REPLACING DOUBLE-PANED WINDOWS

Al Carrell: Double-paned windows cut your energy bills and limit street noise. And when they need replacing you can save a bundle by doing it yourself. If you're a little foggy on just how to do it, we're going to show you how today. It'll cost you about $40.00 for the double-paned glass to replace this size window. A pro would charge almost double for the glass and the installation. You're going to need some basic supplies: a propane torch, some vinyl bead, an acrylic sealant recommended for windows. If you're faced with removing a great big pane of glass you got to really be careful. If it breaks it could cut you badly. The first thing I would do would be to take tape and put across all of the area on this side and on the other side too and then get somebody to help you because that way you're not going to run the risk of cutting yourself up badly. Measuring is your key to success.

Dan Miller: Rocky always measures the width first and when he measured this one he measured from the outside edge of the vinyl bead to the other outside edge of the vinyl bead and it comes to 30 and an eighth. So we take an eighth off. So that would mean the width of this glass is exactly 30 inches. And then he'll go again to the height and again it's from outside the vinyl bead down to the edge and it's 40 and an eighth and he takes an eighth off there and it's 40 inches exactly.

AC: Rocky's removing an eighth of an inch from each measurement to compensate for the vinyl bead, which actually extends beyond the glass itself. Begin removing the glass by prying loose the vinyl bead. Now the bead is not the only thing that's holding it in place.

DM: Actually, the bead's more cosmetic than anything else. The silicone behind the glass is holding the glass in. So, now he'll need to take a propane torch and heat around the edges of the glass. That heat will loosen that silicone and once he gets it heated up a little bit all the way around, then he'll be able to take the glass out.

AC: Be sure to distribute the heat evenly or the glass could crack and pop from the frame. Now, pry out the window and carefully remove it from the bottom first. You will have already ordered your glass based on the window's measurements.

DM: The glass will be cut to the dimensions and then it is...actually we lay a stack of double-paned units like 15 or 20 high and we trowel on polysulfide, which is made by Morton Firecall and that stack is then moved to a heating room. Once it sets up like that it seals that glass hermetically.

AC: You could take a razor blade and scrape a bit of the polysulfide sealant off the new glass. That'll even it up. Since this silicone has been heated up it's pretty easy to get off of here and that way you're going to have a lot better bond when you get ready to put the new stuff on here. It's just a simple matter of scraping to get it off there. Apply fresh sealant with a caulking gun and it's time to install your new window.

DM: Stick it in the top and set it in at the bottom.

AC: This window's vinyl bead can be reused. Slide the bottom piece in first for best results. The bead just snaps under the glass. Now, here's another situation you might have - fog. Now, Dan, this is a really common problem here. They've got their own atmosphere in between these two panes of glass there.

DM: Yeah, well, this house is like 18 years old I understand. It's typical of some glass...the sealant that's used to seal the glass together just wears out over time, weather, heat and cold, change in heat and cold and so forth. It only takes like a pinhole in that sealant anywhere around the edges of that glass for moisture to get inside.

AC: There are many myths about defogging windows, but there's only one way that's guaranteed to work - replacement. Just go through the same steps as we did with the cracked glass. Now I'd recommend you start on a small pane first until you become proficient. Once you get the hang of it, you're going to see why replacing your damaged double-paned windows is clearly a good idea.

Contacts:
Dan Miller: DFW Windows 972-378-0188
dan@dfwwindows.com

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Episode 62 1997 - 98 Season

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