Help! Anyone know anything about double glazing? NOT SPAM! :D

[BGonaSTICK]

Anyone know anything about double glazing? Pilkington 'K' glass requirements and so on?

My mum has just has a couple of new D/G windows fitted, and they look fine until the sun is shining directly on them, when they appear very foggy but in a strange pattern - with a clear band at the top and a thin one at the side?!?!

Complained to the installer, who just said "it's 'hur' on the K-Glass, and there's nothing we can do".

WTF?!?!

He quoted me some long building reg. code or something, and said he could send me a copy of it.

He's going back to have a look, but the chances of the sun shining while he's there are remote to say the least!

Not sure what to do. Haven't paid anything yet, but the contract states 'full payment on installation'.

:?

[$ly]

Unacceptable and 'Not fit for purpose'.

Get him to pop the unit out and fit another.


L.

[fergiz]

The link below might shed some light on it (pardon the pun) or maybe not.

_http://www.ask-questions.com/yabbse/low-e-glass-u-values-r-values/2318-k-glass-haze.html

[BGonaSTICK]

Cheers Ferg.

I've been searching all morning and that is more help than everything else I've found put together. Looks like we might just have to live with it.

Certainly looks to be the same problem. Appears not to be a fault as such, but just a crappy coating - which is mandatory for new installs!

It's an energy-saving thing enforced via the building regs by the government > > > > >

[Analoguesat]

Im not expert at double glazing Stick but is the clearer bands caused by a shadow falling on the windows?? It looks to be in about the right place if the sun was above and to the right of the window

[BGonaSTICK]

Yes, it was!

The sun was directly above when I looked yesterday, so opening the window made little difference. The guy's been back today (later in the day than when I looked yesterday) and apparently you can see the shadow move slightly as you open it. His explanation ties up exactly with the info at ask-questions.com.

So, 'problem' solved, though I'm not totally happy. I'm happy that there isn't a fault as such, but outraged that you more or less have to fit this type of glass in every new window installed in the UK.

If anyone's interested, it's well worth reading the thread that Ferg posted a link to. Bloody regulations!

There is an alternative make of glass which exhibits much better 'anti-haze' performance, but buyer beware - make sure you specify it if you don't want the same problems! The most common type fitted is Pilkington 'K' glass

My mum only had a couple of windows replaced, but If I'd have paid for my whole house to be done and wound up with a result like that, I would have been mortified!

Anyway, thanks for your help guys

[Analoguesat]

Bloody pen pushers. I bet they dont have that horrible blue tinge on their double glazed windows at home.....

[diapason]

This might shed some light - there's a gap between the panes in double glazing and often there is nitrogen gas or some inert gas in the space. If there's a breach of that, then you get fogginess when the sun shines on the windows. We have a pane which was installed years ago and the gas within the gap may have escaped - anyway in cold or wet weather, it fogs up slightly.

If that is the case, then you have a faulty unit - but if they're all like that, then the installer's story might just be true - just a thought....

[BGonaSTICK]

As soon as the sun goes in, they're crystal clear.

It's caused by the pyrolytic coating which Pilkington use in their LowE 'K' glass - an old-fashioned technique by all accounts.

It's not cheap either, so don't get caught!