Frequently Asked Questions
An insulated glass unit (or dual pane glass unit) consists of two panes of glass that are sealed around a spacer in between. The spacer can be metal or foam. It may also contain grids and gas between the glass. This glass unit sits in the frame of the window and comes in a variety of different thicknesses depending on your window manufacturer.
When the seal breaks in an insulated glass unit, it allows moisture and debris to accumulate between the panes of glass. This is referred to as a seal failure. At first, your window glass may look cloudy one day but clear the next. This is common but the condition will worsen over time and eventually you will not be able to see out of the window glass at all.
Believe it or not, your windows are constantly expanding and contracting with different weather conditions and settling of the home. While the frame of the window will expand and contract, the window glass will not. This creates friction and wear and tear on the insulated glass unit. Some windows such as vinyl are more susceptible to seal failures because of the rate of expansion and contraction.
The price to replace an insulated glass unit is based on the size of the glass and the type of glass it's made with. Clear, Low e glass, tempered glass, grids between the glass and the material that the window is made of are all taken into consideration when providing an estimate. It is a much less expensive and less intrusive option to replace the glass verse replacing the entire window.