Process

Why Windows Fail

There is much more to Insulated Glass Unit/Sealed Unit failure than common window legend tells. The fabled 'ruptured' seal that brings moisture into the sealed unit is, in most cases, a small breach that is easy to manage and control with the Crystal Clear Moisture and Damage Control service.

Over the life of a sealed unit, a litany of loads acts upon it. And while manufacturing, transport, installation, exposure and building pressure can all compromise an Sealed Units seal integrity, it is the day-to-day atmospheric pressures acting on the unit, like temperature, that take the biggest toll. Among these stresses, radiant heat from the sun is by far, the most destructive.

The great majority of failed Sealed Units are found on the sunny side of the property. Why? This is a factor of temperature pressures and time. When the sun's direct energy hits a window, the associated rise in temperature between the panes of glass makes the air molecules more active, increasing pressure in the chamber, on the glass and on the seals. Conversely, as the temperature drops, a negative pressure is exerted on the glass and seals.

'Solar pumping' serves to exploit or create the tiny breaches inside the unit that serve as channels for the diffusion of air into the chamber. As air travels into the chamber day in and day out, it naturally brings moisture with it.