Fogging-up Problems

I’ve done a couple of jobs recently on what I call two part windows … pella. Both jobs had window grid between the two part glass. After cleaning the panes and wiping down the grids and re-installing the glass, some fogging occured and I had to take apart and start over. How do you keep the glass from fogging-up? I think I’m getting the gasket around the window too wet or maybe the wood window grid is retaining some moisture. Any advise on this problem would be greatly appreciated.

This is common among these style windows. I let the customer know that it disappears in a day or two at most. If they have issues beyond that I’ll come back and redo the window. I’ve never had to go back and I still have those customers.

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Windows with the exterior energy panel will have the same fogging. I never understood the energy panels. There is no gasket and the small bumps on the aluminum frame allows air and tiny insects in between the windows. :confused:

On these types of windows (Pella storms) I pull all the panels off, clean the main windows and then the individual (removed) panels. I then go off to do a few other windows before returning to re-assemble the storms. I also make sure there is no water at all around the rubber gasket. And I look at the vent holes on the main windows to make sure they are not plugged up.

As others have said, even if you do get some fogging, it usually disappears in a day; never had a call back for prolonged fogging.

This is very common with Pella. It is just a temperature difference from the inside and the outside temps (along with a little condensation from cleaning). I pull the insert, clean the main window, clean the seal side then reinstall them then to the clip side. Done. Whenever I do a pella job I will inform the customer that they may fog up but should be ok in a few hours or so. I dont recommend letting all of your inserts dry while you go to do others. This could pose a danger to children, animals or even adults if they get knocked over or they slide and fall. If you explain it to the customer beforehand, most of them wont go into panic mode.

Steve

If you are able to keep the removable panels out for awhile and out of harm’s way, I would suggest what all the others have said and if you can manage to safely stand them up diagonally this will help even more to get liquid out of the seals.

When I do the inserts, i wipe the bottom of the seal to get excess water to avoid potential fogging. It will still happen from time to time anyways. I have always offered the customer a verbal guarantee that if the fog stays in between the panes, I will drop what I am doing and come back to reclean them the next day. 20 years and have never once returned to a fogged up window job. Pellas are so tempermental with this fogging issue, they will even fog up when you are cleaning them on the outsides. save yourself some time and do a decent wipe down of the seal side and slap those babies back in.