Many Houston homeowners might be wondering, “Is my home’s window seal failing?” The truth is that many signs point to the need for residential glass repair due to failed seals. When your seal fails, it can lead not only to drafts but also to higher bills from wasted energy. However, a leaky seal might seem unimportant —just a simple annoyance. Even a small leak can cause huge increases in bills and even long-term thermal breakdown. The most vital element of avoiding expensive glass replacements and rising energy bills is recognizing the signs of window seals before they escalate. At Buffalo Glass, we provide dependable service for our Houston residential glass repair clients, helping address issues at the root – giving you and your family long-term relief.
If you want to learn more about why your residential glass window seal is failing, use this blog to spot the key signs and understand how Buffalo Glass can help you find a lasting solution.
Understanding Residential Glass: The Science Behind the Seal
Before looking for signs of a failed window seal, it is essential to understand the science behind the seal and how Houston’s environment can compromise it. Developers equip most homes in Houston with double-pane windows that have a modern insulated glass unit. This IGU is engineered by placing two or more panes of glass together, with a meticulously measured and perfectly sealed space in the middle. This is filled with gas to help thermally protect your home.
Because of this unique structure, the most essential part of the IGU is the seal in order to maintain the gas-filled space. The primary components of the seal include:
- Spacer: This part of the seal is a rigid bar, most often made of aluminum or foam, that separates the two panes of glass and makes room for the gas.
- Desiccant: These are small, fast-drying beads that are placed inside the spacer. Their primary goal is to absorb any moisture that enters the chamber to prevent condensation.
- Primary or secondary seal: This is a butyl/silicone barrier that locks the gas inside the spacer. Additionally, it plays a key role in keeping moisture out.
Most of the time, the gas inside the chamber is Argon or Krypton, because they are inert gases. This means that it is much denser than the air we breathe – giving it a superior insulating ability. Because of the thickness of the gas, it slows heat transfer and the escaping of whatever air is inside your house, whether it is cool air during the summer or warm air during the winter.
Defining Seal Failure in Residential Insulated Windows
You may be wondering, “What does seal failure even mean?” While it might seem complicated, IGU failure is actually simple in action, but the tricky part is the repair. Because of this, working with a professional glass company in Houston, like Buffalo Glass, is vital for identifying and resolving your IGU’s leaky seal problem.
Most IGU leaks occur when the outer barrier of the spacer begins to deteriorate. As the seal begins to break down, the inert gas can escape, and outside air can enter the space instead. When this happens, the window’s resistance to heat and condensation is immediately eliminated – often leaving you with foggy windows, uncomfortable indoor temperatures, and skyrocketing energy bills.
If you’re looking to learn the signs of this happening before the seal is entirely compromised and a full replacement is required, keep reading this blog to learn everything you need to recognize residential glass seal failure.
Sign #1: Residential Window Inter-Pane Fogging
The most obvious indicator of a failed residential glass window seal is foggy windows. Regardless of how hard you wipe or how cool it gets outside, the fog just doesn’t seem to go away. Unfortunately, when this happens, it is most often too late for a residential glass repair. This means two things have happened: first, the seal has been compromised, and the inert gas has completely escaped. The lack of inert gas not only causes fogging, but it also typically fully overwhelms the desiccant with humid, Houston air that enters the chamber.
Look for a milky or hazy appearance on your window pane, as well as unsightly streaks or water marks inside the glass. In most serious cases, there may even be visible water pooling along the bottom edge of the window, inside the pane. As a general rule of thumb, if you can’t wipe it away, there is a major problem at hand.
Sign #2: Feeling Leaks in Your Home: How Glass Repairs Help
While foggy, milky, or uncleanable glass might be the simplest, most visible sign that your residential glass seal might need a repair, another integral sign is the indoor temperature of your Houston home. Even if your windows appear crystal clear, there might be an invisible problem causing your HVAC to go into overdrive. A clear indicator that the seal has allowed the inert gas to escape is your home feeling hotter or cooler than normal, regardless of your AC setting. When this happens, it trunks your IGUs into two plain, useless pieces of glass.
This often causes your AC to work harder to maintain your desired temperature, leading to higher energy consumption and significantly more expensive bills.
Sign #3: Visible Residential Window Seal Degradation
So now that you’ve looked for fogging and taken into consideration the temperature of your Houston home, another sign that you need residential window seal repair is the state of the seal itself. While internal problems within the seal can cause fogging and inert gas leakage, the seal’s external condition is equally important.
To check the health of your house’s window seal, be sure to look carefully at the entire perimeter of the pane. Look for physical signs of stress where the window meets the frame, as this can be a large indicator of a physical problem. This could look like cracked, shrunken, or even peeling putty on the edge of the glass. Or, if you can see the space in your IGU, then look for a slight warping or off-center shifting. This is especially true for aluminum spacers.
Finally, any signs of mold or water stains can also indicate that moisture is intruding into the system, likely leading to a major failure in the future.
Sign #4: Sounds That Indicate A Window Seal Repair
The final sign to watch out for if you think your Houston home’s window seals might need residential glass repair is acoustic changes in the window. If you can’t see damage or feel it, you might just be able to hear it. This is because when the inert gas has fully leaked out of the window seal, it also removes the majority of the acoustic padding of your home. You might notice noises from outside much more frequently, or even notice a slight echo that wasn’t there before.
Protecting Your Investment with Residential Window Repair
Now that you know the top three signs that your Houston home’s window seals are failing, it is essential to work with a reliable glass company that can help repair or replace your seals. At Buffalo Glass, our team of glass experts can accurately diagnose and repair all residential glass problems you may be experiencing. Contact us today for a free estimate on residential glass repair for your Houston home.