I have wooden window frames in my house which contain smallish sealed double glazed units.
The units total dimensions are appox 49cm x 46cm x 1.7cm.
The units are held in place by four wooden strips.
All in all pretty cheap and nasty.
Is it possible to get replacement units and fit them myself. If so how should I specify dimensions and where do I order them from.
I did phone one supplier but he said they need to be measured and fitted by a professional which seem a bit strange.
Somethign probably not to worry about overly but: You would be "interfering with a thermal unit" and you might need to be able to satisfy building control that the modified window meets modern building regulations. It won't have a FENSA certificate and the new units will probably have the date engraved inside them.
Robert
Nick wibbled:
If you mean the double glazing panels (units) then any high street glazier should be able to make or have them made for you. Varies between 70-100+ quid / m2 from plain old annealed glass to annealed K glass to toughened K glass to argon filling.
It would be best to pop the beading off and exactly measure your existing units then quote that size to the glazier.
If you want a whole DG frame,
BTW what's wrong with your current windows?
Cheers
Tim
So approx < £30.00 per pane.
One pane has the top beading missing and has misted but I also need to replaced a cracked pane on another window.
Thanks.
Repairs are exempted from Building Regulations.
A typical spec for a sealed unit would be something like "4/16/4 K- glass, 300*200mm"
The numbers mean 4mm plain glass, 16mm air gap, 4mm plain glass - so overall 24mm thick.
K-glass means that the inner pane will have a transparent heat reflective coating (and stickers on it to show you which face should be inwards/outwards when fitting it).
K-glass is standard nowadays and the extra cost minimal.
It's best if you remove the original unit and measure it. Measure the overall thickness accurately to calculate the air gap.
It's normal practice for the glazing unit to be 5mm smaller than the rebate in the frame in each direction, and to stand up on little rubber spacer blocks - but if you're measuring from the original glazing unit you won't have to worry about this.
You may find that the wooden glazing beads are in a pretty tatty state (or will be after you've prized them off) and need replacing. Beading can be suprisingly expensive - if you the facilities to run up your own, so much the better.
As far as fitting the glass, butyl rubber glazers tape is the stuff to use now. It's a non-setting, thick (typically 10*3mm) and very sticky
- position it carefully between glass and timber to form a good weather seal.
Wickes sell it, or if you're lucky your glazer will give/sell you a bit.
Best going to a small local glazier that's happy to make up just 1 or
2 units for a customer.
However, it will show if you fit one K-glass pane, and the others aren't. (It will often show if you replace one too, as batches/makes are often different tints.)
Is that the way to quote.
Assuming 4mm glass. My spec would be something like
If Overall dimensions are 490mm x 460mm x 17mm
I would quote
490mm x 460mm with 9mm air gap?
Thanks very helpful.
Either quote the 9mm airgap, with assumption of 4mm float glass, or quote the whole thing 4/9/4 so there is no ambiguity about the overall thickness of the unit.
In article , Tim S writes
Yep, go for it, wooden beads are relatively easy to pop out. Using self adhesive glazing tape fitted to the inside of the frame when fitting the new glass will stop a burglar removing the pane in the same way.
Sounds like protectionism to me.
That is probably the most expensive way to by them, a glazier rarely wastes time making up DG units, they buy them ready made from a wholesale glass merchant and will mark them up before selling to you. Some wholesale merchants are happy to deal with sole trader handymen and a competent DIYer should easily be able to pass for one of them, buy from the wholesaler. Look under glass merchant in the Yellow Pages.
I wouldn't dismantle before the replacements are available. The glass bearing part of the frame is visible and easily measurable, measure the glass bearing opening and subtract 5mm to get the glass size for ordering. Existing unit thickness can found by measuring the frame thickness and subtracting the inset measurements to the panes on the inside and outside.
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