Owning your own home can be one of the most exciting and satisfying achievements of your life, but it also comes with a wide variety of challenges. Home ownerships requires you to develop a vast knowledge base on a wide variety of maintenance issues, including having to decide whether damage to your windows necessitates a replacement or can be handled by a repair.

Below, you'll find a guide which should help you decide between those two options. Keeping this information in mind should help you find the most efficient and effective solution to your damaged windows, and will allow you to make a decision that will both secure your home and be easiest on your pocketbook.

Rotting Wood

Many older homes feature windows whose glass is secured by wooden frames, and over time, exposure to the elements can cause that wood to begin to rot. Once the wood begins to swell and shrink excessively and then flake away, glass can become loose and unseated and you can find yourself with a window that's nonfunctional.

Small areas of rot damage can generally be patched, but widespread rotting wood will require you to install a new window. However, you should be sure to make a thorough inspection, as rotting wood can look worse than it actually is, and flaking paint is sometimes mistaken for splitting wood.

Broken Panes

The most common type of household window damage is a broken pane as a result of an accident or horseplay. While this will obviously require a new piece of glass, many people struggle with whether or not it necessitates a replacement of the entire window structure.

Most of the time, broken window panes can be somewhat easily replaced without having to replace the frame and the surrounding hardware. However, if the damage to the window was serious enough that the frame seems unseated or off kilter, you may find yourself having to reinstall the entire component.

Blown Seals

If you notice what appears to be large streaks of condensation forming inside the glass of your windows, you likely have a blown seal. When this occurs, your window will no longer effectively hold treated air and will be susceptible to increased damage from moisture and other environmental factors. Unfortunately, blown seals usually necessitate a full replacement of the window, as they typically are symptomatic a serious issue that can be difficult to source and even more difficult to repair.

If you require a window replacement or repair, contact a glass repair shop like Ken Caryl Glass, Inc.