Stationary sliding-glass windows are preferred by some over the traditional double-hung window that's raised and lowered. They, like their counterparts, are broken just as often. Around kids, balls and bats, it is not a matter of if a window repair will be needed, but when. When you find yourself in this situation, the choice is clear--fix it yourself or pay to have it done. Repairing it yourself can save you around $100, if you have the time available for the job. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Put on a pair of soft, thick cotton gloves. Remove the sliding half of the two-paned window. Gently and slowly lift up on the bottom, pressing it into the top of the window frame. Pull it out toward you, when you see the bottom freed up enough to clear the track. Carefully lay it aside out of the way for now. Check the top of the channel the window was removed from for a roller. Remove the screw and remove it as well.
2. A rubber mallet will come in handy.
Examine the center bar holding the stationary half that is broken carefully. Locate and remove the screws that secure the middle retainer bar. Grasp the window firmly. Hold it while gently tapping the window with a rubber mallet at the bottom edge. Tap and work the window out of its channel, lifting it out when it turns loose.
3. Remove the bottom and top screws of the window frame in that order. Hold the window and frame over something soft in case you drop it. Gently tap the two-piece frame apart with the mallet, one half at a time. Examine the exposed gasket surrounding the now freed up window carefully, since it will be re-used putting the new glass back in. Do not discard it; sometimes they can be hard to find.
4. Take the biggest piece of broken glass to the glass shop to measure for thickness.
Take the biggest piece of the broken glass with you to the nearest glass shop and order a new one. Do not guess the thickness or measure it yourself. Let the glass company be the responsible measuring party. Give them the size of the opening only. Let them determine thickness. The glass company may be reluctant to refund your money for a glass you measured and ordered.
5. Replace the gasket you removed from the broken glass onto the new piece. Fit the gasket gently over each corner and down the side one corner and side at a time until the glass is fully back in the gasket track it normally fits into. Be sure the gasket does not fold down onto itself against the glass as the glass is reinserted.
6. Enjoy your newly repaired window and the money you saved.
Tap the frame back into place one half at a time. Work from the corners down the side until the frame is securely surrounding the gasket again. Replace the corner screws in the order you removed them. Set it back into its channel and put the divider bar back in its place. Reinsert the sliding half.
Tags: broken glass, back into, biggest piece, biggest piece broken, down side, glass company
