Double glazing question

[filsgreen]

I've recently moved into a new house and the majority of the windows have condensation on them in the morning, especially our bedroom. Am I correct in thinking that the glass units have failed? They were installed in 1995. Any advice would be appreciated before I contact the double glazing firm who installed them for a quote.

Thanks

Phil

 

[Max Power]

No they havnt failed, its quite common to get a bit of condensation on the surface of the glass as it will still be the coldest surface in the room despite being double glazed. Failed units have condesation forming inside the two sheets of glass.

 

[MikeG.]

Phil,

Alan is completely correct. All I would add is that at 14 years old you might well expect to see some failures starting to occur.....but the condensation will be between the panes of glass.

Condensation like this is generally a result of inadequate ventilation. The ideal solution would be a whole house ventilation system with heat exchanger ((MVHR), which transform the internal environment. Otherwise, open the trickle vents above the windows.

Mike

 

[filsgreen]

Phew, that's a relief guys, thanks a lot. I suppose it is my fault Mike, my wife wants the window open at night but I'm too much of a wimp to open it. I think I'll have to leave it open now.

Cheers

Phil

 

[Boatfixer]

Just out of interest if you do have a failed unit with condensation inside is it still working as efficiently or nearly so? I have a couple that have failed in my house and am wondering apart from appearance how urgent it is to replace them...

Graham

 

[MikeG.]

A failed DG unit would be better than single glazing, but not much. You'd be surprised how cheap the replacements are, and it is well worth doing in terms of heat loss. I guess there is also a risk of mould growth, with the spores being a health hazard.

Mike

 

[Russell]

The only problem replacing sealed units is avoiding damage to the beading when removing it. You might struggle to find replacement beading for old windows because the profiles have changed quite a bit.