![]() The caveat is that installing double glazing panes in existing steel windows is a lot of work. I haven't measured it scientifically, but overall the double glazing seems to have improved things considerably. When I slide my hand between the curtain and the window, it is far less cold. What's the result? In the mornings, there is no longer any condensation on the inside of the windows. Moreover, double glazing is only one component of the window insulation picture: with heavy curtains in front (sealed with some variation on a pelmet), you shoot up to the next level. Yes, steel frames are not ideal for insulation, but for our large windows, the double glazing would still make a huge improvement. Can you imagine paying all that money for an inferior product? Wooden frames look better and have better insulation, but they're even more expensive than aluminum. ![]() A third reason is that aluminum frames are supposed to be inferior (insulation-wise) to uPVC frames, but uPVC is not yet available at this stage in our region of New Zealand. The second reason for me was that the aluminum windows sold by double glazing installers just don't fit the look of our old house. So the first reason to retrofit steel windows is cost. In fact, up to that point in my life, my total expenditure on windows had been about thirty dollars-for putty I needed on two occasions in places I was renting. I don't recall the exact number but it was over thirty thousand dollars. It's a good thing I was sitting when I opened the envelope, because I nearly had a heart attack. A week after the man's visit, an invoice arrived. In some cases they'd have to cut the steel frame, in some cases they'd have to cut into the stucco. One came to the house, looked around and said we would have to replace all the windows. When I first started looking at the problem, my first thought was to get the job done by a double glazing specialist. However, there can be very good reasons for retrofitting steel windows. This recess is space that the double glazing will be able to occupy.Īn insulation purist would probably cringe at the idea of retrofitting double glazing panes to old steel windows, because the steel frame will keep conducting cold for outside. Notice how the old glass is recessed into the frame. The basic idea is that you remove the old putty and glazing, cleaning the frame back to the metal then you squirt a bead of silicon on the back of the frame, against which the glazing will push you sit the double glazing on rubber spacers, wedging it in with more rubber at the top you fill in all the gaps with silicon you push in the aluminum corner beads, and you clean up the silicon. For this method of fitting double-glazed panes, the main ingredients (besides the double glazing) are rubber spacers, silicon, and aluminum "corner beads". I didn't invent anything, but I thought I'd share my experience in case it might help someone else on the same track.īefore we start, a word of orientation about what we're trying to achieve. This page about steel windows (and its companion page about wooden doors) documents the procedure I've been following on my journey to further insulate our house. At the outset, I should let you know that I'm not an expert at installing double glazing: proof will be provided in the section about four methods I've discovered for wasting a panel of double glazing (one of which comes with a bonus of four stitches to the head).
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