What to Do If You Suspect the Seals Have Failed on Your Windows February 11, 2016 The windows in your home or business are most likely double glazed. In the Greater Toronto Area, there are certainly some homes (and a few businesses) that have opted for triple glazed windows, but these are quite a bit more costly to purchase and install and also weigh a lot more. Whether you have double glazed for triple glazed windows in your Toronto home, the older they are, the more at risk they are of having those seals fail. What are window seals? Double glazing essentially means having two panes of glass separated by a gap, usually air that is vacuum sealed out. The more energy efficient a window is, the more likely it has argon or krypton gas that seals between the two glazing’s. If that seal fails for any purpose, even a minuscule hole that develops in it, air will enter into the vacuum, reducing its energy efficiency. That gap, when properly sealed, provides an extra barrier of protection against the cold air outside during the winter. When a seal fails, the interior portion of the glass will often feel just about as cold as the exterior portion of the glass. That’s because cold air presses through the glass and, if there is no vacuum seal preventing molecules from moving from one pain to the next, it will hit that inner layer of glass and eventually cool it down. When that interior glazing of glass gets cold, that cold air can get into the house, reducing the interior room temperature, requiring the furnace to run more often and even for longer periods of time. If you suspect the seals on some or all of your windows have failed, it’s time to contact an experienced window professional. You can have somebody come to your home to inspect the windows and determine what, if any, drafts are present. In some cases, depending on the type of window, they may be resealable, but it’s often a sign that the windows are old and need to be replaced.
