Installing double glazed units

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Doug71

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Think I might be getting behind the times when I install double glazed units.

For years I have used butyl tape on frame, insert glass on packers, silicone round edge of glass, hold glass in place with beads again with butyl tape on.

This method works for me and I don't have problems with blown units so never changed it, only thing that happens the odd time is the butyl tape kind of bubbles up in places on the inside, not sure what causes it?

I see people using just silicone for installing units which doesn't seem right to me.

Is the EPDM type tape the way to go?

https://www.reddiseals.com/product/epdm-tape/

Got a small pair of double glazed doors to make next week, they would be good for me to experiment on.

How are you guys doing it?

Thanks in advance,

Doug
 
I use just silicone because it's a much crisper and cleaner finish around the glass, tape tends to look dirty after a few year and takes forever to put on the window and beads. Only downside to silicone bedding is if you need to take a piece of glass back out it makes it a real meal of a job.

Tube of Silfix U9, run a bead of silicone around the face of the rebate, seat your glass firmly, even up the glass in the rebate so that the glass bar is even all around, pack if you want to, fill around the edge of the unit leaving the silicone proud as you go, sit your beads in place and pin.

Of course you get the odd one that says everything should be puttyied and single glazed, I'm here to make money not waste half me life smudging in putty.
 
As Trevanion says use Silfix U9 which is a low modulous sealant and should be ok. There are other brands as well but that was my go to product.
Some sealants could ( unless things have changed ) attack the edge seals of the units especially if they weren't provided with aluminium tape protection.

I changed a lot of broken down units over the years which had been siliconed into wood frames and whilst I can't say which sealants had been used or whether the only cause there were to many to ignore the possibility.
 
I wished you posted this last week Doug, I've just ordered 100m of that EPDM tape........ :roll:

How about the packers then, is everyone using plastic now, my glazing supplier still offers hardwood packers and I saw a video where someone was using what appeared to small silicon pads as packers.

Jon
 
Chunky Monkey":1f1hcudg said:
I wished you posted this last week Doug, I've just ordered 100m of that EPDM tape........ :roll:

How about the packers then, is everyone using plastic now, my glazing supplier still offers hardwood packers and I saw a video where someone was using what appeared to small silicon pads as packers.

Jon

Don't worry! I've had good results with the EPDM tape (my main reason for using it was not having to destroy the window/DGU when it came time to replace/re-make the DGU). I think plastic packers are great e.g. https://www.screwfix.com/p/broadfix-gla ... -pcs/33302 - don't forget the 'heel and toe' idea on hinged sashes. Cheers, W2S
 
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