[cloddopper]

Six of the panels of a local companies double glazing installed in the bungalow have recently started to fail . This is the second time  the exact same windows have died and they are only eight years old. Plus the company used cheap glass that has at least one blister  per panel in it . The panels that were replaced in  one of the bedrooms faces the west , when it's sunny from the west you can see that they haven't cleaned the glass on the inside face before they made the sealed units up.

 So rather than find a  " local expert company with local quality tradesmen " , we are thinking of digging deep and putting our  low interest savings beyond the reach of any or a change of government just incase they decide to move the goal posts to fund their hare brained schemes .

We are looking into having the whole bungalow brought into the 21 st century.
 It's the final stage of our energy conservation plan , by getting the likes of Everest or Anglian to fit gas filled triple glazed windows to see us out till the end of our days .. another 30 years will see me being 99 yrs old .

 Have any of you any experience or knowledge of the current triple glazing market or know of any decent large company that offers so many triple glazed windows and extra insulated door for a standard price .

We are in South Wales .

[arobwk]

Heh cloddopper - were the installers of your existing double glazing the same folk who installed your solar panels by any chance

[Perris]

Don't do it! both Anglian and Everest subcontract the fitting, which is as important as the unit, so that can be and in our experience has been as bad as any - to the extent of being able to see the garden through the gaps! Their excuse is it is standard practice in the industry, which reveals their bog standard business philosophy. And the units are no better either - again we've had both (though double not tripled glazed). The largest panes blew about a day after the guarantee ran out. We would not use either ever again, and are now in process of trying the best-reviewed local firm for a replacement.

[pgkevet]

I agree that i would never use a 'national' window firm again. I think I wrote a tale of pgk about my experience with that sort of firm.
Here we used a local chap - he did the fitting, if there's a problem or concern he's round to sort it. the units themselves he has made up  and actually uses a separate firm for frames and glass for best value.
I do wish i'd pushed for triple glazing at the time..or even quad glazing now (I recall seeing triple glazing on a  ski trip 30yrs ago) but then again I suppsoe unles one went to cavity wall insulation (with the risks of that on an older build) there would be limited benefit. Perhaps another 100mm in the loft would be better...

[RCTman]

We had our house built 8 years ago now and used R&P windows Pontypridd, excellent service from them, excellent products and they gave a ten year guarantee . Came the following day when we needed our bi-folding doors adjusted, very helpful and checked again later to see if all was ok. Recommend .

[cloddopper]

Heh cloddopper - were the installers of your existing double glazing the same folk who installed your solar panels by any chance

 No , the lads who did the solar PV six years ago  were very good . The DG was done 35 or so  years ago when the place was built .

[cloddopper]

I agree that i would never use a 'national' window firm again. I think I wrote a tale of pgk about my experience with that sort of firm.
Here we used a local chap - he did the fitting, if there's a problem or concern he's round to sort it. the units themselves he has made up  and actually uses a separate firm for frames and glass for best value.
I do wish i'd pushed for triple glazing at the time..or even quad glazing now (I recall seeing triple glazing on a  ski trip 30yrs ago) but then again I suppsoe unles one went to cavity wall insulation (with the risks of that on an older build) there would be limited benefit. Perhaps another 100mm in the loft would be better...

 I looked into putting 400 mm of rock wool insulation in the roof void  200 more than the 200 mm thickness we already had when we had the cavity wall insulation done , so I did a bit of research.

  Too  much insulation in the roof directly on top of the boards  will cause sweating .  In that the ceiling boards get damp and sag . 

Evidently it's all due to the thicker insulation  not allowing  absorbed humidity from  rooms that gets into the boards in the boards to eventually migrate up through the insulation &  evaporate. The percolation cannot go up through a very thick layer of rock wool insulation  so it condenses and makes the insulation damp and ineffective .

[cloddopper]

Don't do it! both Anglian and Everest subcontract the fitting, which is as important as the unit, so that can be and in our experience has been as bad as any - to the extent of being able to see the garden through the gaps! Their excuse is it is standard practice in the industry, which reveals their bog standard business philosophy. And the units are no better either - again we've had both (though double not tripled glazed). The largest panes blew about a day after the guarantee ran out. We would not use either ever again, and are now in process of trying the best-reviewed local firm for a replacement.

 Let's know how you get on please.

[pgkevet]

 I looked into putting 400 mm of rock wool insulation in the roof void  200 more than the 200 mm thickness we already had when we had the cavity wall insulation done , so I did a bit of research.

  Too  much insulation in the roof directly on top of the boards  will cause sweating .  In that the ceiling boards get damp and sag . 

Evidently it's all due to the thicker insulation  not allowing  absorbed humidity from  rooms that gets into the boards in the boards to eventually migrate up through the insulation &  evaporate. The percolation cannot go up through a very thick layer of rock wool insulation  so it condenses and makes the insulation damp and ineffective .

A very valid point and one aspect i hadn't considered. Obviously depends on current levels insulation and design of house and raises the argument for a need for airflow through a house.
In my hobby shed built with kingspan floors, walls and ceilings and upvc double glazing - even with a wall vent theoretically appropriate for the modern woodburner I have to crack a  window open if I light the fire or the CO alarm goes off.

[Perris]

Don't do it! both Anglian and Everest subcontract the fitting, which is as important as the unit, so that can be and in our experience has been as bad as any - to the extent of being able to see the garden through the gaps! Their excuse is it is standard practice in the industry, which reveals their bog standard business philosophy. And the units are no better either - again we've had both (though double not tripled glazed). The largest panes blew about a day after the guarantee ran out. We would not use either ever again, and are now in process of trying the best-reviewed local firm for a replacement.

 Let's know how you get on please.

will do! awaiting product arrival as we speak...

[ellied]

My double glazed 1970s windows have Everest secondary glazing as well to reduce road noise and it does work but all the windows are metal rimmed and 2 of the bigger living room ones are now getting a wee bit steamy on the inside, which makes them look like I never clean them.

House and holding are on the market so I wasn't going to do anything but now I'm wondering whether it would help sell the property and looking for ideas.  I had one bedroom window replaced by a local tradesman a few years back with new double glazed hand fitted timber frame and it's great but still had to put the secondary back in front of it so it doesn't look that much better from inside than the old ones - and it cost £1000 for that single window

Can't do the big 4m picture window at that rate so interested in how you got on/get on please?

[cloddopper]

 I looked into putting 400 mm of rock wool insulation in the roof void  200 more than the 200 mm thickness we already had when we had the cavity wall insulation done , so I did a bit of research.

  Too  much insulation in the roof directly on top of the boards  will cause sweating .  In that the ceiling boards get damp and sag . 

Evidently it's all due to the thicker insulation  not allowing  absorbed humidity from  rooms that gets into the boards in the boards to eventually migrate up through the insulation &  evaporate. The percolation cannot go up through a very thick layer of rock wool insulation  so it condenses and makes the insulation damp and ineffective .

A very valid point and one aspect i hadn't considered. Obviously depends on current levels insulation and design of house and raises the argument for a need for airflow through a house.
In my hobby shed built with kingspan floors, walls and ceilings and upvc double glazing - even with a wall vent theoretically appropriate for the modern woodburner I have to crack a  window open if I light the fire or the CO alarm goes off.

 Round here & I suspect all of Wales building regs require that the very latest builds are low pressure tested for so many seconds to show that they don't leak heat .

 Just a few hundred yards away the new build  houses also have cleaning air heat exchangers & so can have gently blown dust free warmed or cooled fresh air in every room so heat loss & air humidity content is minimal .

[cloddopper]

Well we've taken th plunge found that thbLady next door ( the good neighbour ) was having replacement DG .
As her bungalow is the same as ours I was cheeky and asked how much she paid …..£ 4.8 K for 9 windows only r . The guys fitting them have been with the company for 21 years when the company started up 17 years & 3 x 15 years well professional cleaned up no shouting or messing around .. told them who I was and where and asked about doing a similar fit in our bungalow .. , " Yes " .

 Then I asked about Pilkington 2 nitrogen fllled triple glazing & a front door with little or no cill  so I cn get my electric whel chair in 7 out with me in it  as some time I have to resort to using it for a week or more at a time . " Yes , we  do all that as well " .
 The guys fitting  the DG next door came and did the survey when they finished up working there.
 Amazed the triple came out at only £ 6900 as the local to us DG glazing  chancers who fitted the replacement panels last time round were asking for £9400

They should be fitted around the end of October or earlier depending on how the weather is , for they will not fit if it is tipping it down to save the customers property from getting soaking wet inside .

 

[doganjo]

My double glazed 1970s windows have Everest secondary glazing as well to reduce road noise and it does work but all the windows are metal rimmed and 2 of the bigger living room ones are now getting a wee bit steamy on the inside, which makes them look like I never clean them.

House and holding are on the market so I wasn't going to do anything but now I'm wondering whether it would help sell the property and looking for ideas.  I had one bedroom window replaced by a local tradesman a few years back with new double glazed hand fitted timber frame and it's great but still had to put the secondary back in front of it so it doesn't look that much better from inside than the old ones - and it cost £1000 for that single window

Can't do the big 4m picture window at that rate so interested in how you got on/get on please?

Hope you didn't replace your windows.  Most people will want to put in their own new double glazing. I've bought another house which has dark wood windows and doors, same as my present house had.  They were the age of the house - 1988 for this one and 1991 for the one I'm m0ving to.  I replaced these and fully intend to replace the ones in the new house.  It's called time improvement and future proofing

[doganjo]

Well we've taken th plunge found that thbLady next door ( the good neighbour ) was having replacement DG .
As her bungalow is the same as ours I was cheeky and asked how much she paid …..£ 4.8 K for 9 windows only r . The guys fitting them have been with the company for 21 years when the company started up 17 years & 3 x 15 years well professional cleaned up no shouting or messing around .. told them who I was and where and asked about doing a similar fit in our bungalow .. , " Yes " .

 Then I asked about Pilkington 2 nitrogen fllled triple glazing & a front door with little or no cill  so I cn get my electric whel chair in 7 out with me in it  as some time I have to resort to using it for a week or more at a time . " Yes , we  do all that as well " .
 The guys fitting  the DG next door came and did the survey when they finished up working there.
 Amazed the triple came out at only £ 6900 as the local to us DG glazing  chancers who fitted the replacement panels last time round were asking for £9400

They should be fitted around the end of October or earlier depending on how the weather is , for they will not fit if it is tipping it down to save the customers property from getting soaking wet inside .

Sounds an excellent firm. Recommend them to everyone you know.  I'm going to look for local Jpiner firms who will install wwindows and doors