Windows: fix or replace?

Jennifer_Jane

W.Ford wrote: »

I am in exactly the same position at the moment, wooden framed and a couple of 'blown' panels so far. Where are people finding cost effective triple glazed windows?

Stoke-on-Trent (I'm not personally in Stoke, but the window people are). If this is useful, I can PM you the name.

W.Ford

I'm near Leeds if anyone can help

missprice

W.Ford wrote: »

I'm near Leeds if anyone can help

Pm'd you :j

windowguru

We are a specialist window repair company and we carry out a lot of replacement units into woord.
There are issues to consider when fitting a double glazed unit into wood.
1. Most unit manufacturers will only guarantee the unit against premature failure for a period of 2 / 3 years (Usual guarantee period is 10 years)
2. Double glazed units should not be glazed in with putty. The linseed oil in the putty will react with the jointing compound that bonds the two sheets of glass together.
3. The condition of your frames will have an impact on the longevity of the units. Poorly maintained frames will allow water to get past the sealant and will remain in the frame which will eventually degrade the bond and cause the unit to fail.
4. The unit lifespan is directly influenced by the method of installation the materials used and the quality of "work-person-ship" (I Say this as we have a female on our repair team! :-)

So in short, If the units are glazed with timber beads not putty and if they are fitted using the correct material and by the right people you should get at least 10 years of trouble free clear viewing.

If you would like more information on good installation practice then private message me.

Mark the Window Guru

leveller2911

windowguru wrote: »

We are a specialist window repair company and we carry out a lot of replacement units into woord.
There are issues to consider when fitting a double glazed unit into wood.
1. Most unit manufacturers will only guarantee the unit against premature failure for a period of 2 / 3 years (Usual guarantee period is 10 years)

5 years warranty for units fitted in wooden windows is very common and the reason they tend to be less than for Upvc is because timber moves more than Plastic.

2. Double glazed units should not be glazed in with putty. The linseed oil in the putty will react with the jointing compound that bonds the two sheets of glass together.

In general I agree with you but if the units are bedded on tape or buytl putty then glazing silicone applied around the perimeter ,left to dry and then face puttied with Linseed putty they can last for 15-20yrs. In fact there are companies who make very slim units who will warranty them for 10yrs and specify linseed oil face putty.I can't post their websites as we are not allowed to promote companies on here for obvious reasons.

3. The condition of your frames will have an impact on the longevity of the units. Poorly maintained frames will allow water to get past the sealant and will remain in the frame which will eventually degrade the bond and cause the unit to fail.

Very true

So in short, If the units are glazed with timber beads not putty and if they are fitted using the correct material and by the right people you should get at least 10 years of trouble free clear viewing.

I'd want more than 10yrs out of a well fitted unit.

If you would like more information on good installation practice then private message me.

Mark the Window Guru

Welcome Mark and look forward to seeing you post more about windows but I'm not sure why you would ask people to send you a private message when any advice given openly on a thread is welcomed.That is unless you are here to get work and promote your business?..

windowguru

Thanks for offering your critique on my first post. I Am basing the warranty on units glazed into timber on three companies that we use. All three offer a three year warranty on double glazed units that are fitted into timber. I agree that there are exceptions to the No putty rule and that provided the unit is sealed against the linseed oil, putty can be used. In the 30 years that I have been doing this work I have never come across a unit that was fixed using butyl / glazing tape, fully sealed with glazing silicone and then face puttied. I have however seen hundreds of double glazed units that have been glazed with putty only and seen the results of using that method of glazing. My comments on the use of putty is based on what's commonly out there.

As for the 10 years comment... I would also want more than 10 years from a well fitted unit but we can't all have what we want now can we! :-)

windowguru

Oh! leveller2911........ I forgot to mention.... I said about private messaging me as I thought that I would get a notification email alerting me that someone needed advice. I was unsure whether a comment on a post made here would receive a similar email alert. I just checked my emails and it would appear that no such Email alert is sent. Well it is my first time using this site so I guess once I know the ropes there won't be any confusion.
My area of speciality is tilt turn & tilt slide windows and doors so as you are on this forum a lot maybe you could PM me if you see any threads relating to these systems. Thanks Mark