Temporary removal of Double glaze panel

[Ned]

I'm sure I'm not hte first person to do this - bought a new sofa at a great price. It fits through the hall door OK but after that the isn't enough clearance to get through into the front room. Is it possible to te,porarily remove a double glazed panel - uPVC ? It is about 44" x 47" and it looks like the only way in for me. If the panel can be removed is there anything I should be careful about ; will I need to cut / break seals ??? Is this something I should tackle myself (average to good DIYer) or should I call in an expert? TIA, Ned

[Lobster]

The answer is that the panel will definitely be removeable, the unknown is whether you'll be able to do it without breaking it! That depends on the type you have. Some panels are just held in by beading, which can be prised out (although it's usually a total sod to do); others are held by special, incredibly strong double-sided tape, which is likely to be impossible to shift without breaking the window.

It's probably fair to say (?) that the newer the window, the more likely it is that it will be somehow glued in, as undesirables had learned they were able to gain entry silently and safely by pulling the beading out in earlier models (which also had beading on the outside rather than the inside.

The panels aren't *that* expensive, so you may decide it's expendable, especially if it's a case of that or dumping the sofa! 30 quid for yours maybe? Trouble is unless it's a bog-standard in-stock size, you'd need the replacement ready and made up 'just in case' before you start trying to remove the old panel, as it normally takes a few days to get them made up.

David

[Ian Stirling]

If the window is openable, it will usually be possible to remove it at the hinge in some way.

[nafuk]

I've taken a pane out which had the tough double sided tape - just prised it slowly. Afterwards I was told that wobbers use a cheese wire to cut it out in two shakes.

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

Generally, the panels are quite robust but if you get the panel out be VERY careful not to tap the edges, especially the corners. The edges are the most vunerable points and the whole panel will shatter quite easily if the corners are subject to shock.

(I know this from personal experience!!)

When you stand it down, place the lower edge on a couple of pieces of wood, likewise protect the top edge.

[Ned]

Ian, This is a solid pane - not a hinged window.

[fred]

In article , nafuk writes

Yup, hobby knife run around on the inside would be easy too as it is double sided foam tape to take up tolerances in the frame. Didn't know about the cheese wire trick though, reckon I will back fill my gaps with some decent glazing friendly silicone before fitting the external glazing beads, that should bake it a bit harder.

[Ned]

Thanks all for the replies. As luck would have it, I met a glazer last night and asked him about this. He laughed and said he is constantly "on call" to a furniture shop to do just this. He says it is easy peesy

- I just need two "suckers" (tile lifters to me) ; from the front prize out the angled ehatever-he-called-thems, have someone on the inside tap the pane twoards the front. He did mention to carefully rest it on a couple of blocks; shoot in the sofa and reverse the procedure. I'll gather the troops for Thursday evening (golf on Wednesday) and give it a go...

[Ned]

Job was completed on Thursday night as scheduled. No major problems; I had two sons & a firend of theirs who had some experience of this so we had the panel out, sofa in, and panel reinstalled in 30 mins. First step was removal of the inner beading, then the outside "slips" (outside angled metal strips around the side of the window - where the putty is in a traditional window). At this stage we had one person inside and three outside and carefully pushed from inside to free up the pane. After getting the sofa in the reinstallation of the panel was easy enough, pane in, slips in and finally the inside beading. This we "softened" in a basin of luke warm water and suds to make it slippy - it also expanded the rubber slightly which need to be trimmed a bit. Job is finished - happy days back to the golf........