Door & window repair, statewide
Foggy Window Repair
Moisture between the panes means the seal has gone
That haze will not clear, it will not dry out, and it is not something you did. The perimeter seal on the sealed unit has failed and moisture has got in. The fix is to replace the unit inside your existing frame.
Why Colorado sees so much of this
Fogging is common everywhere, and unusually common here. There are three reasons, and the first one surprises nearly everybody.
A sealed unit is assembled and sealed at the elevation where it was made. Bring that unit up to Denver, let alone a mountain town, and the gas trapped between the panes expands. The panes bow outward and the perimeter seal carries that load permanently, day and night, for its whole life. Units not built for elevation are fighting a losing battle from the moment they are installed.
Add Colorado's daily temperature swings and hundreds of freeze-thaw cycles a season, and the seal is being flexed constantly on top of that constant pressure. It is a demanding place to be a sealed unit.
The glass is not dirty and it is not dying of old age. A seal failed and moisture got in.
What we do about it
The unit is replaced. The window stays.
Sealed unit replacement
The failed dual-pane unit comes out and a new one goes in, inside your existing frame, trim and hardware.
Built for your elevation
Units specified for the altitude they are going to, which is the detail that determines how long the new glass lasts.
Low-E while it is open
If the glass is being replaced anyway, this is the moment to improve solar and UV performance.
Patio door panels
Large tempered sliding door units fog too, and they are replaced the same way.
Frame and glazing bead check
The seal fails faster if water is sitting in the glazing rebate, so we check drainage while we are there.
Multiple units at once
Where a whole elevation has fogged, which is common, doing them together keeps the cost down.
Why seals fail early at altitude
Three forces working on the same thin bead of sealant.
Constant pressure from elevation
The higher the installation, the greater the difference between the gas pressure inside the unit and the air outside it. That difference never goes away, and the seal carries it continuously.
Extreme daily temperature swings
A pane that sits below freezing overnight and bakes in full sun by afternoon expands and contracts every single day. Seals are flexible, but nothing flexes forever.
Hundreds of freeze-thaw cycles
Water in the glazing rebate freezes and expands against the edge of the unit, which is precisely where the seal lives. Over a Colorado winter that happens again and again.
Why replace the unit rather than defog it
There is a shortcut offered for this, and it is worth understanding what it does.
Defogging clears the view, not the problem
Drilling and venting a unit can improve how it looks, but it does not restore the seal or the insulating gas fill. The window keeps performing like single glazing.
A new unit restores the insulation
Which in a Colorado winter is the entire point of having dual glazing in the first place.
Still far cheaper than a new window
Sealed unit replacement is a fraction of what replacing the window costs.
No disruption at all
Frame, trim, hardware and wall are untouched.
Three steps, no runaround
Send a photo of the fogging
It is usually unmistakable, and a photo confirms it before we come out.
We measure the unit
Sealed units are made to size, so accurate measurement comes first.
We fit the new unit
Usually under an hour per window once the glass is ready.
We are a mobile service covering the whole state. Pick your city below, or call and we will come to you.
Foggy Window Repair Across Colorado
Foggy window questions
Will a foggy window ever clear up on its own?
No. It may look better on dry days and worse on humid ones, but the seal has failed and the insulating value is permanently gone.
Is window defogging a real fix?
It can improve the appearance by drilling and venting the unit, but it does not restore the seal or the gas fill. We replace the unit instead, because that is the repair that actually holds.
Why did my windows fog so soon after installation?
The most common cause in Colorado is a sealed unit that was not built for the elevation it was installed at. Units sent to altitude normally need capillary or breather tubes, and skipping that stage shortens their life considerably.
Do I have to replace the whole window?
No. Only the sealed glass unit is replaced. The frame, trim and hardware stay exactly where they are.
Several windows on the same side fogged at once. Is that normal?
Yes, and it usually means that elevation takes the most sun. It is also the cheapest time to deal with them, since we are already there.
Other repairs we handle
Doors and windows are all we do, so whatever has failed, it is probably on this list.
Clear the fog properly
Free estimates anywhere in Colorado, with units built for your elevation.
(720) 730-8579