Guide To Avoiding Glass Failure
Insulating Glass Seal Failures
Insulating glass (IG) units are constructed by enclosing a sealed
gas space between two or more glass plates which are separated by spacers of constant
thickness. The purpose of the seal is to minimize the migration of water vapor into the
gas space. In addition, a desiccant is incorporated into the edge construction of the IG
unit to adsorb moisture which migrates through the IG seal. An IG seal failure occurs when
the desiccant used to keep the gas space dry can no longer adsorb migrating moisture or
other vapors. This can happen because of the natural aging process of an IG unit or it can
be greatly accelerated by a poor glazing system design which allows moisture to be
entrapped near the edges of the IG units. The result of a seal failure is the condensation
of excess moisture on the gas space glass surfaces. This eventually causes the IG unit to
have a hazy or fogged appearance. While film is often blamed as a cause for IG seal
failures, there is little objective data to support this assertion.
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