Misted and Failed Double Glazed Units in Manchester
Condensation between the panes means the sealed unit has failed, not the window. We measure, manufacture and fit a replacement into your existing frame, usually within a week.
- Existing frames kept
- Usually fitted within a week
- Guarantee on the seal
Seal failedFog between the panes, and the honest fix
A double glazed unit is two panes sealed around a spacer bar with a desiccant inside. When the seal fails, moist air gets in, the desiccant saturates and condensation forms between the panes where you cannot wipe it. Nothing is wrong with the frame. The fix is a new sealed unit, measured to the millimetre, manufactured and fitted into the frame you already have, in a morning. Call 07343 065023 or send us a photograph and the rough size through the contact page and we will price it.
Why units fail, and which fail first
Seals fail with age, with sun on a south-facing elevation, with water sitting in a frame whose drainage slots are blocked, and with units that were never packed correctly so they sit on their own weight. In Manchester that means the bays on 1930s semis in Didsbury, Sale and Heaton Moor go first, because the bay takes the weather from three sides. The 1990s uPVC across Prestwich and Cheadle is now at the age where units fail one after another over a couple of years. Slim units fitted into original timber sashes in Chorlton and Levenshulme fail early because the rebate was never deep enough. Our guide to misted double glazing explained goes into the detail and what the guarantee on your original windows may or may not still cover.
What we fit
Units are made to measure in the same thickness as the original so the beads and gaskets go back as they were. You can keep the specification or improve it: low-emissivity glass for a warmer room, acoustic laminate for a bedroom over Wilmslow Road or Bury New Road, obscure patterns for bathrooms, toughened or laminated where the position requires safety glass, and Georgian bars or leaded designs matched for the houses in Hale and Bowdon that have them. Frame drainage is cleared and the unit properly packed so the new one lasts.
When it is not a failed unit
Condensation on the inside face of the glass is the room, not the unit, and usually points to ventilation. Condensation on the outside on a cold morning is a sign the glass is doing its job. A cracked pane is a double glazing repair rather than a failure, and a pane that has broken and left the opening exposed is a job for our emergency glazier; a broken window at night covers what to do until we arrive. The glazing hub lists everything else we do.
Is it the unit or the room?
Fog between the panes is a failed seal. Fog on the inside face is ventilation. Send a photograph and we will tell you which.
Misted double glazing explainedMeasure, manufacture, fit
- Stage 1
Measure
A survey visit to size each unit to the millimetre and record the thickness, spacer, glass type and any pattern or bar design.
- Stage 2
Manufacture
Units made to order in the specification you have chosen, typically within a week.
- Stage 3
Fit
Beads out, failed unit out, new unit packed correctly, beads and gaskets back. A morning for most houses.
- Stage 4
Check
Frame drainage cleared, the other units inspected, and the guarantee paperwork emailed to you.
Mist between the panes means the seal has gone. We swap the sealed unit, the frame stays.
From misted to clear
- 1 week
- typical lead time from measure to fitting
- 1 morning
- typical fitting time for a house
- No making good
- existing frames kept, plaster and decoration untouched
Replacement unit rates
Supplied and fitted into your existing frame.
- 01SurveySurvey and measure visitFrom£45Credited against the fitting price if you go ahead
- 02CasementReplacement sealed unit, standard casementFrom£140Same specification as the original
- 03BayBay window, three unitsFrom£390Two-person fitting
- 04UpgradeUpgrade to low-emissivity or acoustic glassQuoted by sizePriced per unit on the survey
Indicative placeholder — confirm against /pricing before publishing. Daytime rates; emergency reglazing of a broken unit is priced on the emergency glazier page.
Full pricing and what is includedReplace the unit or replace the window
Replace the unit
- Best when
- Frame sound, unit misted or cracked
- Time
- One morning
- Disruption
- None to plaster or decoration
- Paperwork
- None normally required
Replace the window
- Best when
- Frame rotten, brittle or leaking at the joints
- Time
- A day, plus making good
- Disruption
- Plaster, sills and trims disturbed
- Paperwork
- Building control or scheme certificate
More glazing services
- Emergency Glazier24-hour emergency glazier for Manchester and Greater Manchester. Broken windows, doors and shopfronts made safe, boarded or reglazed within 60 minutes, price confirmed before dispatch.within 60 minutes
- Emergency Boarding Up24-hour emergency boarding up across Manchester. Broken doors, windows and shopfronts secured with fitted timber boarding within 60 minutes after break-ins, storms and accidents.within 60 minutes
- 03Double Glazing RepairDouble glazing repairs across Manchester. Cracked panes, dropped doors, broken hinges, handles, locks and seals on uPVC, aluminium and timber windows, repaired rather than replaced.
- 04Shopfront and Commercial GlazingShopfront and commercial glazing across Manchester. Toughened and laminated glass for shops, bars, offices and schools, fitted out of hours, with 24-hour boarding and make-safe.
Ask me anythingQuestion 01 of 06Question 02 of 06Question 03 of 06Question 04 of 06Question 05 of 06Question 06 of 0601Why has my double glazing misted up?
The seal around the edge of the sealed unit has failed. Moist air gets in, the desiccant in the spacer bar saturates, and water vapour condenses on the inside faces of the glass where you cannot reach it. It happens with age, with sun on a south-facing wall, with water sitting in a frame whose drainage is blocked, and with units that were never packed properly. Our guide to misted double glazing explained goes into the detail.
02Do I need a new window?
No, if the frame is sound, and it nearly always is. The beads come out, the failed unit comes out, a new unit made to the same size and thickness goes in, and the beads and gaskets go back. Nothing is done to the plaster, the sill or the decoration, and the job takes a morning. A new window is only the answer when the frame itself has failed, and we tell you if that is the case rather than glaze something that will fail again.
03How long does it take?
A survey visit to measure each unit to the millimetre and note the glass type, spacer and thickness, then manufacture, which is typically within a week, then a fitting visit of an hour or two for a handful of units. Bay windows and conservatory roofs take longer to fit and need two people. If a unit has cracked as well as misted and the opening is open to the weather, that is an emergency and we board or reglaze on the day.
04Can I upgrade the glass while it is being replaced?
Yes, and it is the cheapest moment to do it, because the labour is the same. Low-emissivity glass makes a noticeable difference to a cold room. Acoustic laminate helps a bedroom over a main road. Obscure patterns suit bathrooms, and toughened or laminated glass is required by regulation in doors, side panels and low windows. Georgian bars and leaded designs are matched for the period houses in Hale and Bowdon that have them.
05Can a misted unit be repaired by drilling it?
There are services that drill the outer pane, flush the cavity and fit vents. It clears the mist for a while, but the seal is still broken, the desiccant is still saturated and the unit no longer insulates as it should, so the mist returns and the room stays cold. We do not offer it. A new unit is not much more expensive, lasts, and comes with a guarantee on the seal.
06Are the new units guaranteed?
Yes. Replacement sealed units carry a manufacturer's guarantee against seal failure, and our fitting is guaranteed separately. The terms and durations are stated on your quotation and invoice rather than here, because they vary with the glass specification. Frame drainage is cleared and units are packed correctly at fitting, which is what makes the difference between a unit that lasts and one that mists again in three winters.
Send us a photograph and the rough size
- Existing frames kept
- No making good
- Guaranteed seal
Mist between the panes means the seal has gone. We swap the sealed unit, the frame stays.
