[Closed] Blown double glazing units - can they be fixed?

Dunno, but one of my kitchen DG units is blown so will watch with interest....

Thought it was quite cheap to replace just the glazing units. Probably quite labour intensive to separate and repair.

Surely the old glass would just be recycled anyway? As per Spooky, thought replacement sealed units were not too expensive.

pop beads off and buy a new pane, labour is what would cost if you try and strip the old unit down. Units aren't that expensive before fitters price hike. How old is old unit? any FENSA guarantee to claim against?

What happens when the units blow?

I've got a couple, but haven't replaced them cos I couldn't see much point.

The units cannot be fixed basically they have a seal which is pumped in behind the spacer bar inside the unit. When the seal fail it allows air and moisture into the unit which creates the condensation.

Some companys will push fitting new windows saying its better to etc.

The Units can be replaced on there own you dont have to have a whole new window the units are cheap depending what you have but remember at certain heights and area's need toughened glass for health and safety reasons and to keep in with any fensa certification the windows have.

Hope this helps.

Yes they can be fixed, but tbh it's not really worth it when you think of the labour involved with stripping, cleaning and rebuilding. One of our labourers left some stacked outside in the sun all day and the seals shifted, after seaking advice from the supplier, we just realigned them and stored them in a cooler place, once the black seal had firmed up again they were (and still are after 12 months) Ok.

As a rough guesstimate allow 34quid sqm for standard glazing and 40quid sqm for toughened glazing on replacement units (glass bit) supply only.

It actually can be difficult to remove the failed units from the frames if window security tape was used, it's intended to prevent the removal of the glass. The glass will be recycled.

There's also new legislation that came into force on the first of October which means that windows have to uave a minimum of a C energy rating (like you get on fridges and things). Not sure how that will affect repalcement glass units. I know our windows are only certificated as a whole, i.e. the frames we sell with a specific specification of glass and gas in between the panes.

Failed units will be elss thermally efficient (especially so if they were originally filled with something like argon) and obviously be less asthetically appealing if they're misted up but they'll still be a better insulator than a single pain of glass.

Depending on the age of your windows the sealed unit failing may indicate that it's time to replace your windows anyway, PVC doesn't last for ever and window design in terms of security and installation has come on a lot in the last ten years.

The failed units are mostly in a conservatory. I have 11 failed units out of a total of 29 in there and one unit elsewhere in the house. I expect more will fail in the conservatory as it's now 13 years old. These all failed, I guess, due to the excessive temparatures the room reaches during the summer.

Some did fail while the structure was still in warranty, but the firm that fitted were no more by then (in title at least), so i had no redress. It's looked a mess for a few years now, but the whole thing only cost £7k new, so i didn't do too badly.

I am considering the possibility of a five wall polycarbonate roof and replacing the verticals, or scrapping the whole thing and building myself a nice solid extension. Option B is more attractive as the room would then become useful all year round.

I think the conservatory was a bad idea, but they have their place - like on the coast where cold winds often spoil a sunny day.

Glass below 800mm from floor lever has to be toughened. Theres a good chance your units are externally beaded at that age, so theres also a good chance they will be stuck in with glazing tape.
You can't just stick a deeper poly carb roof section on, as the depth of the frame and cappings govern whats already there. Glass roofs are warmer then tiled better still, but the frame wont take the weight. I think your scrapping idea is best option.
I like spending other peoples money 😆

Anyone want to buy a conservatory? Needs reglazing. 😆

Or perhaps i should just give the whole thing a few coats of satinwood inside and out. 😆

I'm dreaming of a nice solid extension with a nice big flat panel TV installed in it. 😀 Dream on 😕

Units typically fail where they sit immersed in dampness; along the bottom bead on vertical ones and any joints you have along the length of roof panels.
I wouldn't worry about the condensation: Polycarbonate is even uglier than misted-up units and a lot noisier.
Satinwood on nice seasonally damp wood will make your timber rot from the inside: Use microporous paint like Butinox.

Units in conservatory roofs should outlast the 1's which sit vertically like in the doors etc.

reason being is that when there laying down they should never be submersed in water as there constantly draining. unless someone's blocked the drainage with tons of silicone like a lot of people do...

The vertical glass like in doors and windows tend to break down when the drainage holes in the frames block and water sits underneath them. another usual cause of failure is fitters not using packers in the frames when glass is fitted.

No one ever gets units stripped and re made i have had to strip a unit once in my entire double glazing career and it takes longer than making a whole new unit. Generally the only they get stripped is when someone wants to keep a unique feature like special made led or stained units that they had made.

Get the units replaced and ask the person who is doing it to remove all obstructions from drainage holes and drainage recesses and it will then not only last a long time but new glass always makes conservatory's look newer. get the fitter to clean the old plastic with solvent and it will look smart again. security tapes not a issue easy to remove and replace.

Thanks Tony, do you do quotes in the SE?

certainly can mate email me your details like where you are etc and a phone number and i will give you a call and try to arrange something.