The Fogging of I.G.Units in Stick and Curtain Wall Installations.

Gareth Winstanley

The structural and thermal design of insulating glass units (I.G.U.) has developed into a series of widely accepted procedures which deal with the design checks required for acceptance. However failure of the perimeter sealants leading to moisture ingress into a unit’s cavity is still common. Such failures are often catastrophic to a project, with most repairs being in the form of complete replacement with all the associated access and disruption to the building owner. Moreover the fear of whether a failure is isolated, or a project wide latent defect causes even more concern for the project design and construction team, and end users of the building.

The purpose of this paper is to allow the reader an insight into common failures of I.G.U’s that occur during the warranty period of the unit. It may be used for investigative studies, or to pre-empt the problem for a future fabrication. The descriptions contained are all based on real life failures that have been accurately analysed. As such the reader can rely on them as true accounts of what can happen in real life situations.

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