Defogging FAQ: Why Defog Your Foggy Windows — And Its Limitations When it comes to foggy windows, especially in insulated glass units (IGUs) with trapped moisture between the panes. Defogging is one process that has quickly become an effective way of solving visibility challenges, but it does have its downside that homeowners need to know about.
Defogging Process Overview
Defogging: The process of drilling tiny holes in your glass to allow it to breathe and moisture escape. These steps generally include:
Hole drilling: Holes are drilled on the glass to allow drainage of moisture.
Cleaning – A cleaning solution is sprayed inside to clean any excess moisture or scuff marks.
Sealing: Vents can then be placed over the holes to keep condensation away in the future while still allowing air through.
This process is usually faster and less expensive than replacing the entire engine and requires about 20 minutes for completion. Still, as we mentioned earlier, defogging will improve visibility but does not re-insulate the window.
Benefits of Defogging
Affordable: Often, defogging is a lot cheaper than replacing the whole sealed unit so many homeowners prefer this.
Less damage: In many cases the procedure can be done without loosing a window, leading to less mess and no disposal of old materials.foggy windows (ad)
Improved Aesthetics: Defogging also removes the fog and stains from your windows.
Limitations of Defogging
However, the demerits of defogging are:
Not a Replenishment of Insulating Properties: Blown Seal = There is no compensation for the inert gas that provide insulation within the panes. Consequently, you lose some R-value, and that translates into incremental increases in energy costs over the years (most traditional batts have an aged R-value just above 4.0 per inch).
Temporary Solution – If the window seal has been compromised, fog could come back. Another problem with defogging methods is that although they may be helpful at times to cut through lingering fog on the glass; homeowners should be aware these approaches do not resolve the primary causes of fog formation moving forward.
Glass repair companies do not make the defogging of glasses a normal service, meaning that homeowners have to look for specialized providers.
To conclude, even though window defogging may offer a nice and simple cosmetic win against foggy windows it is not the whole picture. They should weigh the benefits against limitations and what it may mean for energy efficiency and window performance over time.