Replace Rubber Seals on Aluminium Window Double Glazing,( A Common Problem???)

[Fun Loving Criminal.]

I have had Aluminum Double Glazing on every Window of my House for about twenty years now.I am on the whole very pleased with,and I like the Aluminium better than the now more popular UPVC.However I have noticed recently that there is condensation forming between the leaves of glass whithin the Window Unit it's self.This appears to be the result of the Summer Sun beaming down and making the rubber seals go porous.There are three Windows so affected and all of them come in for the Suns rays more than the other Windows.I was wondering if there defective Units can be taken out and their rubbers replaced,I know this seems to be a fairly "off the Wall" suggestion in our "Throw Away" society and culture,but I am now in the throws of a terminal illness and therefore my income is drastically reduced.I hope to last a few years yet but the need for thrift is uppermost in my mind.Also they are very good Windows so the thought of junking them for such a trivial reason offers no appeal.I do not think I would get anywhere with the House Insurance as they would "No Doubt"!! have a sub clause which totally exonerates them from any liability.The firm which installed them ceased trading five years ago as the Boss retired.I will see if I can get into touch with a couple of Window Fitters from when I was on the Sites as I was a Bricklayer by trade.Any advice will be most welcome.

[JimK]

You'd be looking at new DG units being installed into your existing aluminium frames.

Or if it's not *that* bad consider whether it's something you actually

*need* to do.....

Cheers JimK

[stuart noble]

Try double glazing repair firms. They seem to be able to source these things (or their equivalent), and are not generally that expensive IME. When I needed a cat flap in a previously glazed door the price of the panel (thinner than the current 28mm) was more than the cost of having the whole job done.

[Tim Watts]

JimK wibbled on Wednesday 24 February 2010 13:00

70-100 quid /m2 typically for the DG panels, depending on coatings and fillings, though research and going directly to a DG manufacturer may get lower prices.

Or google back in this forum for a few brave souls who revived their DG units.

[Roger Mills]

As others have hinted at - but not said explicitly - your problem is not with the rubber seals, but with the DG units themselves. The seals are between the units and the frame. The units consist of 2 sheets of glass, bonded onto a frame-shaped inernal spacer. It is this bonding which has failed, allowing damp air to get between the sheets of glass.

[NT]

Its not that simple. A few people have tried various ways to rejuvenate sealed systems, sometimes successfully, but there seems to be nothing generally accepted as a universally workable approach yet. Google the ukdiy archive...

NT

[SS]

Its not that simple. A few people have tried various ways to rejuvenate sealed systems, sometimes successfully, but there seems to be nothing generally accepted as a universally workable approach yet. Google the ukdiy archive...

I checked this out last year as I have few gone the same way... Conclusion. Sealed units can usually start to fail from the 10 year mark on, mine lasted

19 years. It would appear the answer is replace the sealed units, rejuvinating appears to be very hit & miss and not much cheaper.