"Misty" Windows

[Quillan]

I have wooden framed double glazed windows and a couple of them have 'mist' on the inside. Can the glass units be removed, cleaned and 'renovated'? Can you DIY them or do you have to take them to a specialist and if so what do I look for in Pages Jaunes?

If I can go down this route it then raises another issue. The glass panels seem to be bedded into some form of brown putty that never sets, I assume to protect the glass. When it gets really hot this putty tends to run out of the frame onto the wood surround, in some cases about two table spoons worth. Whats this stuff called in French, where can I get it and better still is there a subsitute that does the same job but does not run? I notice on the UPVC and Ali frames they use rubber, can you buy this say on a roll and use that instead, whats it called and from where?

As always thanks in advance.

[Lehaut]

Having been down this route for misty windows, I do not think there is a DIY solution. There is a system for drying and resealing, but this does not get rid of the mist on the inside as its not cleaned. As far as I know, you have to get new complete units.

bande adhésive double-face is the sticky stuff.

[Quillan]

I was thinking along the lines of them taking the units apart, cleaning them then resealing them or in other words make new units by recycle the existing glass which is already cut to the right size for the window. I believe also that the glass is the most expensive material in these units but I am not sure (more to the point I don't have a clue).

[pip24]

Q, I think the product that you are looking for is Butyl. I think that it is available in a tape and putty form.

[Chancer]

They were sealed units usually inert gas filled and Under a small vaccum, when they break down moisture laden air can enter and then you get the misting.

I have cut apart, cleaned up and attempted to reseal a unit in a front door, it was frssted glass but still looked bad after a while, any builder or window fitter friend who visited would always remark on it.

I made my own (not) sealed units for my pied à terre in the UK and they always have condensation Inside them which does not look as bad as misting.

Your units that are set on mastic sound like a bodge, possibly fitted into an existing wooden frame although my Bricodepot hardwood Windows do just that but with silicone.

On aluminium or UPVC Windows the units should be seated on solid plastic packers and there will be a rubber gasket inserted between the unit and the glazing beads.

The units break down because most Windows are not correctly designed or made, they end up sitting in trapped water which breaks down the seal and is then sucked into the unit by the vacuum, the Windows should sit on plastic glazing packers and not be in any other contact with the channel underneath, water will always get into this channel past the rubber gaskets so it should be provided with drainage holes, manufacturers dont like to do this for aesthetics, they look naff, stains appear underneath and spiders make their homes in them.

Windows fitted with correct drainage which is kept clear of being blocked by détritus will never mist up unless the unit was defective from day one.

You will need to buy your units from a miroiterie and they cost an arm and a leg, they sub them out to specialist manufacturers who will not deal with the public or even builders/developers in France, much cheaper in the UK especially if you have a small manufacturer on your doorstep like I do, Google will give you a giude price per M2.

When you fit them raise them on packers and create some drainage and you wont have a recurrence.

[PaulT]

Got the same problem with a few of our windows in the UK. Spoke to a local company and told it was a case of new double glazed panels and was very surprised at how cheap they are.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Quillan"]I have wooden framed double glazed windows and a couple of them have 'mist' on the inside. Can the glass units be removed, cleaned and 'renovated'? Can you DIY them or do you have to take them to a specialist and if so what do I look for in Pages Jaunes?[/quote]

I have looked into this in the past and there was a nice website that I came across a while back that is still there:

http://mymistywindowfix.com/

It was interesting to see what this person had done and what happened afterwards.

I think it basically comes down to 3 things:

1) whether you can afford to simply replace the failed units

2) what value you place on your time

3) how long you want the repair to last - and how bad does it have to be before it concerns you.

Overall, it seems to me that the best fix is replacement, but if you like a challenge, have the time and are potentially prepared to put up with something that may be sub-optimal, then try a DIY fix. If push comes to shove, you could always simply remove one pane and have a single-glazed pane instead!

[BIG MAC]

Near us in Portsmouth UK there is a company with the strapline 'Get the Fog Out'

As I am in 'quick reply' I can't do a hyperlink but if you cut and paste the following into your browser then you will see that here it's commonplace to do as you suggest.

http://www.idealwindowsolutions.co.uk/condensation_removal_maintenance.html

This isn't an advert for anyone in particular as its a generic thing but their little video may be of interest. I wonder if there was enough people with the same issues if they wouldn't send a guy over for a week,,,,

[Chancer]

Interesting site, pretty much what I did except either the units didnt contain the dessicant spacers or I destroyed them removing them, it was so long ago I cant recall, in any case I made up wooden spacer bars so its no surprise that they steamed up again!

Were I to do it again I would not empty out the dessicant but just put the whole bead in an oven except i no longer possess an oven in any of my properties and it would not be big enough for most Windows.

[idun]

A good friend of ours used to own a double glazing company and he decided to DIY his own windows which misted. He did it a couple of times with all the proper products. It lasted a little while then gave up and replaced the glass units.

We replaced a glass unit in a hard wood framed window in France, not because it was misty, it was because the glass on the inside got broken, but that is another story.

[Frederick]

[quote user="PaulT"]Got the same problem with a few of our windows in the UK. Spoke to a local company and told it was a case of new double glazed panels and was very surprised at how cheap they are.[/quote]

I have in the UK this problem now . My house has wooden frames all wood in the place is stained the same color so has put me off getting them replaced with plastic . I have replaced the kitchen glass that face South and got hot .They were set in brown putty . The company who supplied the new sealed glass units told me NOT to use putty Use wooden beading round them.... and use silicone . They were not expensive to replace ...Not worth trying any other method our local glass people can more or less make them while you wait .. My front ones have lead strips in a diamond pattern stuck to them so not looking forward to replacing them. House was build in 1989 I do not consider that old

but perhaps it is for double glazing ?

[BIG MAC]

As a previous poster said, its important to set the sealed units up on plastic spacers and these are installed all the way round the window (top tip put a splodge of car windscreen sealant under the side wedges as it deters 'creep' )

No sealant at all in the bottom channel other than that on the face of the unit, this allows water to seep through the weep holes in the bottom of the window which in turn align with channels in the frame/sill. There's no need to have hideous drain holes visible if you are crafty with timber windows once they are assembled and in place simply drill angled weep holes through the frame and sill from inside but that exit in the capillary channel under the sill (That's the groove under the front lip) then clean out with a pipe cleaner soaked in Danish oil (other preservatives are available) blah blah

[Chancer]

I knew that all the Bricodepot UPVC Windows that I have fitted had weep holes in the bottom frame but this is because they are inward opening so any water penetration around the opening casements can drain to the outside and of course to provide a habitat for spiders.

This subjact made me do something that I havnt done before and that was to look up underneath the opening casements and lo and behold they have weep holes pouted into them [:D]

Given that I have fitted about 40 Windows and doors making probably 70 sealed units and none of them have failed over the last 9 years I think its safe to say that the budget UPVC stuff from Bricodepot is well made and will last, the same alos for my wooden front door and the veluxes.

I will check the hardwood Bricodepot Windows I fitted in the UK for drainage around the sealed units on my next visit.