Double glazing unit problem

[rbel]

Umm, no. Should you be?

[Jim K]

Oh right well:- in an earlier post I pointed out that the "failed DG unit seal leading to saturated dessicant, then internal condensation timeline" is not an instantaneous one ? it seems you haven't read that or twigged?

Jim K

[rbel]

Apologies - twig failure.

You are suggesting that the sudden presence of the condensation on the day following the storm was purely a coincidence. It just seems rather strange that the panel can go from no visible condensation to large areas of it clearly spread across large areas in less than 24 hours without some quite major triggering event. It most definitely was not a gradual process.

As a matter of interest the area of condensation does appear to be lessening, but I imagine that this due to the changing external temperature pattern.

[John Williamson]

All it would take would be for the air temperature inside to fall below the dew point. This could be triggered by a relatively sudden drop in temperature if the moisture level inside the unit was close to the critical point. Once condensation starts, then the drops can serve as nuclei for further condensation, increasing the dew point above that of a perfectly clear interior surface.

The increase in moisture levels inside the unit could have been gradual, but there is a step response once the condensation starts to appear.

[Jim K]

o saturated dessicant, then internal condensation timeline" is not an insta ntaneous one ? it seems you haven't read that or twigged?

I find it hard to believe that a storm caused a DG unit seal failure so big that all the silica dessicant in the silver? spacer bar all around the uni t was saturated and lead to condensation appearing inside said unit all wit hin 24hours. Much more likely the seal went a while ago and the dessicant h as been doing its best to "mop up" the moisture that crept in. The storm w as probably the (rather large) final straw...

mmm brighter sunnier relatively drier weather since? but cold 0/-1 weather is forecast here for next few nights - so likely cold for you too? I predic t lots of condensation/clouding, sorry ;>)

Jim K

[rbel]

Not a silver spacer, a dark grey plastic looking thing with no perforations. I imagine it must be permeable if it is supposed to contain dessicant. Surely if the seal went a while ago there would have been some noticeable signs of condensation between the panes prior to the storm?

Down here in south Devon the lowest temperature forecast during the next 5 days is +3C. Which raises another point, the temperatures during the period of the storm were not that low, thus less likely to trigger the condensation?

[rbel]

The outside temperature during the period aroung the storm of the 14th February were not that low here on the south Devon coast (certainly not cold enough for us to need to protect the tender plants) and the internal temperature range is only 17-21C.

That seems reasonable, but it still appears to be a very strange coincidence that the response coincided with the storm.

[Jim K]

big that all the silica dessicant in the silver? spacer bar all around the unit was saturated and lead to condensation appearing inside said unit all within 24hours. Much more likely the seal went a while ago and the dessican t has been doing its best to "mop up" the moisture that crept in. The stor m was probably the (rather large) final straw...

can you post a pic?

permeable into the gap between the panes. The outside of the spacer will, I imagine, be sealed with black butyl rubbe r or similar in an attempt to prolong the life of the unit - note the use o f "prolong", none last forever...15 is good going for exposed locations, la rge area units etc as previous.

why? until the dessicant is overwhelmed it absorbs it?

er is forecast here for next few nights - so likely cold for you too? I pre dict lots of condensation/clouding, sorry ;>)

post back here after a few days?

so how did the water turn into vapour in the 1st place? then, what caused the water vapour to condense?

Jim K

[meow2222]

grey black gloop seals are more much flexible than the glass

not remotely amazing. Misting of dg units happens every day of the year.

And from that you draw pretty well impossible conclusions. I dont mean that to sound mean, sometimes we just get things wrong.

NT

[Andrew Gabriel]

A toughened glass unit that size is a real liability to handle. The slightest brush of a corner or edge against anything hard (brick, paving, etc.) will shatter it - possibly even just putting it down on a hard surface without protection.

BTW - I agree with others. This is failure of a unit with age. Failure of the seal on the storm day would not show up for weeks, and even then it would in my mind simply count as wear and tear. Larger units do have higher differential expansion and may tend to fail earlier than smaller units. The other thing that causes seal failures is if the drain channels in the frame are not draining water away and the edge of the unit ends up sitting in a puddle.

[rbel]

Fair enough. It has been an interesting topic for me. Many thanks for your clearly expressed view on the matter, but I still think it was a rather strange coincidence :)

[Andrew Gabriel]

I imagine the effort to clean the old seal off, and then clean the glass up as new would not be worth it.

You can't cut the glass down to reuse as a pane that size will almost certainly have been toughened.

[rbel]

I imagine that once water gets between the panes the heat of the sun soon produces the misting effect.

Very little presence of condensation this morning. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few comparatively colder days.

[Jim K]

so big that all the silica dessicant in the silver? spacer bar all around t he unit was saturated and lead to condensation appearing inside said unit a ll within 24hours. Much more likely the seal went a while ago and the dessi cant has been doing its best to "mop up" the moisture that crept in. The s torm was probably the (rather large) final straw...

bber or similar in an attempt to prolong the life of the unit - note the us e of "prolong", none last forever...15 is good going for exposed locations, large area units etc as previous.

ather is forecast here for next few nights - so likely cold for you too? I predict lots of condensation/clouding, sorry ;>)

but did you have much sun between the storm and the condensation appearing the next day?

Jim K

[rbel]

I really cannot remember.

[Jim K]

pssst it would have been dark in the night... ;>)

Jim K

[meow2222]

I cant see that being a showstopper for diy. A few tubes of gloop & you've saved near £200. I must try it, when I'm not so busy.

NT

[Jim K]

e saved near £200. I must try it, when I'm not so busy.

can't wait ;>)

Jim K