Windows on a budget?

[geomeo123]

Hello All,
Is it possible to to repair the internals of a double pained window? Has anyone tried this before? Is there somewhere I can send them to to be repaired? I live in Houston. Or is it just as cheap to replace the whole thing? The internal seals are sagging in mine. At a guess they are probably about 15 years old. And the person that installed them (previous owner of the house) bent some of them putting them in.

George

[TheWindowNerd]

All things are possible. But if I understand you without a picture it sounds like spacer migration, which was not directly the owners fault.

You can call glass shops and find someone to reglaze them for you.

[geomeo123]

I don't blame the internals sagging on the previous owner, just the bad install. Some of the windows don't slide very well. I blame the sagging on bad window design. Here's some pictures of that.

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[Randy]

Hello George. Replacing the insulated glass units will be cheaper than replacing the entire window.

How long ago did you purchase the house?

They look like Don Young thermally-broken aluminum windows, but I thought they had moved away from the Swiggle Seal spacer more than 15 years ago. Perhaps I’m mistaken though. You might contact the local Don Young office at (713) 868-1398 and ask them to search their database for your address. They might cover the insulated glass units (not including labor) under their warranty. Let me know how it turns out with them and I’ll try to guide you along to get the project completed.

[geomeo123]

Hello and Thank you for the information. I bought the house in 2012. Previous owner purchased it in 2008 so I was thinking he probably bought the windows in maybe 2009, but I'm not real sure about that one. Maybe on clearance from Home Depot or something?
I'll give those people a shout. I have no issues pulling them out and re-installing them if they can be fixed. I have a lot of them too. I priced out new windows and I'm thinking around about 10k for that. It would seem like a thing that people would do to save and "recycle" per say. But going by the searches on the web repairing them doesn't look too common.

Thanks again!

[TheWindowNerd]

Yup, you have spacer migration. In the proper quantity I would expect to pay $200 to 250 per sash to reglaze with a clear annealed LEA IGU with 10 year seal failure warranty.

Randy is the man to help you, a person you can trust.

[Randy]

Can you post any photos of the interior, particularly showing the lock?

They will be out of warranty, since the transfer timeframe is limited to 10 years. However, if they are Don Young windows, you could order new IG units (insulated glass) from them and have them changed out. The Window Nerd is probably pretty accurate on the pricing for such a service, however it’s not something that we do.

If they are Don Young windows, they will be able to direct you to a company that can change them out for you.

[geomeo123]

I called Don Young today. Seemed like a reasonable gent(not Don Young) on the phone. Think his name was John Lance. I have an appointment scheduled Wednesday morning so uhm Wish me luck!! Here's some pics of the interior latches/locks.

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[Windows on Washington]

Tilt latch looks older, stylistically, than 2009, but I don't know the evolution of DY products so I can't say for certain.

[Randy]

I think they are DY as hey did how onto that lock longer than others, plus the glazing bead is aluminum. Most other manufacturers in this area use vinyl. Jon is a really great guy - you are in good hands.

[geomeo123]

Jon did come round and confirm they are Don Young Windows; however their warranty is a bit of a joke really. They want to see original paperwork for the purchase of the Windows. But not only that it's only transferable to the next owner for a 10 years warranty. I've lived in the house for 12 years so I'm pretty much out of luck. In other words they are one of those companies that like to weasel out of a "Lifetime Warranty". Pretty disappointing really. It's not something you would expect to fail when you buy a house. Oh well....

[toddinmn]

The glass warranty is only 10 years, so I’d say you are out of luck.

[Randy]

From my post # 7: "They will be out of warranty, since the transfer timeframe is limited to 10 years. However, if they are Don Young windows, you could order new IG units (insulated glass) from them and have them changed out.”

The original owner gets a lifetime warranty on the entire window, no time limits and non pro-rated. The transferability is limited to 10 years. That’s not weaseling, it’s the clearly stated warranty that the previous owner was good with.

[geomeo123]

Poorly designed windows and one of the worst warranties provided by Don Young and that's that.