When the windows were installed in my new house all the the windows came with a sticker advertising that they were argon filled which is what I ordered and cost more. All the windows except a window at the front of the house that needed supports to be put in before the joiners could come back and measure up. When the new window arrived I noticed that there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them they'll say it's whatever I ordered??

Fatboise wrote:
When the windows were installed in my new house all the the windows came
with a sticker advertising that they were argon filled which is what I
ordered and cost more. All the windows except a window at the front of
the house that needed supports to be put in before the joiners could
come back and measure up. When the new window arrived I noticed that
there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling
what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them
they'll say it's whatever I ordered??

Given some time in the lab, you could probably do it by measuring the
speed of sound through that window compared with a known argon-filled
identical window.

However, it's not worth doing, because argon fill makes only the tiniest
difference in terms of window performance anyway.


--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:
Fatboise wrote:
When the windows were installed in my new house all the the windows came
with a sticker advertising that they were argon filled which is what I
ordered and cost more. All the windows except a window at the front of
the house that needed supports to be put in before the joiners could
come back and measure up. When the new window arrived I noticed that
there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling
what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them
they'll say it's whatever I ordered??

Given some time in the lab, you could probably do it by measuring the
speed of sound through that window compared with a known argon-filled
identical window.

I suspect spectroscopy could also get you there, or focussing a laser
beam through the glass, to make an ionised spot, and doing spectra on
that.


However, it's not worth doing, because argon fill makes only the tiniest
difference in terms of window performance anyway.

I don't understand why CO2 isn't used.
Slowly reacts with aluminium in the presence of water?

Fatboise wrote:
When the new window arrived I noticed that
there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling
what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them
they'll say it's whatever I ordered??

There's no easy way I know... ask the company, they will
tell you what you ordered/got - if you did not order the
windows "argon filled", they'll probably have ordinary
air in 'em. Won't make that a discernable difference IMO.

In article ,
says...

When the windows were installed in my new house all the the windows came
with a sticker advertising that they were argon filled which is what I
ordered and cost more. All the windows except a window at the front of
the house that needed supports to be put in before the joiners could
come back and measure up. When the new window arrived I noticed that
there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling
what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them
they'll say it's whatever I ordered??


--
Fatboise

1. As others have said - no easy method of checking.

2. The units will not be argon "filled" anyway. The
injection process does not remove all the air from the
unit so it contains air and argon.

3. A change of curtain material would have more effect
on heat transfer than the difference between air and
argon (not)filled units.

--
Ziggur

"S'ils te mordent, mords-les"

Ziggur wrote:
In article ,
says...

When the windows were installed in my new house all the the windows came
with a sticker advertising that they were argon filled which is what I
ordered and cost more. All the windows except a window at the front of
the house that needed supports to be put in before the joiners could
come back and measure up. When the new window arrived I noticed that
there was no "argon" stickers on the glass. Is there any way of telling
what the gap is filled with, I assume if I ask the company who made them
they'll say it's whatever I ordered??


--
Fatboise

1. As others have said - no easy method of checking.

2. The units will not be argon "filled" anyway. The
injection process does not remove all the air from the
unit so it contains air and argon.


Actually if you look for the injection holes you will see if they are
argon filled. Basic double glazed windows are made with the normal
spacer bars. Those that are intended to be argon filled will have two
rubber bungs inserted into the spacer bar. Double glazed window is made
as normal. Then using the rubber bungs probes are inserted and argon
process is done. I was under the impression that the process reduced
the u value by 0.1.

In article 1137696109.400984.229580
@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com,
says...


Actually if you look for the injection holes you will see if they are
argon filled.

Good point - but you would have to de-glaze the window
to do the check.


Basic double glazed windows are made with the normal
spacer bars. Those that are intended to be argon filled will have two
rubber bungs inserted into the spacer bar. Double glazed window is made
as normal. Then using the rubber bungs probes are inserted and argon
process is done. I was under the impression that the process reduced
the u value by 0.1.

The industry standard target for Argon fill is 90% of
the available volume. This is rarely reached on the
average production line.

This from FENSA:

"Comment:

It should be noted that there is a barely tangible
difference between the performance of air filled and
argon filled double glazed units.

Because the process of filling double glazed units is
not entirely accurately calibrated and that the process
generally involves drilling and re-filling of holes or
corners to the double glazed unit, leakage is more
likely than an air filled double glazed unit.

It is therefore recommended that replacement windows
have a gap of 16mm or more and that low E glass is used
in a conventional air-filled double glazed unit."


Tests by Pilkington have shown that, although the life
of an Argon unit could be up to 20 years, test units
have leaked all gas in as little as 3 years.

--
Ziggur

"S'ils te mordent, mords-les"