A sealed unit is one part
Guardian is an American maker of flat glass. Glazing factories use its glass to build sealed units: two or three panes held apart by a spacer and bonded round the edge, with dry air or gas inside. Once a unit loses its seal, moisture gets in and it mists up. You can’t take it apart and dry it, and nobody swaps one pane inside it. A new unit gets ordered.
That’s why the job usually takes two visits. On the first, the tradesperson measures the unit and checks how it’s built, because the new one has to be the same thickness or it won’t fit the sash. Units are made to size, so there’s a wait before the second visit. The glazing itself is quick: the beads come off, the old unit comes out, and the new one goes in on packers, wedged so the sash doesn’t sag.
Rather hand the job over? More here: wall filling and skimming in Warsaw.
Living with a crack until then
A crack from an impact rarely spreads on its own, but temperature swings can make it run. Tape it with clear tape on both sides and don’t swing that sash wide open. If bits of glass are falling out, cover the window with plastic sheeting and keep bare hands off the edges.
What not to do
- Drilling a hole in the unit to ‘let the mist out’. The glass cracks and the misting comes back.
- Ordering a unit from a tape measurement of the sash taken outside. It’s the unit’s own size that counts.
- Taking the unit out yourself. It’s heavy, and the glazing beads snap easily.
- Leaving a cracked pane until winter. Frost and heating can pull the crack right across.
What to prepare
- A photo of the whole window and a close-up of the crack or mist.
- A photo of the spacer between the panes if there’s printing on it.
- Clear access to the window, since the unit comes out into the room.
Booking the replacement
Describe what happened to the glass in the app and add the photos. Tradespeople send offers with their own price and timing, and you can ask in the chat how long the unit takes to arrive. Pick one by rating and reviews. Phone and address are shared only after you choose. The new unit is a material and is charged separately from the labour; you pay the tradesperson directly and they issue the invoice.
Order in the app
Describe the job, add photos and the address. Tradespeople send their own prices and dates, and you pick one of the offers.
Open the appThe tradesperson answers for their own glazing and will reseat the unit if something’s off. A twisted sash or a damaged frame they didn’t touch isn’t on them.
