Repair Broken Double Pane Window Glass
Repairing a Broken Double Pane Window Glass
Rich Sinclair who lives in Hainesport, New Jersey emailed me asking the following question:
"Can you replace only one broken pane of a double pane window?"
The answer is simply: No
Double pane, or insulated glass, is made by taking two pieces of glass and separating them with a special spacer that has an adhesive on it. The space between the two panes of glass is filled with argon gas at the factory.
It's virtually impossible to peel off the broken glass from the seal spacer and then install a new piece of glass.
Free & Fast BIDS
You ruin the spacer in the process.
You can't apply a new piece of glass to the special spacer.
Tim built custom homes and did ultra-custom remodeling for 20+ years before launching his Ask the Builder media presence. He was selected as one of the Big 50 by Remodeling magazine in 1993. This award gave birth to Ask the Builder in October 1993. Tim also operates https://DrawPlumbingPlans.com. His @askthebuilder YouTube channel was the first home improvement channel on YouTube.
Do you find that most insulated glass windows like this -- the homeowner can replace broken glass themselves? Assuming they are replacing both of the double panes?
I deal mostly with old windows in my practice where replacing a part here and there is relatively easy. I'm curious whether your experience is that new windows are often easy to repair by the homeowner or whether a pro should be called.
Love the Q&A section; keep up the good work!