# Condensation in between double glazed panes



## alicat (25 Jul 2022)

One of the large windows in my sitting room is misting up between the panes. Does anyone have any experience of using repair services such as https://condensationinwindows.co.uk/ rather than getting the window replaced?

Or any other relevant advice? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Chris S (25 Jul 2022)

They usually drill a hole in the metal strip between the panes to get the condensation out. This reduces the thermal effectiveness of the double glazing. I don't know by how much though.


----------



## Sharky (25 Jul 2022)

There is a firm near us
https://www.fleetglass.co.uk/
We bought some double glazed panels from them. They are surprisingly cheap compared to whole window replacements. 

Need to find something similar in your area, but this can give you an idea of costs etc.


----------



## annedonnelly (25 Jul 2022)

Is getting it replaced going to be very expensive? I've just got a quote a quote for two of mine - one pretty large window & a small one with decorative glass. It's about £260 - I don't think that's unreasonable - the windows have been in almost 30 years.


----------



## nickb (25 Jul 2022)

The seal between the two sheets of glass will be knackered. Replacing the pane is the solution.


----------



## ColinJ (25 Jul 2022)

When I moved into this rental property 7 years ago there were 2 faulty double glazed panels, one in the kitchen, one in the attic bedroom's Velux window. My landlady had them replaced by *Cloudy2Clear* at a very reasonable price. It didn't take long to do and the windows have been fine since. 

I can't remember how much the job cost but it was a small fraction of the price of completely new windows.


----------



## alicat (25 Jul 2022)

Thanks all; that's all helpful info. 

I've got UPvC glazing across the whole of the back of the house: patio doors with a window either side. I've been putting off getting it done because I thought the whole lot came as one 'thing' but on close inspection I'm guessing they can replace the single sealed unit that has failed.


----------



## MontyVeda (25 Jul 2022)

Providing the glazed units are 'standard' sizes, replacing them shouldn't cost too much. I used to work on the uPVC manufacturing side of double glazing and was flabbergasted at how inexpensive the glass units were. Removing them is easy too as there's a clip-in bead usually on the inside of the frame. (youtube will probably have a how-to video)

As i understand it, the units will fail at some point and begin to mist up. Fixing them is a fix, not a cure and they will fail again sooner rather than later... so just chuck your cash towards a new unit instead.


----------



## gbb (25 Jul 2022)

Replaced a few units. As MontyVeda says, the interior strips come off exposing the glazed unit. Measure carefully, including overall thickness of the unit, you can order them online (done that, worked well). You order the specific size, they manufacture to that. Last unit i ordered was around 600w x 900 H, cost around £50.
If youre modestly good at DIY, it's quite achieveable. Getting the interior strips off and back on can be a fight but its all down to knack, YT is your friend.


----------



## fossyant (25 Jul 2022)

Fixing one pane cost us £140 just before lockdown - inner pane just cracked on it's own. Complicated by the fact we've a 'plastic bar' inside each pane to mimic 2 panes of glass (matches the original window design). Unfortunately, they have to take the old window out, go back to the workshop, extract bit of plastic, and make new as the design of the bars have changed - grr. They are standard size, but they measure them up anyway. Thing is, the factory got the measurement slightly wrong, and the pane wouldn't fit, so had to go back again !


----------



## alicat (25 Jul 2022)

A local glazing company has quoted £180 to replace the pane. Cloudy2clear are coming to have a look tomorrow.

I think I'll take the easy option and get one of them to do the job. I'd be doing it single-handed and am a bit clumsy so could count on dropping it! 

Thanks again for the contributions - they've helped me sound like I know what I'm talking about, which is always a good start ...


----------



## neil_merseyside (25 Jul 2022)

We had several quotes, two being Cloudy2Clear rebuild type fix, (one the real C2C franchise, and a local specialist) and a couple for new sealed units.
New sealed units were much cheaper (25%) AND just a straight swap of old out and new in taking minutes we went with new units. The installer pointed out how original installater had cocked up and he fixed all the windows of that batch (spacer issue).


----------



## TissoT (11 Aug 2022)

The channel sometimes fills with water which damages the outer skin/spacer bar (metal strip between the glass)

If the plastic packer that the unit sits on is not the correct size or its out of position it damages the outer skin of the unit hence the condensation.

once the unit has blown its time to replace.

Check the plastic packer is the correct size and the drain holes are clear to release the water before fitting new unit.


----------

