Thermos & sealed unit replacement · Ottawa & Gatineau
A thermos — also called a sealed unit or insulated glass unit — is the double or triple pane of glass inside your window. When it fails, fog and condensation appear between the panes, but the window around it is usually still fine. CGR replaces the thermos itself and keeps your existing frame.
Glass replacement, frame kept
If the glass in your window has cracked or fogged up, you may not need a full window replacement. Book a free measurement or call us to discuss replacing the glass while keeping a sound window frame.
A thermos is two or three panes of glass factory-sealed around an insulating spacer, with air or argon gas in between. That sealed unit sits inside your window sash as a separate part — it is not one piece with the frame. When people say they need a window replacement, very often the only thing that has failed is this unit.
Fog or haze between the panes that no cleaning reaches, water droplets inside the glass, white mineral streaks that come and go with the weather, or a window that suddenly feels colder than the others. Once the seal is broken it does not repair itself — the moisture cycles in and out daily and the staining slowly gets worse.
We measure the exact dimensions, thickness, and spacer of your failed unit, have a new sealed unit custom manufactured, and swap it into your existing sash. The frame, trim, and walls are untouched, and a standard installation usually takes under an hour per window.
The size of the unit, double versus triple pane, the glass type (tempered, low-E coatings), grilles between the panes, and access — a ground-floor window is simpler than one above a stairwell. Every job is quoted after the free at-home measurement, and you approve the price before the glass is ordered.
We replace thermos units across Ottawa, Nepean, Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, Gloucester, Barrhaven, and Manotick, and we regularly cross to Gatineau, Hull, and Aylmer. Service is available in English and in French.
Essentially, yes. Fog trapped between the panes means the sealed thermos unit has failed. The fog cannot be wiped away because it is inside the unit, so the permanent fix is replacing the sealed unit itself — which is exactly what we do.
Not if the frame and sash are sound. We confirm that during the free measurement. If the frame is too far gone, we tell you honestly — replacing glass in a failing frame is money wasted.
The measurement visit is quick. The new unit is then custom manufactured to your window's dimensions, and we schedule the installation once it is ready. The installation itself usually takes under an hour per window.
It depends on the unit's size and glass type, but it is consistently far less than a full window replacement because you are not paying for a new frame, installation labour, or finishing. You get an exact quote after the free measurement, before anything is ordered.
