Window Repair · Guelph

Window Repair in Guelph: Sealed Units, Hardware and Glass

A lot of windows that get replaced in Guelph did not need to be. The glass had failed, or a crank had stripped, and the frame was fine. Repair is a real option and it should be quoted as one.

Repair divides into two very different kinds of work in this city. In the south end it is mostly about sealed units: the double-pane glass in a 1990s or 2000s vinyl window has failed and the frame has not. In the older neighbourhoods it is about wood: original sashes, cords, weights, putty and paint on windows that were built to be maintained and, on a designated property, that the City would prefer you kept.

Failed sealed units

An insulated glass unit is two panes bonded to a spacer with a sealant and filled with argon. When the seal fails, the gas leaks out, humid air gets in, and you see fog, streaks or a milky haze between the panes that cleaning cannot touch. The window has lost its insulating value but the frame is often perfectly sound. The repair is to measure the unit, order a new sealed unit to the same size and thickness, remove the glazing stops, swap the glass and reinstall the stops. It is a fraction of the cost of a new window and the new unit can be specified with a better low-e coating than the original. Where it does not make sense is when the frame has warped, the welded corners have cracked, the vinyl has chalked and gone brittle, or the hardware is obsolete and unobtainable. Then the unit should be replaced, and we say so.

Hardware and weatherstripping

• Cranks and operators on casements and awnings strip their gears and are usually replaceable, though matching an obsolete operator sometimes means adapting the mounting.
• Locks and keepers that no longer pull the sash tight are a draught and a security issue, and are a straightforward swap.
• Balances on hung windows wear out, which is why a sash will not stay up. New balances are a routine repair.
• Weatherstripping compresses and tears over fifteen or twenty years, and replacing it is often the single cheapest comfort improvement available on a house of that age.

Original wood windows on older houses

A wood sash window in a brick or limestone house in the Ward, around Exhibition Park or on the streets near the University was made to be taken apart. Broken sash cords, missing weights, cracked glazing putty, paint that has sealed the sash shut, and a rattling fit are all repairs, and a repaired wood window with good weatherstripping and a storm window performs far better than its reputation. On a property designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, or inside the Brooklyn and College Hill Heritage Conservation District, the City's heritage permit guide asks that repair and retrofit be considered before replacement, so on those houses repair is not just the cheaper route but the expected one.

What repair cannot fix

Rot that has gone through the sill or the lower rail, a frame that has moved because the wall behind it has, or a window that was the wrong size for its opening from the start. Those are replacement jobs and pretending otherwise wastes your money.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Guelph and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.