How do you remove condensation between two windows?
By Cindy from Lorain, OH
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You don't.
The IG (insulated glass) units need to be replaced. The seal has been lost.
Your best bet is to call local glass companies and ask for free estimates. It can be a DIY project for some people, but unless you have the correct tools and such, it is something that most glass companies can do within a reasonable amount of time. Labor should be inline with the cost of the IG unit depending on your area.
(I used to be a window and door sales rep and grew up in the window and door industry. Despite some of the claims from previous posts that have been archived, an entire new window is not in order 85% of the time, just the IG unit, new stops/glazing material and patience.)
You can't IF you have double glazed windows. They are sealed. What you have is a leak in the seal. The window has to be replaced. Is that what you have?
Cheap method (never tried it, but might work):
1) Drill a small hole in the glass in an inconspicuous location, preferably a corner. You'll need a glass/tile drill bit due to the hardness of glass.
I had condensation built up in my old glass doors. I read somewhere about drilling a small hole and allowing the condensation to evaporate then filling the hole with silicone. It sounded logical to me. And since I'm very familiar with tools I decided to give it a try. I went to Home Depot and picked up a drill bit specifically for glass. Not cheap but I figured it was cheaper than hiring a pro to do the job.
Then I set to work drilling a tiny hole. I hadn't drilled but a few seconds and OMG did I find out fast that this was the wrong thing to do!
I covered it with plastic wrap and tape and called a professional. I wound up doing what I should have done to begin with. I replaced the door! So please, People, don't try drilling a hole to allow condensation to dry out. Call a pro! He may or may not be able to dry it out, but either way it takes a pro to fix this problem!
You need to know if your glass is tempered or not. If tempered it cannot be drilled. It will always shatter into small pieces. You may be able to tell with polarized sunglasses. Look through one lens and rotate the lens. If you see small circular patterns the glass is heat tempered.
This is because you did a big no-no and drilled toughened glass. This method only works if your glass is not toughened and is just plain old double-glazed.
If your glass has a kite mark in one of the corners, it is most likely toughened glass and cannot be drilled.
The reason this happened is that door glass is tempered not typical window glass. Never try to drill temper glass as it will shatter
you should have determined that is was tempered glass first. sliders are tempered glass regular windows are not and can be drilled
(Submitted via email)
To drill out a hole in the glass is not going to stop the problem of condensation. I would strongly suggest using a humidifier in the home or leaving a window open to release some of the moisture in the air. Besides you cannot drill anything that's tempered. Tempered is a ceramic glass heat baked for strength.
Craig R.
The reason you can not slice one side of the glass is that the sealant is holding both pieces of glass so tightly that you will more than likely break and shatter the glass. This is dangerous. In addition, if you try to silicone or glue another piece of glass back on to the other side of the glass it will be messy and look awful.
It is far better to call a glass repair company. They will give you an estimate and make up a brand new sealed double pane unit and switch out your old glass.
My company is based in Colorado Springs. We do this type of work every day and have 25 years of experience.
I'm not a window salesman or expert but I'm a contractor (that focuses on energy efficiency and low waste) and I frequently get salvaged double pane windows. My first experience with the moisture issue was when another contractor buddy of mine suggested we clean some salvaged windows at a self serve car wash. They all had moisture between the panes by the end of it. These were all used on an indoor installation of an office wall and within 2 weeks all the moisture was gone and were spotless.
But what if its one of the types of windows that has the gas between the panes?
You can open the window, and from the side of the window frame, use a long drill bit and drill into the caulking that holds IGU together. Make a hole at the top and bottom to allow for air circulation to clean out the condensation. Use a blow dryer to blow air into the small bottom hole to speed up the window clearing. Don't push hard on your drill or you will crack the window if you don't find the exact middle between the window panes. If you miss the caulking start another hole above or below this hole and estimate if you should drill to the right or left to find the sweet spot of the caulking.
I can't personally recommened this service. But 10 percent the cost of total window replacement and the "green" aspect of not sending more glass to the landfill are both impressive. I saved the link hoping that if I ever need the service it will be available in my state. It appears there are two locatoins in Ohio for this company. Good luck and if you try it I hope you post how the experience turned out.
www.youtube.com/
What I don't understand is why you can't do this:
1) remove the glass unit (the two panes and the seal that connects them) from the window or door frame;
2) slice through the seal all the way around the outside of the unit with an x-acto or sheetrock knife;
3) separate the two panes and dry the glass;
4) run a bead of silicon around the seal and rejoin the two panes;
5) reinstall the unit.
If you don't need the insulating value of the double pane (ex., a door that leads from the outside into an unheated garage), you could just replace one of the panes. Can anyone tell me why this wouldn't work?
hi can you drill though the seal instead of the glass . if you take the window out pls
I had this. The seal broke and I had to have the window replaced.
just try get a wipe the outside window using rag and alcohol , im doing it here in my office.
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