The condensation between the lites is almost always caused by an excess of moisture that has entered the space because of a blown seal. In some cases they can give the appearance of “fixing” the IGU in the right circumstances. There are a number of companies out there that are advertising that they can clear up foggy IGU’s. If anyone is interested, I can make this very long and technical, but for a quick answer, repairing a “failed” IGU is never a DIY project. Fogging is almost always (with a few rare exceptions) caused by moisture penetrating the seal between the two glass panes. Gas escaping from the interior of the IGU does not cause fogging. And many of those that were filled probably lost the argon fill years ago due to migration thru the (mostly obsolete) materials that were used to seal the unit at that time. There is very little likelihood that an older dual pane window ever had a gas infill because until the past few years very few dual pane IGU's were filled with argon. There is a common misconception that all dual panes are gas filled with something other than air – and technically air is a gas of course - when in fact less than half of dual pane windows manufactured today have an argon (or other) gas infill between the lites. Unless there is argon loss or there is corrosion of the LowE coating, there is no difference in energy performance between an insulating glass unit with condensation and one without condensation between the lites. Buying a whole new window is an option, but may not be necessary unless you are unhappy with the window style or function.Ĭondensation between the lites in an IGU is a cosmetic issue. If you do not have a company in your area to make this repair, then the intermediate cost option would be to have a glass company replace the insulating glass in your window. I've got six repaired windows in my own home and will continue to use this defog repair method to maintain my insulated glass as the rest of them fail. Third, when properly defogged using the methods of the companies you listed in your question, the moist air has been replaced with a still, dry air space and the insulation ability of the window has been greatly improved from the wet condition and will insulate very near its newly manufactured state. WoW! Your "clear" window has moisture in it! Where is the seal broken though? Hmmm? You'll probably find that there is also a moisture spot inbetween the glass too that you cannot wipe away. Now wipe away the moisture from the outside of the glass. You just lowered the dew point at that spot. Take an ice cube and place it on the "clear" window glass of similar age and design for between :45-1 min. Often the moisture is present because the insulated glass has reached its moisture threshold there is more moisture inside the glass than the dessicant can effectively absorb and hide. This is one reason why most every insulated glass unit has a moisture control product inside- a dessicant to absorb the inevitable moisture that will enter every ig during its lifespan. The secondary seal of an insulated glass unit is not impervious to air. Second, moisture inside a window does not mean the seal has broken. There is MUCH more to be said! You can make the repair by replacing the insulated glass unit alone and retain the sash and frame assembly, or you can use the defog repair method you mentioned. Yes! Window defogging does work, and well.įirst of all, you do not need a new window if just the insulated glass unit is foggy. Hoping for an inexpensive solution, but trying to be realistic. They said I'd have to find the contractor who installed the windows to initiate any warranty that may be valid on the windows. AFGD is stamped inside the window and I talked to the local dealer of this glass manufacturing company. Is this defogging process truly possible? effective? Anybody tried it?īTW, the person who used to own this house is no longer living and I can't find out who installed the windows. Here's an article in the Ottawa newspaper about it: So I started reading about it on the internet (which always requires scrutiny and skepticism) and there are a number of companies saying that, in many situations, windows can be defogged. But I saw a Yellow Pages add that advertised a company that could defog windows. The people who responded to post noted that I'd have to have the glass replaced entirely. I bought the house in December when there wasn't much condensation, but now it's pretty bad. I posted on another home forum about removing the condensation between the panes in my two 51" x 61" picture windows.
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