Double Glazing Dublin - Ambassador Windows

What is Double Glazing?

Double glazing is a sandwich of glass designed to keep the heat in your home. Between the panes of glass is either an inert gas or air. It is this dry air or gas that gives the double glazing its insulating qualities. Double glazed units are also called sealed units as the gas inside the double glazing should never mix with the air outside. The perimeter of the double glazing is sealed and so the air or gas inside is trapped there for the lifetime of the unit.

Ambassador Window Repairs can supply the very highest standard of double glazing. We supply and fit Pilkington K® double glazing as well laminated and toughened safety glass double glazed units. Our units are guaranteed for 10 years. Because we stock laminated safety glass, we can replace broken glass and double glazing in doors and other critical areas while many other companies have to wait until their suppliers open. We have a same day service, seven days a week.

Problems with double glazing.

Apart from the obvious problem of broken glass, you may have noticed that sometimes condensation forms on your double glazing. But there are actually three different places that condensation can form on a double glazed unit.

  • On the outside. Congratulations, you have high quality double glazing. You are losing so little heat through your windows that the outside pane of the window is cold enough for condensation to form on it. This usually occurs in the early morning and disappears as the sun rises.
  • On the inside. This is very common and can happen on even the best double glazing. It is more common in very cold weather. You may need to improve ventilation in your home. Better performing double glazing reduces the amount of condensation that forms on the inner pane of the window.
  • In between the two panes of the double glazing. Your double glazed unit has broken-down. This unfortunately means that the double glazed unit needs to be replaced.

Why do double glazed units break-down?

As temperatures rise and fall both within the home and outside, the gas inside the unit expands and contracts. This puts pressure on the seal. Over time this wear and tear will cause the seal to break away from the glass panes. Once the seal has broken the daily expansion and contraction of the gas inside the double glazed unit leads to the infiltration of moisture. This moisture evaporates when it becomes warm and then condenses on the cold glass. The moisture is trapped between the panes and will get worse as time goes on.

What is the solution?

There is no quick fix or magic bullet to cure fogged-up double glazing, the only solution is to replace the affected units. Using quality replacement units is obviously important but even high quality double glazed units run the risk of failure if care and attention is not taken when installing them. It only takes a few minutes to ensure adequate drainage and packers are present but many installers fail to do this and so doom the new units to fail just as the old ones did. Ambassador Windows take pride and care in their work. We promise that when you have decided to spend your hard earned money on replacement double glazed units, everything that we can do to ensure their longevity will be done.

How do we ensure your new double glazing will last long into the future?

The first step to preventing the problem from reoccurring is to use only quality guaranteed double glazing. Our units are guaranteed for a minimum of 10 years.

Double glazed units work best when the perimeter is not exposed to moisture for prolonged periods. When double glazing is fitted into a window frame it is vital that the area underneath the glass has drainage holes. Over time window frames will allow some water in, and it is important that it can escape before it can cause damage to the seal on the double glazed unit. Ambassador Windows will carefully check that drainage holes are both present and working. If not, we will make new drainage holes before fitting your replacement glass.

Allied to the above point, and often overlooked, is that for water to escape through drainage holes it must be able to flow freely in the area below the glass. Plastic packers keep the double glazed unit raised by 4mm to 6mm from the bottom of the window and allow the water to drain harmlessly away.

Associated products:

  • Pilkington K glass®
  • Laminated safety glass
  • Toughened safety glass