I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes in a 7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was replaced. Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time, and I believe I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between the panes on that one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about the loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? These are the kind of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get involved with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights were actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water leak could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a new installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) Also, I live in a condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to have the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to disturb something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation issue. (My philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless absolutely necessary) Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.

On Jan 27, 4:28*am, jayn123 wrote:
I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes in a 7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was replaced. *Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time, and I believe I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between the panes on that one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about the loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? * These are the kind of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get involved with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights were actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water leak could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a new installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) *Also, I live in a condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to have the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to disturb something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation issue. *(My philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless absolutely necessary) *Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.

There is
A- A small air leak past the seal between to sheets of glass.
And
B- The dessicant that is inside the metal spacer between the glass has
been used up.
So condensation appears.
Remove sealed unit and take to glazier & ask for another to be made.

It is just an appearance thing. On a rooflight you will hardly notice.

In the UK there is a ten year guarantee against this, dunno about the
US.

My parents house has several double pane picture
windows, about 3 by 6 foot. One or two has some
condensation btween the panes. Been that way for
several decades, and not done any damage. My
sense is that it's a non issue if you don't mind the
look.

I'm not a glass guy, but you can always phone a
couple of glass companies out of your phone book
yellow pages.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"jayn123" wrote in message
...
I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes in a
7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was replaced.
Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time, and I believe
I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between the panes on that
one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about the
loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? These are the kind
of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get involved
with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights were
actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water leak
could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a new
installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) Also, I live in a
condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to have
the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to disturb
something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation issue. (My
philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless absolutely necessary)
Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.

On Jan 26, 11:28*pm, jayn123 wrote:
I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes in a 7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was replaced. *Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time, and I believe I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between the panes on that one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about the loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? * These are the kind of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get involved with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights were actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water leak could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a new installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) *Also, I live in a condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to have the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to disturb something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation issue. *(My philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless absolutely necessary) *Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.

Looking like hell and losing more energy through it are
the only factors. But, have you checked for a warranty?
Velux is a top company and I would not be surprised they
are still under warranty. Also, are you sure it's inside the
glass and not on the inside from humidity in the house?

On 1/26/2013 11:28 PM, jayn123 wrote:
I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes in a 7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was replaced. Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time, and I believe I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between the panes on that one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about the loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? These are the kind of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get involved with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights were actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water leak could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a new installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) Also, I live in a condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to have the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to disturb something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation issue. (My philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless absolutely necessary) Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.


You might want to check for warranty. We had two fogged windows that are
around 10 years old that were made by a local window company. I was just
going to pull them and drop them off at a nearby glass place but decided
to call the dealer where we bought them. Turns out they had a full
replacement warranty. I dropped them off in the morning and picked up
the repaired windows that afternoon repaired at no charge.

It turns out that it it's not condensation. It's some kind of white residue on the inner-most pane of the glass, and it wipes off with a wet cloth, but not a dry cloth. It's either minerals (or other impurity) from shower steam condensation, or some kind of dust that stuck to the glas, or some kind of mildew. I'm not seeing any water leakage.

The skylight is located in the bathroom of my condo, and even though I have an exhaust fan, it does get some condensation on the inside after taking a shower but it goes away after 20 minutes. The white residue was something I've never noticed before, and doesn't go away on its own, and I thought it was condensation between the panes. As long as the white residue is not the result of any leakage, I guess the skylight is okay for now.

J.

Looking like hell and losing more energy through it are

the only factors. But, have you checked for a warranty?

Velux is a top company and I would not be surprised they

are still under warranty. Also, are you sure it's inside the

glass and not on the inside from humidity in the house?

I agree with all the other replies in here.

That is,

1. The seal on the sealed unit is shot and that's why there's condensation between the panes.

2. For a seal on a sealed unit to leak after only 7 years is unusual. Most window companies guarantee the seal for 10 years at least, and 15 and 20 year guarantees are not uncommon.

3. Leaving the skylight as is won't do any harm.

But, if it wuz me, I would definitely check to see if the sealed unit is still under warranty. Check for a small sticker with the manufacturer's name and manufacturing date between the two panes.

PS#1: Where I live, triple glazed sealed units are the norm. That's where you have two seals between three panes of glass. A double glazed sealed unit would have too much condensation forming on it in the winter to be suitable for our climate. And, a single pane of glass (which I understand is common in the southern US states) would be opaque in winter because of all the frost that would form on it.

PS#2: The principle mechanism of heat loss through a window is by conduction through each pane of glass and convection between the panes of glass. That is, a convective air current forms between each pair of panes to carry heat from the warmer pane to the cooler pane. Once you have three panes of glass, adding a 4th pane costs more and reduces the heat loss less than reducing radiant heat loss by adding a low-emmissivity coating to one side of one pane of glass. So, the reason you never see quadruple glazed sealed units for sale is because the better option would be to reduce radiant heat loss at that point. The only place in Winnipeg that has quadruple pane windows is the observation deck at the airport, and the purpose of those fourth panes are not to reduce heat loss, but to reduce the noise on the observation deck from the planes taking off.

On Jan 27, 12:32*pm, jayn123 wrote:
It turns out that it it's not condensation. *It's some kind of white residue on the inner-most pane of the glass, and it wipes off with a wet cloth, but not a dry cloth. *It's either minerals (or other impurity) from shower steam condensation, or some kind of dust that stuck to the glas, or some kind of mildew. *I'm not seeing any water leakage.

The skylight is located in the bathroom of my condo, and even though I have an exhaust fan, it does get some condensation on the inside after taking a shower but it goes away after 20 minutes. *The white residue was something I've never noticed before, and doesn't go away on its own, and I thought it was condensation between the panes. * As long as the white residue is not the result of any leakage, I guess the skylight is okay for now.

J.



Looking like hell and losing more energy through it are

the only factors. * But, have you checked for a warranty?

Velux is a top company and I would not be surprised they

are still under warranty. *Also, are you sure it's inside the

glass and not on the inside from humidity in the house?

if it were ondensation or worse yet water building up between the
panes. the real hazard is then water freezes and breaks them pane or
panes as it expands . i have seen this happen in pittsburgh with
double pane windows

On Jan 27, 9:18*pm, bob haller wrote:
On Jan 27, 12:32*pm, jayn123 wrote:





It turns out that it it's not condensation. *It's some kind of white residue on the inner-most pane of the glass, and it wipes off with a wet cloth, but not a dry cloth. *It's either minerals (or other impurity) from shower steam condensation, or some kind of dust that stuck to the glas, or some kind of mildew. *I'm not seeing any water leakage.

The skylight is located in the bathroom of my condo, and even though I have an exhaust fan, it does get some condensation on the inside after taking a shower but it goes away after 20 minutes. *The white residue was something I've never noticed before, and doesn't go away on its own, and I thought it was condensation between the panes. * As long as the white residue is not the result of any leakage, I guess the skylight is okay for now.

J.

Looking like hell and losing more energy through it are

the only factors. * But, have you checked for a warranty?

Velux is a top company and I would not be surprised they

are still under warranty. *Also, are you sure it's inside the

glass and not on the inside from humidity in the house?

if it were ondensation or worse yet water building up between the
panes. the real hazard is then water freezes and breaks them pane or
panes as it expands . i have seen this happen in pittsburgh with
double pane windows- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Jan 27, 11:56*pm, "
wrote:
On Jan 27, 9:18*pm, bob haller wrote:



On Jan 27, 12:32*pm, jayn123 wrote:

It turns out that it it's not condensation. *It's some kind of white residue on the inner-most pane of the glass, and it wipes off with a wet cloth, but not a dry cloth. *It's either minerals (or other impurity) from shower steam condensation, or some kind of dust that stuck to the glas, or some kind of mildew. *I'm not seeing any water leakage.

The skylight is located in the bathroom of my condo, and even though I have an exhaust fan, it does get some condensation on the inside after taking a shower but it goes away after 20 minutes. *The white residue was something I've never noticed before, and doesn't go away on its own, and I thought it was condensation between the panes. * As long as the white residue is not the result of any leakage, I guess the skylight is okay for now.

J.

Looking like hell and losing more energy through it are

the only factors. * But, have you checked for a warranty?

Velux is a top company and I would not be surprised they

are still under warranty. *Also, are you sure it's inside the

glass and not on the inside from humidity in the house?

if it were ondensation or worse yet water building up between the
panes. the real hazard is then water freezes and breaks them pane or
panes as it expands . i have seen this happen in pittsburgh with
double pane windows- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

my comment about freeze breakage was for the benefit of others who may
stumble onto this thread one day

I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that white residue is soap and/or soap scum.

When you have a shower, the shower spray bouncing off your body puts gazillions of tiny droplets of soapy water into the air. That soapy water ends up all over your bathroom, but tends to congregate most on the ceiling (especially directly above the shower) and high up on the walls because warm air rises, and warm air will contain the most humidity.

I suspect the reason why a damp rag will remove that white residue but a dry rag will not is because soap is soluble in water. Next time, try using a phosphoric acid toilet bowl cleaner (which you can get in the cleaning aisle of any home center) to remove the white residue. Phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in shower, tub and tile cleaners because it cuts through soap and soap scum like a hot knife through butter, but won't attach chrome, even at high concentrations.

If you get excellent results using a phosphoric acid toilet bowl cleaner to remove the white residue, and clean water to remove any residue from the phosphoric acid, then the stuff is soap and/or soap scum.

PS: It's that shower spray that spread soap all around the bathroom that results in bathrooms where people shower having mildew growing all over the grout. If people have baths, the soap wouldn't get on the walls, and mildew wouldn't grow on the walls. That's because, like everything else, mildew needs to have food to grow and multiply, and soap is made with vegetable oils (notably Palm and Olive oils, from which the Palmolive company gets it's name). If you don't have showers in your bathroom, you will never get mildew growing on your bathroom tiling.

jayn123 wrote:
I live in a condo, and I'm just noticing condensation between the panes
in a 7yr old Velux skylight that was installed when the roof was
replaced. Actually, there is a 2nd skylight installed at the same time,
and I believe I'm also noticing a slight amount of condensation between
the panes on that one as well, but it's not as noticeable on the 2nd one.

If I don't care about the fogged appearance, and if I don't care about
the loss in energy efficiency, is it okay to leave them be? These are
the kind of skylights that doesn't open or close, and I'd rather not get
involved with replacing whole skylights on the roof, unless the skylights
were actually leaking water (since there's always the chance that a water
leak could happen as a result of installing in a new skylight, since a
new installation would disturb the existing roof, etc.) Also, I live in
a condo, so I would have to get the association involved if I wanted to
have the skylight replaced, and again, I'm not thrilled about having to
disturb something on the roof as long as it is only just a condensation
issue. (My philosophy is don't disturb the existing roof unless
absolutely necessary) Is it okay just to leave them be, for now?

Thanks,

J.

Got the attention of Velux rep on other group.

Greg