible to diassemble and repack.
I'll try the shop first for more packers, otherwise ebay seems the best bet - Screwfix don't do them and many places seel them by the 1000.
That would explain why I was finding the casement to be a bit wibbly. Time to do it again...
For bigger frames it is also worth packing the units such that they tend to resist the desire of the frame to sag at the free edge - i.e using the spacers to add diagonal rigidity to the frame.
I should have read that bit before typing the above... ok just ignore me
Andrew Gabriel coughed up some electrons that declared:
Ah, look:
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't it look just like a paint scraper!
Came across that website - with much joy, as later I need to reglaze some ali units and the rubber gasket is shagged. Looks like I might be able to match it to one of their stock :)
Found this too, which is interesting:
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I think I see the gist of this.
It would probably be best to unscrew the lights (both are opening) and do this on a bench, at least the first time! Glad I started with tiny weeny windows :) Hate to do this with 1m2 of glass!
That's basicaly what it is. But with a few of differences the blade needs to be quite stiff, most paint/paper scrapers are too flexible. It needs to be fairly broad, say around 3" so the force to ping the seal is applied of a reasonable area and won't cause the scraper to dig into the soft plastic. The edge needs to be fine but not sharp to get into the tiny gap without cutting the plastic if slightly misaligned.
I have take out double glazing beads using two fairly used scrapers. The first one is tapped into the bead to window frame joint (perpendicular to window). Tap the second one along side the first. Then use a screw driver between the two scrapers to force them apart and start to remove the bead. Once the bead starts to move it is then easy to remove completely. Doing it this way does not damage the beading. The secret is to use well worn scrapers say about 50mm wide. If you haven't got a worn scraper file down a scraper to give it a tapered leading edge. Regards
snipped-for-privacy@googlemail.com coughed up some electrons that declared:
Thta sounds a brilliant suggestion that fills me with confidence. No banging and no direct scraping of the plastic.
I also found out about Don Carlos knives, which are apparantly the "correct" tool, but having seen a few pics, I really have no idea how you'd use one!
I have a massive selection of old scrapers of that sort of size, so I'll give it a go.
IIRC you also have to exert some pressure on the glass to push it against the outside seal. Removal isn't too difficult, getting them back again can be.
Stuart Noble coughed up some electrons that declared:
That's fine - I put them in in the first place.
Which is why I need to remove them and do it again, 'cos I didn;t do it quite right, with it being the first time...
That much is easy (having watched a window fitter):
For internally glazed, no security tape:
Pack DG unit in (heel and toe, this is the bit I messed up) Insert top glazing strip and using a small headed rubber mallet and optionally a plastic tapping block or hard smooth block of wood, whack it at one end until it clicks in. Work along. Wonder why DG doesn't break. Job done.
The installers managed to snap a short length of beading when fitting a small window. The frames were built about a mile down the road (I already had a guided tour of the factory), so one of them nipped down there and got another piece. Didn't measure it or anything -- just gave the order number and the window number, and the computer cut another piece to exactly the right size.
snipped-for-privacy@googlemail.com coughed up some electrons that declared:
Hi
I can now confirm this method, with slight modifications, due to the type of beading I have:
This is only for internally glazed, non security taped PVC double glazed windows *
1) Putty knife (short edges, solid blade)
2) Insert short flat knife edge into join betwixt bead and frame exactly at one end
3) Hit back of blade with nylon mallet until it pops into the joint. Blade will tend to slide backwards due to slopes and angle of hit. This may be resisted with a firm grip on the knife.
4) Lever blade sideways - bead may come apart 2-3mm.
5a) Insert 1-2" scraper (blade rigidity unimportant) into open joint
5b) If bead refused to stay apart, with some fiddling, attempt to slide (or tap) a *short* scraper in along the face of the knife into the same part of the joint
6) Take larger sized (6mm) flat blade screwdriver, inset fully between both blades and twist. Bead *will* now pop open at the position.
7) Change to 2 scrapes (easier to hold). Slide along joint to a less opened section, screwdriver and twist. Working along the joint, repeat until bead fully removed.
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Risks
Risk of superficial damage to bead or frame finish, in steps 3,4 and 5b
Damage appears to be limited to the mating faces of bead and frame so generally not visible.
In particular, this was tried on a wood finish PVC, where the finish layer may chip off revealing dark brown plastic.
In fact, no blade damage was visible after re-assembly and blade damage on a dis-assembled frame was very slight.
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Refitting:
My original use of a plastic block to use as a drift was incorrect.
The best way (on my type of bead) was simply to hit it hard, starting at one end with a small rubber faced mallet. This produced a very clean and controlled assembly.
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Overall - for a first fitting attempt, in the end it turned out quite well. Two short beads sustained minor visible finish chips (15 x 2mm and a shorter bit). These are now fitted to the tramson so are comparitively un-noticeable. I may order replacements for a pukka perfect job, but I don't think anyone will really notice.
I expect no problems whatsoever with the next window. Like most things, once you get the feel, it's quite straightforward. Unforuntately, I had to actually buy a window in order to practise!
Wiki time methinks.
Now, the root cause of all this was a lack of understanding of heeling and tied in the DG unit in the first place. And a lack of bridge packers and glass packers.
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