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Bob Crager
Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 26 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do Auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can email Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com
Glass
2006-05-01 17:10:00
Fixing a broken window in the home
: How does one go about fixing a broken window in one’s home? Is it a major project?
ANSWER: It’s not that difficult. Most often, folks think they have to be able to cut glass. That’s not the case. You really don't have to know how to cut glass in order to repair your window. If you know how to remove the frame from the opening, you can order a replacement piece of glass from your local glass shop already cut to the proper size. Then, it's just a matter of installing the new glass into the frame. Generally, here's what you can do. There are really two categories of home windows. They are single pane windows and double or triple pane windows. Then, within those categories, there are several types of windows in each one. Let's start with the single pane window. This would be the older windows that were built and installed before the building industry became energy conscious. It just means that there is a single piece of glass in the frame that surrounds it. A lot of homeowners mistakenly think a horizontal sliding window must be a double pane window, since there is a pane of glass in the sliding panel and another pane in the stationary panel. The term refers to the number of panes in the sliding or fixed panel individually. A single pane horizontal sliding window has a single pane of glass in the sliding panel, and a single pane in the fixed panel. A double pane slider would actually have two pieces of glass in each/both the sliding panel and in the fixed panel. The pieces in each panel of a double paned window are separated by approximately 3/8" of dead airspace, and will have a metal spacer around the edge of the glass. Now, let's get back to the single pane repairs. One of the more common types of single pane windows is the type that uses putty, or glazing, to hold the glass in the frame. Nearly all old wood windows are done this way. Old metal casement windows are usually done this way as well. The casement window is the kind with the handle on the inside bottom corner that you crank, and the window opens outward on top and bottom pivots. Let’s focus this article on the putty style replacements.Before you begin, pick a local glass shop in your area where you will go to pick up the new glass. Make sure they are going to be open the day you do the work, and confirm with them that if you call in an order for a pane of glass in the morning, you can pick it up in an hour or two. You don't want to remove the glass from the window frame, only to then find out the glass shop won't have your glass cut until next week. The fastest and easiest way to remove the old glass is to break it out by putting an old sheet or a tarp on the ground below the window. Then, use gloves with a material that will prevent a piece of glass from cutting your hands. Get yourself a pair of safety glasses as well. Now, go inside with a hammer and knock the glass out of the central portion of the window. It's best if you leave some glass shards sticking out around the edges, as you can grab the protruding glass pieces and use them to leverage the old putty loose. The more old putty that you can get to come out along with the glass, the less scraping you will have to do later. Sometimes it practically falls out on its own. On the other hand, sometimes the putty has almost become a part of the wood. The only way to separate the putty from the frame in those cases is to use a putty knife to scrape it down to the wood. While removing the putty, you will find little pieces of metal that are used to hold the glass in place while applying the putty. The wood windows use push points, and you can get a package of new ones at the glass shop or hardware store. If you're working with the metal casement window, the metal clips are called sash clips. You might have a harder time finding these. In any case, I don't see any problem re-using the old ones. Once you have removed all the glass and putty, clean the frame with a brush. Then measure the width of the frame where the glass installs at three locations...the bottom of the glass opening, the middle, and the top. Take the smallest measurement and deduct 1/8" for wood windows and 3/8" for steel casements. Then, measure the height at the left side, center, and right side. Take the smallest measurement and deduct 1/8" on wood windows and 1/4" on casements. When you order your new glass pieces, order double strength glass, and give the width first, then the height. When you get the new glass home, put a thin bead of caulk on the frame where the glass is going to make contact. Install the glass. The caulk will hold the glass in place while you install the metal push points. You can either apply putty, or use white caulk. If you're going to use caulk, cut the tip below the tapered part, and cut at a 45 degree angle. You want the largest possible hole to allow the caulk to cover the large area previously covered by the putty. The caulk method is faster than putty, but it requires more skill to make the job look good. Take your time applying the putty or caulk. Make sure to use the putty knife to smooth the surface. Clean up with a damp sponge, and you've just completed the repair on your window glass.
 
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