[cat9921]

Got home yesterday to find a note off two customers that are neighbours saying that they no longer need my services as they have condensation in between the glass  :

I think its really to do with the price increase and that there is another window cleaner who has started up...

when I was trade I was always coming across windows with condensation and they have never been wfp.

HELP 

[NWH]

Some will look for any excuse,my advise to anyone going WFP would be to grow a thick skin.I`m lucky i`ve lost no work due to it but i know and hear of others who have,go out and get more work even if you have enough so losing some work won`t be a problem.

[niceandclean]

If you notice when a customer has this, i drop one of my leaflets through the door explaining how this has happened and offering my service to replace it for them. I make some good money out of this, and im doing quite a few at the moment due to the sunny weather!

Misty/Broken down double glazed sealed units:

In the trade we say that the double glazed sealed unit has 'broken down'. This means that the perimeter edge seal has lost it's integrity and that it is letting in moisture somewhere. The moisture itself is hard to spot at first, sometimes becoming only visible as the Sun or another heat source 'draws' the moisture up. Typically the moisture will be drawn in as the atmospheric pressure changes, and it will build up eventually condensing into water inside the sealed unit. This can sometimes look like a fish tank with several inches of water inside that cannot escape.

What you can do about misted up double glazed sealed units:

The only answer is to replace the double glazed sealed unit with new ones. That almost always means little or no alteration or disruption to the framework, if it is sound as the glass sealed unit is designed to be removable and replaceable. Trying to separate the glass is not practical as the sealed unit is factory made with the glass bonded together to (hopefully) last a lifetime.

[cat9921]

If you notice when a customer has this, i drop one of my leaflets through the door explaining how this has happened and offering my service to replace it for them. I make some good money out of this, and im doing quite a few at the moment due to the sunny weather!

Misty/Broken down double glazed sealed units:

In the trade we say that the double glazed sealed unit has 'broken down'. This means that the perimeter edge seal has lost it's integrity and that it is letting in moisture somewhere. The moisture itself is hard to spot at first, sometimes becoming only visible as the Sun or another heat source 'draws' the moisture up. Typically the moisture will be drawn in as the atmospheric pressure changes, and it will build up eventually condensing into water inside the sealed unit. This can sometimes look like a fish tank with several inches of water inside that cannot escape.

What you can do about misted up double glazed sealed units:

The only answer is to replace the double glazed sealed unit with new ones. That almost always means little or no alteration or disruption to the framework, if it is sound as the glass sealed unit is designed to be removable and replaceable. Trying to separate the glass is not practical as the sealed unit is factory made with the glass bonded together to (hopefully) last a lifetime.

Sorry to sound thick, you say that you replace the windows  

I am no window fitter, How could I offer this??  :

You say that seal has lost it's integrity would WFP do this or is it  wear and tare ?

[Dale Smith]

Niceandclean means he replaces the glass..... I used to be a window fitter, and actually putting in the double glazed units is reasonably easy.
This is a clever side line methinks.... never thought to offer to replace them.... might do soon though 

[niceandclean]

If its upvc frames its alot easier to replace, newer wooden frames are not too bad. You dont replace the whole window just the sealed unit. I have a little merlin laser tool which tells me the thickness of the glass so i dont have to take the glass out untill i have to replace it, and i just measure the width and height of the glazing beads (holds the glass in) take approx 7mm off each and order the glass from a local glass supplier. Or you can pop the glass out and measure the unit and thickness to be sure. Just need to make sure if its an opener or a door, you toe and heel the glass, ie using packers to keep the unit in place ect. If you go to your local glass supplier, they will be able to tell you all about it, or give you a leaflet, or just do a search on the net.

[Clive McDonald]

I'll have some of that niceandclean i've been giving out cloudy to clear cards, He told me to say £100 a sq metre.
Your explanation was clear enough, but i would like a little training before i attempted it.

[niceandclean]

I generally do it on a sat morning if i have nothing on. I have just ordered 4 sealed units for a customer, 2 @ 442x1130, 1 @ 440x835 and 1 @ 440x835, all clear float low e glass, apart from one obscure with single georgian bar in between the panes, total cost for glass £97.42 inc vat. Probably about 20 mins work.

[Chris Cottrell]

Next Q. how much extra do you put on top for fittng?

[steve.ternent]

  very interesting, I look forward to the next posts! 

New sideline coming up! 

Sorry cat forgot the original question there for a mo...No it's not your fault!
They are sealed units...SEALED...not your fault!

A bomb blast can ruin them... Old age... but not your pole     

[niceandclean]

Next Q. how much extra do you put on top for fittng?

If its one unit normally £50-£60 on top of the sealed unit price, if its a bigger pane normally more, but in this case i charged a total of £217.42. Ive just counted up, and since the begining of feb, i have fitted 31 sealed units. I also charge for disposal of the old unit,  thats an extra £7.00. Most obviously dispose of them themsevles, which is what i want. Ive got to quote for a conservatory i cleaned last week, got 6 panes gone. Its easy extra money. You have got to make sure you check for toughened glass, every conservatory will be toughened glass, glass next to doors, ie a kitchen combination, all door glass will be toughened ect. And i always wether it was originally fitted, put low e glass in. Another thing i offer is door panels, ones that have gone grey or yellow. Only done one of those this year.

[niceandclean]

very interested in this, on friday I removed about 15 panes, cleaned and put back in so this could be a result for me, keep posting very interesting topic.

have to ask what tools do you use to remove the plastic sides and bottom strips? (sry dont know what they are called) I know there must be correct tools for this.

I have about another 100+ panes to do this on so this really will help me out big time, I have to carry on monday so help, this post is a god send 

any chance I could call you ? if so please email number to design@windowwashers.co.uk


Ian

What are you taking them out for?
The basic tools you need are, a non marking rubber mallet to knock the glazing beads back in, to get the glazing beads out i use a hard steel harris wall paper stripper, and to move the glass about and to toe and heel properly a glass shovel. You will also need some glass packers, most of the time you can use the old ones that have been used before. Its not something you can be told how to do over the net or phone, you need to see it being done, or if you look online at www.doubleglazing.com it will give you a little insight, there are quite a few sites. If you see any fitters when your out on your rounds, just stop and get them to show you. And to be on the safe side, if you are doing this, add it onto your insurances, just in case!

[niceandclean]

No worries, sounds like a pain in the back side.
www.multifixings.co.uk sell all different types of packers. Bridge packers are good for the bottom of the frame, lets any water that gets inside the frame to run away freely and doesnt touch the sealed unit. Then the normal glazing packers for the sides. Most of the recent units are 24mm or 28mm thick, so you will need to get a selection. The shovels are also on there. Dont think a diy shop like wickes or b&q do these type of things, maybe wrong?

[niceandclean]

They are quite expensive to be fair after looking closely. You would be better off going into a local glass shop/glaziers or plastic trim/fascia board outlet to get some, be alot cheaper as you wont want so many to start with. I got a box of 1000 mixed packers for £20 plus the vat.

[Clive McDonald]

Nice and clean- window washers

This is a brilliant thread and an idea that has legs and a real future.To me  this fits in strategically with our existing businesses far better than either carpet or patio cleans.

It fits the basic money making template- because it is a way of adding  value.It has to be an expanding market with the number of dg units/upvc fitted in the last thirty years so it ticks that box. It is overlooked to a certain degree by larger firms, but still viable enought to build a franchise chain out of viz- cloudy to clear.

And at the same time we are ideally placed to have knowledge of and access to the relevant properties, not to mention large existing customer bases.

It had been mentioned on here before, but never with the detailed knowledge show by nice and clean.

When i'm about to make a lot of money i always get very excited, and i am excited now. My downfall is that I have never been very good with my hands and am a bit thick at picking practical things up.But from the business side of things, the alterations to my leaflet, van signage, and website I know exactly what to do.

[niceandclean]

Nice and clean- window washers

This is a brilliant thread and an idea that has legs and a real future.To me  this fits in strategically with our existing businesses far better than either carpet or patio cleans.

It fits the basic money making template- because it is a way of adding  value.It has to be an expanding market with the number of dg units/upvc fitted in the last thirty years so it ticks that box. It is overlooked to a certain degree by larger firms, but still viable enought to build a franchise chain out of viz- cloudy to clear.

And at the same time we are ideally placed to have knowledge of and access to the relevant properties, not to mention large existing customer bases.

It had been mentioned on here before, but never with the detailed knowledge show by nice and clean.

When i'm about to make a lot of money i always get very excited, and i am excited now. My downfall is that I have never been very good with my hands and am a bit thick at picking practical things up.But from the business side of things, the alterations to my leaflet, van signage, and website I know exactly what to do.

Do you have replacement windows? If so practise on your own, it really isnt difficult.

[Clive McDonald]

Oh, and aside from being a bit thick and cack handed my wife is always very negative (when the money starts rolling in it was always her idea), so I'll have to wait till she's out before I practice on my own.

Or I could practice on some old ones that have been taken out? Where will I find these?

[niceandclean]

Oh, and aside from being a bit thick and cack handed my wife is always very negative (when the money starts rolling in it was always her idea), so I'll have to wait till she's out before I practice on my own.

Or I could practice on some old ones that have been taken out? Where will I find these?

Local double glazing companies normally skip them when they take old plastic windows out, go and have a word with them, see if they will save you one. They may even show you how to do it.

[davids3511]

This is a great idea as an add on. I missed out on a chance a few weeks ago. A good customer had been complaning about a few panes on her conservatory being misted. I told her they could be easily replaced and didn't require new frames or anything like that. Next month she was showing off her new clear panes of glass.

One thing though, who guarantees the glass? What is they go misty again after 2/3 years?

[niceandclean]

The glass company i use will guarantee the glass for 10 years against it breaking down.