Really impressed with the custom nozzles and clamping brackets you 3dprinted. No matter how you look at it this is a very time consuming job but those items really help save hours spent reclamping and make the job of applying the butyl rubber much easier. If you can find a company that supplies sealed units in your area the replacement price will be the best. Buying sealed units from a window company will be most expensive since they will double the price they pay for the units. If you have many units to replace, some companies will do delivery as well but you will need to custom fabricate a glass skid to keep the remaining units standing upright while you install them. Leaning them up against a wall may allow heavy glass to shift and break the seal.
just one point to add. The desiccant can be reactivated by heating in a 250F degree oven for a couple hours and reused, if you don't have replacement molecular sieve or silica gel.
@@Tugboat-R-Us Its purpose is to suck up trace moisture and keep condensation between the glass from happening. If the seal breaks, it is quickly overwhelmed and moisture will build up and condense.
How not to remove glazing beads, start from centre where you get maximum flex for the corners to pop out, sides first then bottom and top last so it does not fall out.
I appreciate the effort you put into this video but the title is misleading. No, it's not a project for those with "little or no experience". The 3D jigs you made were what allowed you to avoid the problems anyone else would have trying to do this project (like holding panes properly for resealing). Also some of your captions flash on the screen for a split second and I had to rewind frame-by-frame to read them.
Just tried this in the UK, not sure where this was filmed. Big differences: 1) 3:01 - he slices through the sealant like butter, but the butyl sealant I was slicing through was much tougher, definitely blunting my Stanley knife, took 3-5 passes each side with the knife. 4:46 - absolutely no chance of this, had to use an oscillating tool and scraper attachment to get the butyl sealant off of mine (also the tool heated the sealant and made it messy). 5:20 - the sealant I was dealing with was not solid so the wire brush got none of it off. Also I learned the calcified stains are extremely difficult to remove... glass polish only got some off. I'm currently in the process to see if Zep or formic acid will remove the stains. In conclusion, if you're in UK, definitely do not recommend doing this. Going to do it once then just buy new units.
Will def avoid, even before readingthis comment, thought it looked a bit of a pain in the arse, your comment sealed the deak though, will just pay an independent and steer clear of tbe people in the radio in UK, the one that has the jingle that ehymes with Pish In Your Ear!... They quoted me £250 but a wee independent fella in Glasgow is doing it for £80-£100 "depending on how much hassle I have gettin the frame off" So even £100 is better than £250...
The sealant in the video is a 20 year old (at least) 2 part hand mixed resin which has a soft rubber consistency and is very easy to cut. Your unit is probably sealed with hotmelt which is incredibly difficult to cut through, seriously, do not bother. The stains will never be totally cleaned off the glass, this is because the vapour that the dessicant gives off is slightly acidic which permanently etches the glass. If the unit has very recently failed you may get away with the stains, but I mean very recently, like within a week. I've been repairing windows for many years and can confidently say this repair method is futile.
It probably depends on how long it’s been misting up for. The moisture can mix with the desiccant and when that stains the window the sun can effectively etch the window. If you catch it as soon as it starts misting you will be OK. Although you did say it was a pain to clean the sealant off. It’s useful to know that you can repair them if you are on a budget, especially if you have a few windows at the same time. I just bought a 1200mm x 1100mm sealed unit and I thought it was reasonably priced at £40, I’m not sure if I would have the patience to repair one.
Good job ! Saving what we can, what is still in good shape, from old IGU ! Good competition for windows salesmen, keep them busy offering better price/durability offers !
I have just telephoned my local area trying to find someone that will rebuild my units after I have stripped them to bare glass and no one wants to do it. They all want to sell me glass again and when mine is perfectly good. I will be carrying this out it will only cost me some silica gel thanks! All the negatives are from people in the trade, the emperor has no clothes.😉👍
I have a 30 year old home and this has happened to a few windows already and I am sure there will be more to follow. I thought the video was very informative for someone like myself who has the time to DIY. However, since I do not have access to a 3D printer I wonder if this or the refilling with argon makes it out of my expertise. Alex, I have seen several good questions that haven't received a reply from you. I can understand why but there are those of us out there that value this info.
Fundamentally it would be impossible to hermetically seal the air between the panes because atmospheric PSI fluctuations would exert extreme forces over the large pane area, so the D.G industry has given us the desiccant solution to the problem that creates more work/profit for itself, a theoretical solution would be to have a tube leading from the gap through a renewable desiccant container.
Good luck in the UK ... I've split units over the years but only to re-cut the glass for greenhouse repairs. It's more hassle than it's worth, and the watermarks are totally etched in....
I can imagine myself doing this and then abandoning it half way because I got bored. Then I start a new project and then also abandon it before I could finish, only to come back to this original project a year and half later. Believe me, It’s true, that’s how my brain works. I’ve done that, my husband is my witness 😅
I just replaced 3 double glazing units in the uk had them made at a local glazers and the total cost was 75 pounds why would you go to so much trouble fir something that is so cheap.
No, they dry the air to prevent any more condensation on a cold day. Expensive units have xenon gas (so they say) but the professionals say that most if not all have dry air fill.
Nice fix for Foggy Windows. I have a sliding glass window, which is in an aluminum frame. The corner of the aluminum frame broke. Is there anyway to DIY fix it, without having to have a new frame made? Any guidance would be most appreciated. Kind regards.
Brilliant! Insulated glass is one of the biggest eco-scams out there, my 72x90" slider glass is $650 for just the replacement glass, not installation! There's no way it's saved that much energy... Building failure prone products to be thrown away when they fail and replaced with another failure prone product is not 'sustainable' or 'green'...
The idea of energy saving products isn’t just return on investment… it’s about moving toward a sustainable planet… whether or not you want to participate is based on a complex set of variables
@nitrousman8882 no it isn't. The very nature of living sustainable completely coincides with whether or not it saves you money. If you spend less on heating or cooling, you are being more sustainable. If the product is cheaper due to economies of scale, it means they are able to bring you more product with less cost. If double pane windows don't bring you energy efficiency to outweigh the cost,it's either because the company is trying to oversell or the cost of energy whether through actual energy or man hours doesn't make sense.
Old fashioned storm windows or clear plastic film used seasonally has worked for me for the last 45 years in an old victorian with single hung single pane wood windows
I wish I could do this but it would take me a month to do one small window. I do not have all those items. And my luck the glass would not be able to be cleaned on the inside.
When the condensation inside of the insulated glass unit has been trapped in there for awhile with the sun beating on it the minerals in the water(condensation) etch themselves into the glass giving you that white milky look and it does not clean off even with a razor blade. The cerium oxide that he uses to polish the glass has the consistency of all-purpose flour as it cannot scratch the glass so the actual cleaning of the glass would take many hours in itself if it is even possible at all. You must also remember that the moisture that has been trapped inside of this glass unit has saturated the desiccant inside of the metal glass spacers and corroded them. Cleaning up the glass spacers is not usually a viable option.
Dude! You say almost no experience needed? I have been in the replacement glass business for 18 years and would not attempt this at all. Chance of breaking the glass when separating with a knife is huge.
I'm thinking you'd want to be in a zero humidity environment. Buying the units factory sealed and covered by warranty seems the more efficient route, especially if this is a business venture. Any moisture that gets in there is going to show up as foggy with the first temperature change. I would never put this much effort into a rebuild for a customer only to have them call me back within a change of season. But, hey, if just doing a DIY at home, this might be an interesting project. Again, though, a lot of effort only to have it fog up in a year. Perhaps if you live in Arizona, you don't need to worry about humidity
Brilliant job! Two questions. The first is your use of cerium oxide polish. If this was a "low-E" pane, I think that would have destroyed the coating. Second, I wonder why you didn't flush with argon. You have done such a terrific job resealing these two panes, why not add argon gas? Thanks for showing your work. Would you provide the stl files for the 3D printed applicators?
Okay this can be done and it's not difficult but if you break the glass, damage the ally spacer between the glass or anythingelse then you are going to have to get a new unit. I removed the fillets to measure the double glazed unit and after refitting them went to Highland Glass in Inverness....new double glazed unit supplied for £200. Take old unit out and refit new one took 10 minutes....job done. Took 2 weeks for the new unit to arrive but hey....a lot less hassle. If you are broke and good with your hands then by all means go for it but replacement doubled glazed units in the UK are cheaper than you might think.
Thanks for shoing the process, but abit byond my level of DIY... having seen this it makes me feel a bit better about paying a glazier to replace the glass!
I have a 3d printer... have you got the .STL files for me to download? I have several to do.... mine are in steel Crittall frames. Getting glazing out is my main concern, how do I do that?
It's a fun video. It's about £50 for a brand new unit, twice the size, delivered. By the end of this job you have spent a rather a lot on a 3D printer and god knows how much on other materials. A glazer will come to your house, with the unit, and fit it for less than £100 as it's a 10 min job
This one comment was more helpful than the entire video. I didn't know there were glaziers that do this for a living. I already located a glazier in my town and will reach out for an estimate to repair three casement windows.
What do you mean after the sealant dries remove the old panel and replace with the new ? You have just removed the old panel, cleaned it up, polished the glass and resealed so I assume you had to board up the missing panel until the next day. Not much help to those of us who don't have a 3D printer and skills in 3D CAD design.
I can't believe all you Whiners complaining about needing a 3-D printer, This was a great instructional video if you have half a brain. You don't need a 3 D printer for this job. I'm not even going to tell you.
Hi Miss Wong from a year ago who probably already got the answer! Silica gel acts as a desiccant as an additional layer of protection in the even of tiny breaks in the seal between panes to grab any moisture from the air moving in and out of the panes due to variations in air pressure. That will prevent the fogging in between panes that will eventually lead to mineral/dirt deposits that form and give your windows that permanent foggy look.
This is a really good tutorial but way beyond my skill set. I just got 1st quote on replacement glass for 3 windows and am now looking for another solution.
I think it might be beyond many peoples "patience level" even if they might be able to technically handle the job! He really hit this one out of the park (ironic metaphor consider the number of windows I broke as a kid with baseballs! :) )
@@RegineAteliers I have no doubt either he, or someone in his life reached a point where the phrase “…seriously, next time we higher a window company…” 😉
Respect for you working out how the unit should work and how you've taken the time to restore the unit to a functioning window. We do like to throw stuff away, I've just changed 2 misty units for a customer without even thinking about if the old ones could be saved, I liked the polishing of the glass, would that work on my cateracts?
Interesting video. But an awful lot of work when a replacement unit that size from a local glass supplier would probably cost about £25. (A couple of years ago I got a new unit made for one of my windows, approx 15" X 25", it cost £13).
this is where eco meets price I guess it should be a bit like desktop repair. Replace the device/glass to resolve the immediate problem, but send the original glass... somewhere... to be repurposed.
Look this guy just showed you all how to do it, if you cannot be bothered to do it, just go and buy new sealed unit, I found it interesting as I would like to start a hanyman service, if it was my windowns I would do the repair, but clients paying want you in and out in a fash, so that mean 2 things1, buy new sealed units or make new sealed units.
I'm going to try this on a curved double pane glass that doesn't have a frame. It's for a car but I haven't been able to find one that was good in a yard and they are no longer available.
Thanks for this! Not that I'm actually going to do it but I know for sure I'll never buy a double pane window again. Since we now know how the window is constructed, I'm thinking that maybe it would work to just only use one of the panes, and then replace the unit...both sides of that one pane will be cleanable then, and you won't have to go through all the rigmarole put the sealant removal, 3D printing, and resealing. Maybe I could get a handyman to try my proposal, I certainly wouldn't try it myself haha:-)
Alex i dont know which area in the states you live but here in Scotland the climate would rapidly deplete the life of the sealant used for this repair ,in Britian we use a 2 in 1 mix for the sealant or a product called hot melt ,a unit is put together then put in drying area to cure ,you can tell me that this system when you strip and redo unit is as good as that .In Scotland there is a 5 yr manufacturers guarantee ,which if unit fails in this time frame it gets replaced gratis
@@bobbycaldwell4132 I'm in Canada. There are below freezing temperatures for good part of the winter. Southern side receives a lot of sunlight. Units installed there with new building started failing after 5-7 years. They had only single sealant which is very hard when cured. Its bond to the glass failed eventually. I used butyl based sealant on internal seam between frame and glass. It stays sticky permanently and keeps it enclosed . It is covered with another sealant on top to keep parts together. I'm sure the unit will serve me longer then original unit.
Butyl is a non hardening compound used in the glazing of dgus in a timber frame ,this doesnt react with the sealant on a unit and cause it to corrode ,Alex if the product works as well as you say then fair play but this is me speaking on the fact i have 40 yrs experience in glazing in Britian and the solution you offer doesng seem practical to me in my opinion ,i watched a video of guys drilling holes in units and offered my tuppence worth on that also
Whoops I broke mine putting the glazing beads on. Both sides at that. The shit you told me to use is so hard to get off. I've sliced my arm so bad I'm in the hospital. Looking at about 19 stitches so far. I didn't have a spare IG so my house is wide open, hopefully no one robs me and jacks my new 3d printer. Great video though.
Exactly what I thought. An easy DIY project. All you need is a 3D printer, a CAD system to design the STL files, Cerium oxide, silica, and a suction device to hold the glass (all of which I'm sure my local Dollar General has). LOL :)
Im a general contractor, with 34 yrs experience. I learned a long time ago to let the pro do the work. DIY double pane window work? Polishing to perfection, then re-assembling with argon gas etc? Brother please. I can see maybe taking out the glass, then having a dual pane glass pro doing the rest- but i would NEVER attempt this- not when my time is better spent doing what i do best, and then paying an experienced dual pane glass pro to do what he does best. If you are retired, have nothing to do , and have a shop full of tools and a nice flat, carpeted work bench- then have at it. But if you think for one second that you can watch this video and then “do it yourself”…..youre nuts. Lol. Good luck.
This is not feasible at all, especially in cold climate, since you would have removed the apparatus and repair it and in the meantime the house is open to air for until you get it done.....and that could take many hours and if you happen to break the glass you would be in trouble...
I am doing this process for my sliding glass door insulated panel (46x76 huge) I dont have cerium oxide polish, are there any alternatives you can recommend? I tried polishing with blue stick plastic polish stick from harbor freight but was getting nowhere. Please help :)
Look up the process and what they use to clean car head lamps. Although they don’t use silica beads…car head lamps get the same gunk inside and out. My husband just did mine..he does auto body/detailing. He uses 3 M products. ( labeled step 1,2,3 ) also Its a process the same as in the video - for cleaning the glass from all the muck.
@@PuppyBiteforTrump Did what you said , they have held up great, still look brand new. Zero leaks or internal fogging. It’s been one year exactly since I fixed these they are holding up through all the crazy weather Chicago can throw at them! This saved us at least $3000 due to the oversized dimensions we have.
So you have a new unt to put in place whilst you more or less strip existing and carry out a more expensive procedure than getting a replacement unit in 1st place
Money wise it's much cheaper then buying new and getting someone installing it for you. Where I live one new unit costs about $100 plus installation about half of that. For DIY repair tools and material cost is about $15 per unit. Sure time is needed to be invested. Unit has been performing through winter just fine, no condensation any more. There are two kind of people responding here: someone like me who is interested to use time available and to try something new and contractors who charge arm and leg for 5 min job to swap old unit with new one.
@@selfishbarber9763 probably not anything less than getting a new one and having it installed I'm guessing. It's a lot of work, but it'll probably last longer than a poor quality-controlled off the shelf cheap IGU
This video is a joke. I would like to see the time lapse. Must have taken 8 - 10 hours polishing the contaminants off of the two pcs of glass with cerium oxide. I wonder how many pieces of glass he broke trying to cut the unit apart. Its only single strength lol.
@@stuartmccarville6023 thanks for taking the time to make this comment. Very helpful. I repaired all my windows in my house because of it. You’re the best 👍
A little less floor-sweeping would make for a lot shorter video. Also, What's the point of watching your video as who owns a 3d printer. Very boring. I didn't learn anything helpful at all.
You might need to look up the definitions of "simple" lol You guys will need to have an extra window lying around to cover the whole while you repair the original window
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I love that you’re showing that you don’t have to throw out a window necessarily.
I was quoted about $500 per sliding glass door panel to do this work. And I think that was a very fair price based on your video!! 😀😀😀
Ouch! Just my opinion, but you're correct girl.
It costs 1 k to replace
Really impressed with the custom nozzles and clamping brackets you 3dprinted. No matter how you look at it this is a very time consuming job but those items really help save hours spent reclamping and make the job of applying the butyl rubber much easier. If you can find a company that supplies sealed units in your area the replacement price will be the best. Buying sealed units from a window company will be most expensive since they will double the price they pay for the units. If you have many units to replace, some companies will do delivery as well but you will need to custom fabricate a glass skid to keep the remaining units standing upright while you install them. Leaning them up against a wall may allow heavy glass to shift and break the seal.
I've tried separating units before. It was a hell of a lot of work.
just one point to add. The desiccant can be reactivated by heating in a 250F degree oven for a couple hours and reused, if you don't have replacement molecular sieve or silica gel.
What is the silica gel for?
@@Tugboat-R-Us Its purpose is to suck up trace moisture and keep condensation between the glass from happening. If the seal breaks, it is quickly overwhelmed and moisture will build up and condense.
How not to remove glazing beads, start from centre where you get maximum flex for the corners to pop out, sides first then bottom and top last so it does not fall out.
Little to no experience required??? Not!
agree, seems like just buying a replacement window would be less effort?
so true, this is a great video for someone training at a window repair facility.
Little to no equipment required either! 😆
I agree
Video should be titled “How to build a window!”
Hello, would you be interested in selling a set of your 3D printed stuff you used to do this? Or even the files I would need to print my own?
I appreciate the effort you put into this video but the title is misleading. No, it's not a project for those with "little or no experience". The 3D jigs you made were what allowed you to avoid the problems anyone else would have trying to do this project (like holding panes properly for resealing). Also some of your captions flash on the screen for a split second and I had to rewind frame-by-frame to read them.
And no sound the last couple minutes. Lol
You could advise filling or purging the inside with argon, for new insulation properties
Just tried this in the UK, not sure where this was filmed.
Big differences: 1) 3:01 - he slices through the sealant like butter, but the butyl sealant I was slicing through was much tougher, definitely blunting my Stanley knife, took 3-5 passes each side with the knife. 4:46 - absolutely no chance of this, had to use an oscillating tool and scraper attachment to get the butyl sealant off of mine (also the tool heated the sealant and made it messy). 5:20 - the sealant I was dealing with was not solid so the wire brush got none of it off.
Also I learned the calcified stains are extremely difficult to remove... glass polish only got some off. I'm currently in the process to see if Zep or formic acid will remove the stains.
In conclusion, if you're in UK, definitely do not recommend doing this. Going to do it once then just buy new units.
Will def avoid, even before readingthis comment, thought it looked a bit of a pain in the arse, your comment sealed the deak though, will just pay an independent and steer clear of tbe people in the radio in UK, the one that has the jingle that ehymes with Pish In Your Ear!...
They quoted me £250 but a wee independent fella in Glasgow is doing it for £80-£100 "depending on how much hassle I have gettin the frame off"
So even £100 is better than £250...
Avoided me looking into this :) though it's nice to see how Double Glazing fits together.
The sealant in the video is a 20 year old (at least) 2 part hand mixed resin which has a soft rubber consistency and is very easy to cut. Your unit is probably sealed with hotmelt which is incredibly difficult to cut through, seriously, do not bother. The stains will never be totally cleaned off the glass, this is because the vapour that the dessicant gives off is slightly acidic which permanently etches the glass. If the unit has very recently failed you may get away with the stains, but I mean very recently, like within a week. I've been repairing windows for many years and can confidently say this repair method is futile.
It probably depends on how long it’s been misting up for. The moisture can mix with the desiccant and when that stains the window the sun can effectively etch the window. If you catch it as soon as it starts misting you will be OK. Although you did say it was a pain to clean the sealant off. It’s useful to know that you can repair them if you are on a budget, especially if you have a few windows at the same time. I just bought a 1200mm x 1100mm sealed unit and I thought it was reasonably priced at £40, I’m not sure if I would have the patience to repair one.
Good job ! Saving what we can, what is still in good shape, from old IGU ! Good competition for windows salesmen, keep them busy offering better price/durability offers !
I have just telephoned my local area trying to find someone that will rebuild my units after I have stripped them to bare glass and no one wants to do it. They all want to sell me glass again and when mine is perfectly good. I will be carrying this out it will only cost me some silica gel thanks! All the negatives are from people in the trade, the emperor has no clothes.😉👍
come in with your panes and try again.
I have a 30 year old home and this has happened to a few windows already and I am sure there will be more to follow. I thought the video was very informative for someone like myself who has the time to DIY. However, since I do not have access to a 3D printer I wonder if this or the refilling with argon makes it out of my expertise. Alex, I have seen several good questions that haven't received a reply from you. I can understand why but there are those of us out there that value this info.
30 year old home and a few windows just went bad? Lucky you. Mine went out in 5 years
“Easy” foggy window fix. “Easy” is clearly subjective here. Still great process and video. Going to buy a $1000 3D printer to fix my one window. Brb
Fundamentally it would be impossible to hermetically seal the air between the panes because atmospheric PSI
fluctuations would exert extreme forces over the large pane area, so the D.G industry has given us the desiccant
solution to the problem that creates more work/profit for itself, a theoretical solution would be to have a tube
leading from the gap through a renewable desiccant container.
I lost three slider panes at once during a severe summer storm. Outside panes cracked. Barometric pressure drop was to blame.
Good luck in the UK
... I've split units over the years but only to re-cut the glass for greenhouse repairs. It's more hassle than it's worth, and the watermarks are totally etched in....
The water marks can be dissolved by putting paper towels soaked in vinegar on top of the glass for a few hours.
I swear the comments is just a bunch of a windows salesmen getting annoyed that he's showing people how to fix their windows without buying new ones
Yep lots of mad comments
The only thing I sell is time. This is a gold mine if I was selling it.
I can imagine myself doing this and then abandoning it half way because I got bored. Then I start a new project and then also abandon it before I could finish, only to come back to this original project a year and half later.
Believe me, It’s true, that’s how my brain works. I’ve done that, my husband is my witness 😅
Where can we buy those blue corner pieces????
I just replaced 3 double glazing units in the uk had them made at a local glazers and the total cost was 75 pounds why would you go to so much trouble fir something that is so cheap.
Do the new silicone beads create the new gas in the window or how does that happen?
No, they dry the air to prevent any more condensation on a cold day. Expensive units have xenon gas (so they say) but the professionals say that most if not all have dry air fill.
Nice fix for Foggy Windows. I have a sliding glass window, which is in an aluminum frame. The corner of the aluminum frame broke. Is there anyway to DIY fix it, without having to have a new frame made? Any guidance would be most appreciated. Kind regards.
Can I put diatomaceous earth instead of silica? I have a whole bag of it 😅
Brilliant! Insulated glass is one of the biggest eco-scams out there, my 72x90" slider glass is $650 for just the replacement glass, not installation! There's no way it's saved that much energy... Building failure prone products to be thrown away when they fail and replaced with another failure prone product is not 'sustainable' or 'green'...
The idea of energy saving products isn’t just return on investment… it’s about moving toward a sustainable planet… whether or not you want to participate is based on a complex set of variables
@nitrousman8882 no it isn't.
The very nature of living sustainable completely coincides with whether or not it saves you money.
If you spend less on heating or cooling, you are being more sustainable. If the product is cheaper due to economies of scale, it means they are able to bring you more product with less cost.
If double pane windows don't bring you energy efficiency to outweigh the cost,it's either because the company is trying to oversell or the cost of energy whether through actual energy or man hours doesn't make sense.
I think about this all the time. I’m in the window cleaning industry and see thermal windows fail after 10 year and almost always after 25.
Old fashioned storm windows or clear plastic film used seasonally has worked for me for the last 45 years in an old victorian with single hung single pane wood windows
I read a lot of comments saying buying a new double glass unit does not cost much . Where are you shopping ? Cost an arm and a leg in my state !
I wish I could do this but it would take me a month to do one small window. I do not have all those items. And my luck the glass would not be able to be cleaned on the inside.
Is it cheaper to higher a pro to do this rather than replace the entire window?
When the condensation inside of the insulated glass unit has been trapped in there for awhile with the sun beating on it the minerals in the water(condensation) etch themselves into the glass giving you that white milky look and it does not clean off even with a razor blade. The cerium oxide that he uses to polish the glass has the consistency of all-purpose flour as it cannot scratch the glass so the actual cleaning of the glass would take many hours in itself if it is even possible at all. You must also remember that the moisture that has been trapped inside of this glass unit has saturated the desiccant inside of the metal glass spacers and corroded them. Cleaning up the glass spacers is not usually a viable option.
I guess it would be easier to purchase new payne's of glass?
Dude! You say almost no experience needed? I have been in the replacement glass business for 18 years and would not attempt this at all. Chance of breaking the glass when separating with a knife is huge.
I'm thinking you'd want to be in a zero humidity environment. Buying the units factory sealed and covered by warranty seems the more efficient route, especially if this is a business venture. Any moisture that gets in there is going to show up as foggy with the first temperature change. I would never put this much effort into a rebuild for a customer only to have them call me back within a change of season. But, hey, if just doing a DIY at home, this might be an interesting project. Again, though, a lot of effort only to have it fog up in a year. Perhaps if you live in Arizona, you don't need to worry about humidity
Brilliant job! Two questions. The first is your use of cerium oxide polish. If this was a "low-E" pane, I think that would have destroyed the coating. Second, I wonder why you didn't flush with argon. You have done such a terrific job resealing these two panes, why not add argon gas? Thanks for showing your work. Would you provide the stl files for the 3D printed applicators?
Doesn't the dry argon from silica beads get passed into the window gap?
By all accounts the argon don't really do much ....just found thus from research
Okay this can be done and it's not difficult but if you break the glass, damage the ally spacer between the glass or anythingelse then you are going to have to get a new unit. I removed the fillets to measure the double glazed unit and after refitting them went to Highland Glass in Inverness....new double glazed unit supplied for £200. Take old unit out and refit new one took 10 minutes....job done. Took 2 weeks for the new unit to arrive but hey....a lot less hassle.
If you are broke and good with your hands then by all means go for it but replacement doubled glazed units in the UK are cheaper than you might think.
Top work! Quite a lot of work and know how of 3D printing and having a spare window or I suppose you could board up the hole. Thanks for sharing 😊
Thanks for shoing the process, but abit byond my level of DIY... having seen this it makes me feel a bit better about paying a glazier to replace the glass!
I am wondering if I can do this myself?
Link to files for 3d printed parts?
I have a 3d printer... have you got the .STL files for me to download? I have several to do.... mine are in steel Crittall frames. Getting glazing out is my main concern, how do I do that?
Just found this video and was hoping for the files too. Oh well.
Great tutorial, thanks. I have 4 smaller convo panels to start! So this has been helpful
Why did I think that this type of window was under vacuum or filled with nitrogen?
It's a fun video. It's about £50 for a brand new unit, twice the size, delivered. By the end of this job you have spent a rather a lot on a 3D printer and god knows how much on other materials. A glazer will come to your house, with the unit, and fit it for less than £100 as it's a 10 min job
This one comment was more helpful than the entire video. I didn't know there were glaziers that do this for a living. I already located a glazier in my town and will reach out for an estimate to repair three casement windows.
What do you mean after the sealant dries remove the old panel and replace with the new ?
You have just removed the old panel, cleaned it up, polished the glass and resealed so I assume you had to board up the missing panel until the next day. Not much help to those of us who don't have a 3D printer and skills in 3D CAD design.
I can't believe all you Whiners complaining about needing a 3-D printer, This was a great instructional video if you have half a brain. You don't need a 3 D printer for this job. I'm not even going to tell you.
why are the frames filled with silica?
Hi Miss Wong from a year ago who probably already got the answer! Silica gel acts as a desiccant as an additional layer of protection in the even of tiny breaks in the seal between panes to grab any moisture from the air moving in and out of the panes due to variations in air pressure. That will prevent the fogging in between panes that will eventually lead to mineral/dirt deposits that form and give your windows that permanent foggy look.
I am sticking with my single pain windows and using honey comb blinds over them for night time.
This is a really good tutorial but way beyond my skill set. I just got 1st quote on replacement glass for 3 windows and am now looking for another solution.
I think it might be beyond many peoples "patience level" even if they might be able to technically handle the job! He really hit this one out of the park (ironic metaphor consider the number of windows I broke as a kid with baseballs! :) )
@@nitrousman8882 Agreed. Easy but tedious & time consuming.
@@RegineAteliers I have no doubt either he, or someone in his life reached a point where the phrase “…seriously, next time we higher a window company…” 😉
Respect for you working out how the unit should work and how you've taken the time to restore the unit to a functioning window. We do like to throw stuff away, I've just changed 2 misty units for a customer without even thinking about if the old ones could be saved, I liked the polishing of the glass, would that work on my cateracts?
Hi I’m looking to this to my windows. Are you selling the 3D printed parts.
Not!!!!wow labor cost about same as replacing?
That song is catchy..who is it??
Interesting video. But an awful lot of work when a replacement unit that size from a local glass supplier would probably cost about £25. (A couple of years ago I got a new unit made for one of my windows, approx 15" X 25", it cost £13).
this is where eco meets price
I guess it should be a bit like desktop repair. Replace the device/glass to resolve the immediate problem, but send the original glass... somewhere... to be repurposed.
I recently got a new 12x12" unit and it cost £55! Where might one find your stated prices?!
Look this guy just showed you all how to do it, if you cannot be bothered to do it, just go and buy new sealed unit, I found it interesting as I would like to start a hanyman service, if it was my windowns I would do the repair, but clients paying want you in and out in a fash, so that mean 2 things1, buy new sealed units or make new sealed units.
I'm going to try this on a curved double pane glass that doesn't have a frame. It's for a car but I haven't been able to find one that was good in a yard and they are no longer available.
double pane glass in a car? and every pane except for the windshield is tempered and will explode if drilled.
@@gbear1005 mercedes and bmw have used double pane glass on rear and side windows for decades. Both tempered and non.
Thanks for this! Not that I'm actually going to do it but I know for sure I'll never buy a double pane window again. Since we now know how the window is constructed, I'm thinking that maybe it would work to just only use one of the panes, and then replace the unit...both sides of that one pane will be cleanable then, and you won't have to go through all the rigmarole put the sealant removal, 3D printing, and resealing. Maybe I could get a handyman to try my proposal, I certainly wouldn't try it myself haha:-)
If you live where it gets brutally cold, you NEED double paned windows 🪟 to keep your house warm!
Where are the 3D files for the little doo dabs?
Guys I've just ordered a new double glazed glass unit because of internal fogging. It's costing me £30. Just buy a new unit and fit it yourself!!!
What is the first song? Also thanks for the video, may attempt it but it seems 1 notch out of my league
Looks easy but dont have confidence do u fancy doing my bathroom really bad
Almost??
Great video. I wanted to do this for a long time. Now i have to get a 3D printer :). Thank you.
Local library offers free 3D PRINTER use
@@selfishbarber9763in what country ?
So...you just left regular air in there that is just going to condense again?
The frame is filled with silica sand that absorbs moisture, so there is no condensation in the window at the moment (after a few months).
Alex i dont know which area in the states you live but here in Scotland the climate would rapidly deplete the life of the sealant used for this repair ,in Britian we use a 2 in 1 mix for the sealant or a product called hot melt ,a unit is put together then put in drying area to cure ,you can tell me that this system when you strip and redo unit is as good as that .In Scotland there is a 5 yr manufacturers guarantee ,which if unit fails in this time frame it gets replaced gratis
@@bobbycaldwell4132 I'm in Canada. There are below freezing temperatures for good part of the winter. Southern side receives a lot of sunlight. Units installed there with new building started failing after 5-7 years. They had only single sealant which is very hard when cured. Its bond to the glass failed eventually. I used butyl based sealant on internal seam between frame and glass. It stays sticky permanently and keeps it enclosed . It is covered with another sealant on top to keep parts together. I'm sure the unit will serve me longer then original unit.
Butyl is a non hardening compound used in the glazing of dgus in a timber frame ,this doesnt react with the sealant on a unit and cause it to corrode ,Alex if the product works as well as you say then fair play but this is me speaking on the fact i have 40 yrs experience in glazing in Britian and the solution you offer doesng seem practical to me in my opinion ,i watched a video of guys drilling holes in units and offered my tuppence worth on that also
so basically make a new double glaze unit!!!!!
Step One: Buy a 3-D printer
Excellent video on restoring IGU without any waste
Local library offers free 3D PRINTER use
@@selfishbarber9763 not mine
yo Alex I would seriously like to talk to you! I am interested in the 3D printed stuff
Just buy another glass panel , Jeeeez. They’re cheap as chips, takes about 30 mins to swap if you’ve not done it before.
In the time it took to watch this video I’ve made enough to just buy a replacement and get someone to fit it.
Simple, do it yourself! little to no experience required, just need all these specialist tools, oh, and a 3-D printer
Local library offers free 3D printer use
@@selfishbarber9763 not mine
Any hardcore DIYer should have a 3D printer these days - they're very affordable at the moment. :D
@@alexfreestyle4754 Can you 3d print these items and ship them to me. Ill buy.
@@alexfreestyle4754 what a muppet
Great craftmanship 💕
i cant do that
Whoops I broke mine putting the glazing beads on. Both sides at that. The shit you told me to use is so hard to get off. I've sliced my arm so bad I'm in the hospital. Looking at about 19 stitches so far. I didn't have a spare IG so my house is wide open, hopefully no one robs me and jacks my new 3d printer. Great video though.
Novice can do it my arse.
Exactly what I thought. An easy DIY project. All you need is a 3D printer, a CAD system to design the STL files, Cerium oxide, silica, and a suction device to hold the glass (all of which I'm sure my local Dollar General has). LOL :)
Thank you♥️♥️✌️
Beautiful job Alex, just surprised you didn't fill the panel with Argon gas for better insulation value.
Because of the interior aluminum frame, which is not an insulator, the choice of gas has a negligible effect.
Im a general contractor, with 34 yrs experience. I learned a long time ago to let the pro do the work. DIY double pane window work? Polishing to perfection, then re-assembling with argon gas etc? Brother please. I can see maybe taking out the glass, then having a dual pane glass pro doing the rest- but i would NEVER attempt this- not when my time is better spent doing what i do best, and then paying an experienced dual pane glass pro to do what he does best. If you are retired, have nothing to do , and have a shop full of tools and a nice flat, carpeted work bench- then have at it. But if you think for one second that you can watch this video and then “do it yourself”…..youre nuts. Lol. Good luck.
Great video thank you! Will give this a try… minus the awesome 3D bits :-)
How did it work for you?
Interesting Video ! , thankyou
This is not feasible at all, especially in cold climate, since you would have removed the apparatus and repair it and in the meantime the house is open to air for until you get it done.....and that could take many hours and if you happen to break the glass you would be in trouble...
I am doing this process for my sliding glass door insulated panel (46x76 huge) I dont have cerium oxide polish, are there any alternatives you can recommend? I tried polishing with blue stick plastic polish stick from harbor freight but was getting nowhere. Please help :)
Look up the process and what they use to clean car head lamps. Although they don’t use silica beads…car head lamps get the same gunk inside and out. My husband just did mine..he does auto body/detailing. He uses 3 M products. ( labeled step 1,2,3 ) also Its a process the same as in the video - for cleaning the glass from all the muck.
@@PuppyBiteforTrump Did what you said , they have held up great, still look brand new. Zero leaks or internal fogging. It’s been one year exactly since I fixed these they are holding up through all the crazy weather Chicago can throw at them! This saved us at least $3000 due to the oversized dimensions we have.
nope not for me .. i buy one instead x
DIYers dream video right here
There is nothing easy in this video
Thank you
What a bodge never seen nothing like it , leave it to the professionals
Looks like a good video but couldn’t watch all of it the music drove me away sorry
Holy a lot of work.....
So you have a new unt to put in place whilst you more or less strip existing and carry out a more expensive procedure than getting a replacement unit in 1st place
Money wise it's much cheaper then buying new and getting someone installing it for you. Where I live one new unit costs about $100 plus installation about half of that.
For DIY repair tools and material cost is about $15 per unit. Sure time is needed to be invested.
Unit has been performing through winter just fine, no condensation any more.
There are two kind of people responding here: someone like me who is interested to use time available and to try something new and contractors who charge arm and leg for 5 min job to swap old unit with new one.
@@alexfreestyle4754 Alex how much do you charge for doing this? I'm also in ON
@@selfishbarber9763 probably not anything less than getting a new one and having it installed I'm guessing. It's a lot of work, but it'll probably last longer than a poor quality-controlled off the shelf cheap IGU
stop the music
wtf I can't do this and I don't have a spare window, if I did why would I do this shit
DYI for those with 3D printer capability otherwise an excellent video. Not one I can do!
have to try to do it without 3D printer
This video is a joke. I would like to see the time lapse. Must have taken 8 - 10 hours polishing the contaminants off of the two pcs of glass with cerium oxide. I wonder how many pieces of glass he broke trying to cut the unit apart. Its only single strength lol.
Oh I have to take the window apart I can't do that I'll have to live with it
This is alot of work. Just buy a new one already
Alex, Thank you for this Thoughtful demo! ! !
Hang on a minute you didn't finish the video you just cut it off before the window was all back together shoddy.
Brilliantly ✔done
Now all I need is a 3D printer 🙄..... I’ll just buy a new damn window I guess.
Or an imagination to figure out another possible way of doing it without a 3d printer. Like clamping down the spacers and moving the drill by hand???
@@stuartmccarville6023 thanks for taking the time to make this comment. Very helpful. I repaired all my windows in my house because of it. You’re the best 👍
Little or no expertise is required to watch this video. For the rest of the task you have to have PhD in science.
Easiest fix : clean with a dish washing soap.
Awesome
A little less floor-sweeping would make for a lot shorter video. Also, What's the point of watching your video as who owns a 3d printer. Very boring. I didn't learn anything helpful at all.
You might need to look up the definitions of "simple" lol
You guys will need to have an extra window lying around to cover the whole while you repair the original window