I need to get a broken thermopane window replaced

[snoozy]

Who do I call? What questions do I ask/will I need to know the answers to? How much does it cost?

[Windy in Kansas]

Glass shop. Bunches. Sorry, I'm of no real help.

[Roadking]

Glass shop (around here it's Meskos) from phone book, last time, price was similar to a replacemnt from the big box store, but since it was just the glass and labor, not bad.
Questions; when can you get out here, how much, and how long until you can do the job?
Good luck,
Matt

[jmtinmi]

We contacted the manufacturer. They told us how to measure the opening, and someone came to put them in, but that was because it just worked out that way for some reason. I don't know how much it would have cost for a special trip.

Oh, when we moved in, we contacted the manufacturer right way and had to pay $150 to get the warranty transferred. Some of the windows were covered after this, but the obviously smashed ones, we had to purchase.

These were vinyl replacement windows with double panes of glass. Some of the windows had just one side of the glass broken. Others had cracks.

[Immaculate Sublimity]

Windows are my business... this is one thing I know the answer to. its always best to know the manufacturer of the window unit itself because insulated units come in a variety of glass thicknesses as well as between the glass spacing. usually if you look along the inner spacing of the window there 'should' be a manufacturers name, if you didnt order and have the windows installed yourself - google is your friend. Hopefully who ever manufactured them is still in business, Remember the manufacturer is different than the company that installed them, many companies sell the same manufacturer. If that fails, then you'll want to go to a glass company who will have to make up a unit to fit in the frame... A few quick questions... are your window frames 'welded corners' ( a small diagonal weld from inside corner to outside corner ) or are they screwed together... on a welded unit you'll have to take out the glazing channels ( what holds the glass in) and make sure there isnt a foam tape spacer that you'll need to account for when replacing it yourself. you SHOULD be able to get a normal sized replacement glass for less than 75$ and probably more in the neighborhood of fifty. If I werent across the country I could help more in where to find replacement glass. If you need more help, let me know.

[snoozy]

I knew there'd be an expert on the forum somewhere!

They are salvaged wood windows, and I see no name on them except maybe Truth, on the hardware. Is there a window company called Truth Windows?

[TNHermit]

If there salvaged wood windows then they could have very well have been routed out to fit the thermopane in. That means its a custom size and probably have to be ordered. I would suggest you go over to

http://historichomeworks.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

And talk to some of the guys in the window forum . There may be one near you. They are a bunch of good guys. We all work in the construction of old double hung windows for restoration. Tell them TNWoodwright sent you

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by Roadking

Glass shop (around here it's Meskos) from phone book, last time, price was similar to a replacemnt from the big box store, but since it was just the glass and labor, not bad.
Questions; when can you get out here, how much, and how long until you can do the job?
Good luck,
Matt

Too funny, that's exactly who came to mind. I don't care much for remodeling for a paycheck, but I know several of my subcontractors have done jobs with Mesko, where they replaced dozens of defective insul. glass units by removing the sashes and having them custom build new replacements. I was surprised by the relatively low cost of doing the work. Unfortunately, in one case it was an elderly lady who got really taken by one of the slick mall kiosk outfits that sells "lifetime windows". They sold her "lifetime' replacement windows for three times their real value, then failed to back the product after most of the seals failed. Fortunately, the whole house full of replacement insul. glass only ran about $800. Less than a tenth of what the original seller wanted to correct the problem.

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by snoozy

I knew there'd be an expert on the forum somewhere!

They are salvaged wood windows, and I see no name on them except maybe Truth, on the hardware. Is there a window company called Truth Windows?

IIRC, from my old days selling millwork, stairs and windows, Truth is, or was, a major manufacturer of window hardware. Stuff like casement window operator mechanisms and such.....anybody else know more?

[snoozy]

These aren't refitted windows, they were originally thermopane wood frame windows. Maybe Anderson...

[Common Tator]

I wouldn't just replace the glass. They have argon gas between the panes, and if not done right, you will get fog between the panes.

I think you need to replace the whole window.

[TnAndy]

Originally Posted by Common Tator

I wouldn't just replace the glass. They have argon gas between the panes, and if not done right, you will get fog between the panes.

I think you need to replace the whole window.

Glass dual pane units are replaced all the time, there is no need to replace the window if nothing else is wrong. Waste of money. SOME makers build windows that make if very hard to get the glass unit out, and replacement of a whole sash is easier, some have just a simple "keeper" strip that holds the glass in, and popping it out + loosening any caulk they used to seal the glass to the sash will release the glass unit.

Some do have argon, some don't. Window manufacturers use argon to get a slightly better U value for testing purposes ( kinda like EPA mileage sticker ), but everything I've read about argon says it's gone in a few years.....the molecule is small enough to pass thru the seal, and is replaced by air. Water molecule is too big to go thru the seal, so windows don't fog unless the seal fails.

Argon is waste of money IF you have to pay for it separate.....but what most of them do is include it with LowE glass as a package....you can't separate it out....and LowE glass really IS good stuff you want in a window.

What ALL dual pane manufacturers use is a silica dessicant to "sop" up any residual moisture in the air between the units when they assemble the dual pane unit. If you ever take a dual pane apart, the silica is in the aluminum spacer section, and will pour out.

Snoozy: Andersen window units are guaranteed for 10 years from their date of manufacture. To tell if it's an Andersen, look in the corner of the glass for a small triangle with the letters AW....Andersen Windowwall......all Andersen will have this....not there ? Not Andersen. The date of manufacture will be on the aluminum spacer, assuming it's less than about 25 years old...before that, Andersen didn't use aluminum spacers.....the actually "welded" the edges of the two pcs of glass together, and unless you cracked the window, the seals NEVER fail. They got cheaper as time went on to compete with other manufacturers.

[rbbiggs]

Originally Posted by Immaculate Sublimity

Windows are my business... this is one thing I know the answer to. its always best to know the manufacturer of the window unit itself because insulated units come in a variety of glass thicknesses as well as between the glass spacing. usually if you look along the inner spacing of the window there 'should' be a manufacturers name, if you didnt order and have the windows installed yourself - google is your friend. Hopefully who ever manufactured them is still in business, Remember the manufacturer is different than the company that installed them, many companies sell the same manufacturer. If that fails, then you'll want to go to a glass company who will have to make up a unit to fit in the frame... A few quick questions... are your window frames 'welded corners' ( a small diagonal weld from inside corner to outside corner ) or are they screwed together... on a welded unit you'll have to take out the glazing channels ( what holds the glass in) and make sure there isnt a foam tape spacer that you'll need to account for when replacing it yourself. you SHOULD be able to get a normal sized replacement glass for less than 75$ and probably more in the neighborhood of fifty. If I werent across the country I could help more in where to find replacement glass. If you need more help, let me know.

Hey Immac, I may be able to use you !

We are moving back to Midland Mich. Have our eye on an Alden Dow style house, kind of Frank Lloyd Wright looking. (Dow was Wright's 1st student at Taliesen and later became architectural partners for a short time). These houses were all built in the late 30's to about 1960. Utilities were cheap back then and none of the houses that I know of have thermopane windows. Even the later houses. You can get the idea from these picks. http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/dow.htm If you page down, and look at the Campbell house, My Mother was the second Mrs. Campbell. I lived in that house off and on for several years. Although this is not the house we are looking at, all those casement windows in the front hallway leak like a sieve, and that house costs a small fortune to heat.

If we end up buying one, replacing the casements/frames are out of the question as it would compromise the architectural design.

My question is, is there a company that can supply custom thermopane glass in Michigan? (i noticed you were from Mi). Because of the thickness difference, Im sure the casements/face frames would have to be altered, maybe disassembled and re-routed, and put back.

Anyway, just thinking. With utilities costs going up and up, new thermopanes would be a must have.

You can PM me or email me at buck.ten4 at gmail.com

Thanks, Bruce