Double pane windows are an excellent option to protect your house from extreme temperatures. But over time, it is possible that some fog or moisture might get collected between the two panes.
This not only looks bad but can also reduce the temperature insulation of your house. A lot of times people get stressed about fixing this issue, they think either they will have to change the windows completely or call a professional to fix it.
There are some easy things you can do yourself to fix this issue and even prevent it from happening in the future.
The easiest way to remove moisture from double pane windows is by drilling two small holes in the bottom of the glass, on the outside. When the sun hits, the trapped moisture will be released. From there you just plug the holes back in.
Some people even plug holes on the inside and use a dehumidifier. This will take in air, suck out the moisture, and release the air back into the home. Another simple solution is keeping the windows open if the weather permits.
However, sometimes simply using a dehumidifier or opening the windows doesn’t work. That’s why drilling the two holes is out best recommendation and the one you’ll have the most success with.
If your double pane windows are always covered in condensation, there are a few things you can do: either replace the windows, call for some professional help or try to deseal the window yourself. In case of the latter you will need a drill with a diamond or glass cutting bit, a dust mask, cleaning alcohol, a pipe and safety googles.
You will have to be careful as the process is a bit complicated. Drill two diagonally opposite holes on the glass panels and insert the tubes for siphoning the water and cleaning the glass panel. Once this is done remove the tubes and re-seal those holes properly.
What Do We Mean By Double Pane Windows?
Back in the day, windows usually only had one single glass pane. But over time double pane windows gained popularity as they did a great job of protecting the house from extreme temperatures.
As the name suggests, double pane windows consists of two layers of glass with either air or some dense gas between them.
It is this dense gas or air which provides insulation to the house. The air molecules slow down the travelling of outside temperature towards the interior.
Some of these gases include Argon and Krypton. Some of the double pane window models also have some sort of a desiccant material which is put in place to prevent mould or moisture growth inside the house.
These double pane windows nowadays have two layers of seals. The first one protects the window from moisture and humidity while the other seal holds the structure in place.
Having a double pane window can drastically reduce the energy costs of your house during winters or summers as your house wouldn’t react so drastically with the outside temperature.
How Does Condensation and Moisture Form Inside The Windows?
Although the double pane windows are meant to be excellent at working under extreme conditions, like any other object they do get affected by age. With time, the seals fail and this causes moisture to get in.
There are a few things which can go wrong.
Either the sealant can be damaged or worn due to age or through constant contraction and expansion of the glass windows due to extreme temperature. There is also a possibility that the desiccant has been saturated because of overuse.
If any of these thing happen, moisture can sneak into the airspace between the two window panels and form condensation on the panels. You will either observe a fog like appearance or some water droplets between the windows.
Another way through which condensation can form is if there is a crack on one of the glass panels.
Is There Any Way You Can Prevent This Condensation From Forming?
My advice here would be to make sure that there is enough air flow inside the house.
For example, one of the best things you can do is to open your windows once a day to let the inside moisture and humidity escape. When you are doing activities which leads to a lot of moisture and humidity, make sure you switch on the fan.
An example would be cooking, working out or taking a shower, switch on the fan so that there is enough air flow inside the house.
You can also use a de-humidifier to suck some of the moisture inside the house. Basically all you are doing here is prolonging the life of the sealant and making sure there is not a lot of moisture in the air.
How Do You Get Rid Of Condensation In Between Double Pane Windows?
This is the tricky part, there are a lot of options you have here. Either you can get the windows replaced completely, but this will be obviously expensive.
Sometimes, the sealant is so badly damaged and the amount of moisture is so much that replacing the window might be the only choice left.
One good thing here is that you have an option to get a single glass pane replaced instead of both. But you can only do this if the other glass pane is in a good condition.
The other thing which you can do is call a professional glass cleaner. You can be rest assured that there won’t be any damage to your windows.
Or you can just clear out the condensation yourself. The process I am going to be describing is a bit complicated and you shouldn’t do it if you are not comfortable with using hardware tools. But before we get to that there are some home remedies which you can try first.
Try using a de-humidifier placed next to the window panel. It might be able to suck out the moisture within a few hours or a couple of days. If you see that there is an obvious break in the seal then you can use a weatherproof silicon caulk to fix the seal.
How To Get Rid Of The Condensation Between The Glass Panels Yourself?
The following steps are very similar to what a professional cleaner might use and that is one of the reasons why it’s a bit complicated.
First things first, make sure that you are taking all of the safety precautions while doing this, you will need a pair of safety goggles, maybe some gloves and a dust mask. You will also need a drill with a diamond bit for making holes in the glass panes.
If you cannot find a diamond drilling bit, you can also use a glass-working bit which is usually made up of tungsten carbide. Any other bit might end up cracking or splintering your entire window.
You will have to drill two holes in the window, drill these holes diagonally opposite from one another, one at the top while the other diagonally at the bottom. You can drill these holes so that they are located in the least seen areas.
The next step would be to insert a small tube into the lower hole of the window, seal this gap once the tube is in using some putty.
Once this is done, siphon any water which is stuck inside the glass panels. You might have to attach a cloth to a small wire and clean the inside of the panel before you do this step.
Insert a similar tube in the upper hole as well but here spray some cleaning alcohol inside it.
This will help you in removing any stains inside the glass. This spray alcohol can be siphoned out using the bottom tube as well.
Once the panels are cleaned and all the moisture is out, remove both the tubes and seal the holes. Some people suggest to keep these small holes as they will lead to some ventilation but according to me that just wouldn’t work as more and more moisture will be able to enter the glass panels.
A lot of people use a de-humidifier or even a hair dryer while drying out the glass panels. You simply have to place the appliance next to the bottom hole and wait for a few minutes.
Another advice is to drill the bottom hole wherever there is the highest amount of moisture.
Can Condensation On Double Pane Windows be Repaired
If you have caught this condensation early on then yes definitely. Small or even medium amounts of moisture build-up can be repaired.
All you have to do is clean and remove any moisture from inside the panels and repair the seals to prevent it from happening again.
But on the other hand if the amount of moisture is a lot or if you have let the moisture stay in there for a long period of time then the sealant might be heavily damaged.
In this case you will have to remove both the panels, remove the sealant and replace it completely.
Can You Use A Hair Dryer To Remove Condensation?
Hair dryer is a basic home appliance that most people have access to. Some people have also used it for clearing the moisture trapped inside the glass panels.
While some of these people swear by it, I would not recommend that you use this if the outside temperature is too low.
This is because the warm air from the hair dryer will condense as it gets cooled down due to the outside temperature and it will just end up making the situation worse.
But in my experience, this can work if the outside temperature is warm enough. Just place the hair dryer on the bottom hole for a few minutes and the moisture will dry up.
In Conclusion
The steps which I have laid down in this article can get a bit complicated. You might end up permanently damaging your window in which case you will have to replace them. This might end up costing you more than a professional cleaner.
So, if you don’t have any experience or if you are uncomfortable in any of the steps then feel free to call a professional cleaner. But one thing is clear, if you see any fogging or moisture build-up inside the window panel, make sure you fix as soon as possible.
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