Draughty Double Glazing

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We have double glazing throughout our house, however there are a few noticable draughts through the house and one of the windows has a broken lock which is obviously a security concern primarily before being a point where the efficiency of the window is compromised.

Excepting the broken lock, could the draughts throughout the house be a result of either poorly fitted windows, or is it more likely that it is because of poorly sealed glazing work?

I guess what I want to know is whether it is advisable to get a glazing company to come in and re-fit the windows etc or whether they would be able to re-seal the windows, or hopefully not that the answer would be that I just need new glazing.

With regards to the broken lock, can these be easily replaced? I would assume there are hundreds of thousands of different lock types for double glazing and their varying window types. Can anyone advise on how to find a replacement for my particular type of lock?

It should be noted that I have no idea or paperwork to let me know who actually fitted the glazing. It was fitted prior to my buying the house.
 
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Any DG repair fella can match and replace locks. A local guy did 3 of mine for a very reasonable £30. Just go through your local paper ads.

As far as your draughts are concerned what makes you think it is your DG or standard glazing? Have you tried a smoke test to see if it is the units or the glass?

Have you vents in the property.... airbricks? tumble dryer? wall vents?

Ir is gonna be a very expensive mistake not to rule out all other possibilities first!
 
I guess I don't know for certain that it's the windows but they always seem to be incredibly cold. We get a lot of condensation on them too.

One room in particular is the room we use as our nursery. There are no vents/airbricks in there yet when I have been sat with the little one in the middle of the night, I have been able to feel cool/cold air moving over my feet.

I can feel the same now in our living room as I type this.

We don't have a tumble dryer either.
 
There clearly is an airflow according to your description which is not necessarily a bad thing. Condensation is caused by warm moist air hitting a cold surface. Ventilation is the usual method to deal with this.

You have to ensure that you don't make a condensation problem worse by sealing a room or house so completely that there is no airflow.

The first step, I would suggest, is to ensure that all your exterior doors and windows, including your loft hatch, are adequately draught proofed. I recently smoke tested mine.

Check each of your windows and your doors - if they are fine and you are sure you have no vents/airbricks, even under the floor, then I would suggest your 'draught' is the normal house airflow.

I am currently going the other way and trying to create some ventilation flow in a very wet bedroom.

Happy Hunting!
 
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Friction hinges can be adjusted or replaced to make them close properly. If they are leaking air though, that would normally stop condensation.
Try gripping a piece of paper in the seals on the openers or see if you can narrow down the location of the cold draught.
Trickle vents are a requirement these days. you might get away with closing them for cold periods of the year but they are there to cut down on condensation. Heavy curtains might be good for you - not cheap though.
 
I'd get a double glazing repair man out to look at them/ do a quote.

Do you know how long they have been in there?
Mine are badly fitted and the frames have warped - basically not much can be done about it bar replacing the windows.

To get an idea
First of all go round the closed windows with a candle (not touching!) and watch out for the flame flickering. This should give you an idea where the draughts are.

With the window closed go around and try and pull it open around the frame - if they feel a bit loose (especially at the top) the fasteners aren't catching - maybe adjusting the hinges will work (might be a repair man job) ...in my case they had dropped so badly I had to get 'run up' blocks which lift the window up enough to catch again.

You could try replacing the gaskets (black seal things) between the opening window and the frame - this stuff isn't cheap (although I have big windows and needed lots -so probably per metre isn't bad)- you have to get it from a double glazing suppliers - and take a bit in with you because they have to match the profile - (same with run up blocks)

Do you have any trim around the frames/ wall. Some DG fitters don't do a good job and leave a big (draughty) gap between the frame and the wall -and the trim/wood just covers it up ...

If they really are that bad (repair men won't touch mine!) I've sealed one up with expanding foam and silcone seal (now a non opening window) - rest I have gone round with clear silcone -going to leave them closed in winter and in summer cut the seal with a stanley knife...which has reduced the draughts...

I would agree with toptec and squowse - (I was thrilled when I got a little condensation on the bedroom windows - the windows were getting better!) If you are getting lots of condensation - in spite of draughty windows -that can lead to serious problems so as well as some airflow you also need to try and reduce the amount of moisture in the air. Having no tumble dryer - guess that means you dry clothes in the house...need to keep that to a minimum...try and put drying washing somewhere with the door closed and the window ajar...
After a bath/shower - close the bathroom door and open the window for a while until all the fog has gone off the mirror/window - put your wet towel over the radiator in there - so it insulates the radiator and the water escapes from that too - or put a fan on...
If you have a kitchen extractor - use it - or use lids on boiling pans - and if particularly steamy - close the door and open the window in there...

You can also try plastic tubs with holes in the lid with salt and cat litter on the window sills to take up some of the water...just need to dry them out every so often...you can put silica gel in there (poison -small children!) or you can buy things like this from B&Q etc
 

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