Double Glazing Help

[bobsy12]

I've got a 12 year house with the original double glazing.
I've had a thermal image/ blown door survey and this has flagged up lots of issues including draughts coming around the double glazing windows and doors.

I've called out a few DD sales people and all say that the DD is poor quality and needs replacing. For 1 French door, 2 doors, 1 bay and 10 other windows I've been quoted £9-10K (DD and Triple DD).
Talking to other trades people, they think that it’s a good idea to keep with the original DD and just change the window seals and re-align the doors/windows and this will make a big difference. The DD sales people say this will only be effective for 1-2 years.
So I don't know what to do. I've not had quotes as yet for seals and realigning.

Do these DD quotes seem reasonable?

Some DD companies suggest the work will take 2 days, some up to 6. One company has 1 employee and he installs all the windows on his own with just a ladder!!

Any recommendations much appreciated.

 

[kbdiy]

Well worth finding out if the seals can be replaced before you get it all ripped out. If the actual double-glazing units are still sealed then replacing the seals and re-aligning would be much cheaper/cost effective and less disruptive. You would take a lifetime to recoup the cost of complete replacement.

I'm sure most houses would 'fail' a thermal imaging test but doesn't necessarily mean we all have to be sealed into our houses to save the planet.

Naturally the DG salesmen will put an entirely different spin on it - that's how they earn a crust.

 

[dishman]

I agree with the above.

Why did you get a thermal survey and blown door test?

Of course DG sales people are going to recommend you rip out your windows....the clue is in their job description.....DG sales! Not, DG impartial advisors...although I am sure a few use that title.....

I have an 90 year old house with original windows, I am sure they would recommend I take them out too!

The windows are probably the least leaky parts of the house!

You must remember, these houses were not build to be air tight. There are leaks and holes everywhere. Even if you got new DG and blocked up all the obvious holes, you will still find it hard to pressurize a house that was not built to be air tight....

Back to my original question!

What made you do these tests in the first place?

 

[Gazman16]

Those quotes seem a bit high to me.

Should be adjustable/repairable for the most part. Try trapping a piece of paper in the seals and see how tight they are.
If its loose on the hinge side try cleaning and lubricating your hinges (get some grease in the corner tabs too).
If its loose on the handle side the cams should be adjustable with an allen key.
Doors are different so you may need to post some pics.

 

[footprints]

Look around for a local DG shop the national ones are just out to sell new windows most local independant ones will be happy to supply replacement units or seals as long as they are still available.

Look for somewhere with a high street shop not those just working out of their van with a mobile number

 

[bobsy12]

Thanks for the advice.

Just to confirm it's the gaskets/seals around the opening windows. Looks as if we also have issues with the gaskets/seals around the front, rear and french doors. The front door is wooden/plastic. The rear and french doors are upvc.

The French doors have additional problems in that 1 of the hinges looks as if it is bent. When the doors join in the middle there is around 5-10mm gap. Also, the french door that generally remains closed - you can push the door forwards and back by around 5-8mm even if it is locked in position.

The seals look like they've seen better days. On closing any of the windows there doesn't seem to be any resistance any more.

I decided to go for a thermal image/blown door survey as during some of the colder winters, as soon as the heating went off the temperature dropped quickly. On windy days this would be worse and some of the internal doors would bang (even if all the doors and windows are closed). The house seemed to have cold draughts all over the place.

The survey flagged up leaks in most of the window seals, around all external doors, bathroom (around the bath, skirting boards, extractor fan), kitchen skirting boards. The worst offender was the gap between the plasterboard and breeze blocks in the attic, allowing cold air behind the internal plasterboard.

Slowly I'm going around the house trying to sort out the easier leaks.

DD Salespeople say current DD windows are of poor quality e.g. windows have been fitted from the outside instead of from the inside. Many windows the upvc windows have been cut down in order to get the into the correct spaces. The French doors have a 10cm lip so when entering/leaving the house we tend to trip over!!

Of the 4 quotes we've had so far, 3 all are small local companies. The most expensive was a sole trader.

I'll try and load up some pictures for the French Doors.

If I try and replace the window seals myself what sort of price are the seals? Is this something best left to an expert or is this something that a DIY person can do?

 

[Gazman16]

The French doors have additional problems in that 1 of the hinges looks as if it is bent. When the doors join in the middle there is around 5-10mm gap. Also, the french door that generally remains closed - you can push the door forwards and back by around 5-8mm even if it is locked in position.

Post some pics it should be adjustable and if the hinge is bad we may be able to find a replacement.

The seals look like they've seen better days. On closing any of the windows there doesn't seem to be any resistance any more.

This could be due to the hinges and adjustments, Have you tried lubricating and adjusting as I mentioned?

DD Salespeople say current DD windows are of poor quality e.g. windows have been fitted from the outside instead of from the inside.

Shouldn't make any difference where they were fitted from lol, Do you mean they are externally beaded instead of internal? Assuming glazing clips or security tape were used there is nothing wrong with that.


Many windows the upvc windows have been cut down in order to get the into the correct spaces.

Windows are made with a clip around the edge that can be used to clip on "add on's" Its not a problem if these have been cut off, It happens sometimes when the surveyor has overestimated how deep the plaster/render is. If more than 6mm was cut off each side it could be a problem though.

The French doors have a 10cm lip so when entering/leaving the house we tend to trip over!!

This was and in some cases still is standard practice. You can now-a-days specify a low aluminum threshold when buying a new door at extra cost though.

If I try and replace the window seals myself what sort of price are the seals? Is this something best left to an expert or is this something that a DIY person can do?

Post some pics of your seals too.

New seals can be bought from ebay for about £1 per meter, You just need to get the right type and size as there are hundreds of different ones available.
Can you pull your gaskets/seals out? On older windows they are just a push in type thats nice and easy to do but on newer windows they are co-extruded so it is bonded to the frame which would make it hard work.

But as above try cleaning, lubricating and adjusting before you go changing the seals.

 

[bobsy12]

I've uploaded some photos.

Looks as if the window and rear door seals can be easily removed.

The French Doors and Front Doors seem to have glued in seals.

For some reason the photos have decided to turnaround position!!

Front Door - Bottom Seal

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Front Door Seal - Side

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Window Seal

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Bottom Bolt

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Top Bolt

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Good Hinge

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Bent Hinge

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Showing Gap

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Extra Seal added by me to stop draughts

Back Door Seal

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

French Door Seal - Bottom

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Kitchen Window

• bobsy12
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Photo taken outside showing how glass windows has been put in

 

[Gazman16]

They are Q lon gaskets for the most part.

Have a google/search ebay for Q Lon gaskets. Find the nearest shape and size to yours and then order a small amount (enough for 1 window) to test it.

 

[Gazman16]

On this keep here. If you loosen the screw with the arrow (there will also be another under the slave door) slide the keep to the inside and then tighten the screws. Do the same for the top keep too. This should pull your doors in tighter on the closing edge.

Picture Title

• Gazman16
• 29 May 2014
• 1

Im not familiar enough with those hinges to give you step by step adjustments. Hopefully someone else here can help with those.[/code]