removing a double glazed panel

girlsmum

DH managed to break a panel of double glazing, (only a small hole throught the middle)
we phoned a place local and they said they can get a new panel in cost about £40 but they need the thickness to be able to order it which means we have to remove it to measure it

firstly how easy is it to remove the panel and how do you do it?

its not a big panel so i really dont want to have to pay someone to have to do it unless you think its better.

DH is good at DIY but never had to do this before

help please

nelly05

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/condensationdg.htm

Hope that helps a little :j

dixie_dean_2

I watched as 2 blokes did mine. They were bloody crap! From what I saw you just kinda !!!! it round the edges with a chisel, try to get as much glass all over the lounge and down the couch and then it sortas comes out in loads of little bits! I'll give you this blokes number - he was great.

Fred_Bear_2

I have watched this done twice by employees of my local double glazing company. The first guy used a chisel. He struggled and did a lot of damage to the upvc. The second time, yesterday in fact, the guy used a scaper about 50mm wide. This time it was very easy and no damage was done. BTW he removed the sides first. HTH

escroooge

edit "If externally glazed" -You remove the beading strip from the inside, this loosens the pane, push the pane back towards where beading strip was, unclip the front bead strips.

edit "if internally glazed" - removed bead strip from front, unclip from inside

edit2: I knew being an ex double glazing salesman would come in handy one day, karmic balancing...

uncle_buck_3

The method that escroooge explained refers to plastic windows that have an inside glazing gasket.
This type of window is externally glazed (glass fitted from the outside)
The gasket is the black rubber seal between the frame & the glass. It’s usually about 10mm & will ramp up from the frame to the glass.
To remove the Double Glazed Panel (DGP) the gasket is removed….this just pulls out…then from the outside the DGP can move back a bit into the space made by removing the gasket. This then allows the window beads to be pushed back a little to be removed…Now the DGP can be removed.

More common are externally glazed windows where the DGP is stuck in place.
With this method the DGP is stuck to a thin black foam type tape that is applied to the edges of the inside of the frame. The DGP is then put in place & it sticks to the tape (the tape is double sided). The window beads are then fitted. This method became more popular as it was a lot more secure than the gasket method.
To remove the window beads is a bit tricky….you have to use something like a very thin wall paper scraper inserted between the frame & bead then gently pry the bead from the frame. It’s easier to do this in the middle of the bead. If you have not done this before it is quite hard to do without causing any damage to the frame!
Once the window beads are out the DGP will have to be cut out of the frame (if the tape has a good hold) new tape will have to be used when the new DGP is fitted. It is best to spray the tape with glass cleaner (slightly soapy water will do) before fitting the DGP…this stops the tape instantly sticking to the glass, giving you a chance to position the DGP.

Internally glazed windows.
With this method the DGP is fitted from the inside….then the window beads are fitted.
Just a case of removing the window beads (as above) then removing the DGP.

HTH.

jennifernil

The removal method will depend on what the frame is made of.
But to measure the thickness you do not need to remove it. If it already has a hole in it you could surely measure the thickness at the hole?

uncle_buck_3

I thought of that also but if girslmum’s Husband is doing the job he will want to know the size of the unit (length x height)

girlsmum

well thanks all, i am more confused than ever now:rotfl: internal external gasket arghhh :rotfl: crikey who would have thought it would be so confusing.

As for measuring it through the hole, i dont think the hole is big enough, it was done with an arrow-- please DONT ask... so it is a neat clean hole on the inside pain and a bit larger on the outer one.

thank you all for your comments i will be passing them on to my DH