Condensation between panes of double glazing

[whataboutbob]

Two of the windows in my flat have pearls of fluid between the panes. Presumably this is due to the seal being defective.
To remedy this, is it enough to have the seals fixed or does the glass need to be changed too? And how much is it likely to cost per window? They are about 1m by 2m. Thanks for any advice.

It's usually more straightforward to have the panes replaced. Your best bet is to contact someone who specialises in double glazing repairs for a quote.

Have had to have several panes in our double glazing from the 1990s replaced. We had misting rather than actual droplets. Quick and easy to do and not that expensive. Don't go to Everest or some other expensive company. There are probably companies who just specialise in doing this in your area.

There is a company called cloudy2clear who regas double glazing. They charge about £80 for half an hour & it hardly takes any time so they could probably do 2 windows in that time.

We used them just before we moved so I can’t tell you how well it’s held up but seemed fine at the time.

Thanks everyone. I’ve had a mosey on the internet and found a few local firms who say they can fix the issue including a local cloudy2clear. I’m still a bit confused as to whether it’s the glass that needs changing or the upvc frame but hopefully the company will be able to advise. Good to hear it’s not horribly expensive and I should be looking at a few 100 rather than a few £1000.

@whataboutbob we had 12 panes replaced a few years ago and it was just under a grand, we're in SE London. Used a local/family firm who were fab. It was just the glazing replaced and to have the frames replaced too it would have been considerably more. The frames didn't need to be replaced as the issue is with the glazing anyway.

It was done really quickly though and made the world of difference. They were literally in and out in about 2 hours and no problems since.

@GimbleInTheWabe that’s good to hear. I’m in east Kent so probably too far for the firm. Hopefully it’ll only be the glass that needs doing.

The glass sheets and the spacer between are one item, known as "a sealed unit" and is supposed to be exactly that to keep the water out.

Each 1x2m new sealed unit should probably cost you £100 plus fitting. The boring bit will be their salespeople's attempts to upsell you...

@SpoonBlender thanks for explaining, it’s starting to make sense! I’ll be on the lookout for attempts to upsell. I’m between jobs so don’t want that!

Oh, if you're short of cash don't worry about changing them until you're flush. They look grim but unless (as happened to one of mine) they actively fill up with water in the rain, they're not really a worry and they do 99% of the insulation job that they do when they're properly sealed.

Some of our windows have 'blown' so it looks like mist / water between them. We're having about 16 replaced for about £1000.

I agree with spoonblender that they look ugly but they're not really something to worry about, ours have been like that for a couple of years but I'm only just getting round to sorting them out.

Thanks guys, so I take it it won’t have much bearing on heating bills?

Hadn't made a difference for us @whataboutbob. As a PP said it's more of a cosmetic issue really.

Almost every pane of glass in my whole has is shot and misted through. I employed somebody to replace three big panels in my kitchen window and he charged £300. Took him 10 minutes to measure up and then 2 weeks later he came back and fitted - took another 10 minutes.

I have a large bay in the bedroom - 10 panes of glass. I purchased a glazing kit from ebay (knife, mallet and wedge) to take the beading off and ordered all 10 replacement panes from this site..

www.sealedunitsonline.co.uk/regular/default.aspx

£250 plus delivery. I am going to fit them myself.

There are many many youtube videos which show how easy it is to take out the beading. The company above charge around £25 per pane.

I've had few panes and a patio door replaced, the glass that it. A local guy, self employed, calls himself window doctor or something. I paid an average of £100 including fitting for each pane. Easy, quick and they look like new.

If they have blown, replace them. Newer products are better than old glazing and sound insulation should be better. Trying to repair is just throwing good money after bad.

Wow. So many different approaches . I’ll look into having the glass replaced. I defer to you @alittlequinnie but just wouldn’t have the confidence to do it myself.