Repairing Double Pane Windows

Time was when homes were installed with single pane windows. But nowadays, most home owners opt for double pane windows since they offer great insulating properties which in turn helps to regulate the temperature of a room. Double pane windows are essentially two panes of glass that are mounted one after the other with a small gap in between on a window frame. There is inert insulating gas, generally krypton or argon in between the two glass panes. It is this layer of inert gas that helps in insulating the room and prevent loss of heat from the room to the outside surrounding. This helps in reducing energy bills of a household significantly and that is why double pane windows are one of the most popular window panes. However, double pane windows are very expensive, and if you happen to have a broken window pane, the cost of replacing it is quite high. But you can consider repairing the double pane window yourself.

Double Pane Window Repair

As mentioned earlier a double pane window consists of two panes of glass mounted on the window frame and the gap between the window panes is filled with inert gas. The two glass panes are held together by a spacer and a seal. When the seal breaks, the insulated gas between the panes escapes and air and moisture are able to enter this gap. This leads to accumulation of dirt and moisture and you will find that the window panes fog up. Besides fogging of the windows, another problem is that the double pane windows with broken seals are no longer effective in insulating the room and it will defeat the purpose of having them installed. So you are left with choices of either repairing double pane window or replacing it with a new window unit. Whether you have a broken window pane or broken seal, you will need to repair it. To repair a double pane window, first you need to gather all the necessary supplies.

Things Required

• Utility knife
• Double pane window unit
• Screwdriver
• Silicon
• Hammer

Method

To repair a double pane window, first you need to remove the window sash or window frame. To do this, first remove the corner screws of the window frame with the help of a screwdriver. One of the best dual pane window repair tips is to make sure that you remove only two corner screw that are located diagonally opposite on the window frame. Now loosen the gasket surrounding the window pane by tapping it gently with a hammer. Carefully pries out the gasket from between the window panes with the help of the utility knife and place it aside. Take care not to damage the rubber gasket while prying it out of the window frame with the utility knife. Next, discard the old glass pane.

The next step is to wrap the old gasket that you had removed earlier around the new double pane window unit. The frame of the new double pane window unit should fit snugly with the rubber gasket. You can also use the hammer to tap lightly over the gasket to ensure that the frame of the new double pane window unit fits around the gasket. Place the double pane window unit with the gasket inside the groove of the window frame. Screw the corner screws that you had removed earlier with the screwdriver. Seal the four corners of the window frame with silicone.

This is how you repair double pane windows. Replacing old double pane windows with new ones is an expensive affair. But if you do the replacing yourself, you can cut cost on getting it installed by professionals.