De-misting double glazing bodge
Discussion
I have around 42 panes of old double glazing that forms the surround view of our pool house. It is quite horrendous as its all framed in that dark faux mahogany UPVC. I think every panel has condensation, some quite bad. Its all very old and at some point we need to decide on a much larger scale what to do with the building as the roof, soffits and facias are all getting towards end of life. That would be a big project and needs some consideration in due course as we might not continue with the pool once the kids are older. Therefore I do not want to throw money at it just now, as it is purely cosmetic and might only be for a few years. DIY full repairs look very time consuming and likely to fail again, so not keen on that. I was wondering if by drilling a small hole in the top corner of each unit would be sufficient to get the condensation out? Has anyone done similar and if so what tools/method etc?
I read that drilling a small hole was supposed to work.
I understand the theory, the vapour pressure of water in the outdoor air should be low enough for the water to leave the cavity.
It didn't work.
I drilled the hole with a diamond burr in a Dremel.
It's not that hard to remove the glazing units from the frame.
You might then be able to split the units apart or buy new units from a trade place.
In the end I got a few units changed by a local business which specialised in sorting UPVC glazing.
I did read that if you remove the failed unit and drill into the edge spacers, you can drain the water out and add new dessicant, but I was happy to pay for new Argon-filled low=E units at the time.
I understand the theory, the vapour pressure of water in the outdoor air should be low enough for the water to leave the cavity.
It didn't work.
I drilled the hole with a diamond burr in a Dremel.
It's not that hard to remove the glazing units from the frame.
You might then be able to split the units apart or buy new units from a trade place.
In the end I got a few units changed by a local business which specialised in sorting UPVC glazing.
I did read that if you remove the failed unit and drill into the edge spacers, you can drain the water out and add new dessicant, but I was happy to pay for new Argon-filled low=E units at the time.
OutInTheShed said:
I read that drilling a small hole was supposed to work.
I understand the theory, the vapour pressure of water in the outdoor air should be low enough for the water to leave the cavity.
It didn't work.
I drilled the hole with a diamond burr in a Dremel.
It's not that hard to remove the glazing units from the frame.
You might then be able to split the units apart or buy new units from a trade place.
In the end I got a few units changed by a local business which specialised in sorting UPVC glazing.
I did read that if you remove the failed unit and drill into the edge spacers, you can drain the water out and add new dessicant, but I was happy to pay for new Argon-filled low=E units at the time.
Did the condensation return or never leave?I understand the theory, the vapour pressure of water in the outdoor air should be low enough for the water to leave the cavity.
It didn't work.
I drilled the hole with a diamond burr in a Dremel.
It's not that hard to remove the glazing units from the frame.
You might then be able to split the units apart or buy new units from a trade place.
In the end I got a few units changed by a local business which specialised in sorting UPVC glazing.
I did read that if you remove the failed unit and drill into the edge spacers, you can drain the water out and add new dessicant, but I was happy to pay for new Argon-filled low=E units at the time.
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