We have a challenging window removal ahead and I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experience with this sort of thing. We have a sealed glass window unit (no external frame around it – it’s just the sealed glass sandwiched between the interior and exterior jambs) that is 96″ x 72″. I need to remove this in order to replace it with a new window. Estimated weight is approximately 200 lbs. Given the sheer size of the glass pieces, not to mention the weight, I’m uncomfortable about the idea of using suction cups and removing it whole – the consequences of a break while wrestling it out of the hole could be bad. One idea I’ve toyed with is completely taping the surface of both pieces of glass and then breaking it out – has anyone ever tried this or have any other ideas?
Thanks, Dave
Replies
Dave
This is what I do.
Call Magic Mike the glass guy and pay him to remove it.
You can remove stops/jambs and temp block it in, but let someone that does this everyday take the weight off your hands.
Best of luck.
Hey Calvin,
Yeah, that's my other option - and the one that I'm leaning toward. This may be one of those times that the smart money is the money I give to somebody else...
appreciate your input!
Hey Calvin,
Yeah, that's my other option - and the one that I'm leaning toward. This may be one of those times that the smart money is the money I give to somebody else...
appreciate your input!
Yep, this is where you pay someone to do it.
I dunno, maybe I'm stubborn, dumb, or both, but I'd give it a go provided there is some good help.
A good set of cups, stout gloves, and two friends should do it. Here's how we put our units in:
http://142.30.200.101/PropertyGallery/HouseConstructionGallery/090730_Truss_Glass/index.htm
Good luck.
But keep in mind the guy you pay will also handle proper disposal.
I had to put my two cents in, and call it crazy, but asking price for professional mover may be very high, if also a crane may be involved. Consider this, if it fell by itself, what would be damaged? Even a professional would tape it to kingdom come. I would make a simple ply trough under it and protect the wall underneath first, so that taped glass, however it crumples, would fall into the trough and not punch through the siding or other structures around it. From the inside, you would need 2x4 wall spaced 6", so that you can poke at the glass through, but stop the massive amount of glass should it try to fall inward. I would not secure the 2x4 in the window framing. Just keep in mind that taped glass can cut through tape or crumple to unexpected directions.
When the debris is in the trough, cut the tape and shovel into a dumpster. There are some crazy things I did when I was younger, but even now, I would do this, lol.
If you are in a position to not care about flying little shards of glass and willing to clean up, you can back the window frame with ply and throw rocks at the glass from outside, too.