Window replacement

As you can see, the seal is broken in the window on the left. This actually was the 2nd replacement but was due for replacement because the window broke either in transport or during installation (there is a small crack in the bottom outside corner).

In order to for the window guys to be able to work without being bothered by the dogs, I put them in the kitchen and then put the towel rack in front of the door (because Taz knows how to open the doors). We have a towel rack by the back door to hold the towels we wipe the dogs feet with when they come in. Another reason to have these doors closed was that it was -27C that day, so it would keep the cold air from getting into the whole house.

Here are the guys trying to remove the clips that held the old window in place. Steve Lalonde, owner of New Look Windows, is kneeling, and his assistant (I think it was Jeff) is standing in the blue coat. Because this window was essentially a single pane, there was a lot of ice/frost on it. There was a lot of ice on all of the windows because Steve said our humidity was too high. (See photo below for example.) The new window was slightly bigger in both dimensions than the old one, so Steve had to take the shims out.

Replacing this window is the last item outstanding on the list from Tarion. Unfortunately, the window cracked when Steve was putting it in, so he will have to order another replacement. He said he had an order coming in 2-3 weeks, so we won't have to wait more than a year this time. That will be the fourth replacement for this window.

This photo shows what the ice buildup was like on the windows. The one getting replaced had more on it though. The white moulding adjacent to the window snaps into a little track on the window frame and holds the window in place. The bottom moulding was difficult to remove because the ice was holding the piece in place.

We had a lot of condensation and frost on the family room windows. Steve said we needed to turn down our humidifer. We had it set to 50% because the Torlys people said it needed between 30%-60%. Steve said that was way too high. I looked up on the web and found a recommendation by Jon Eakes that said maximum of 25% RH (relative humidity) when is is -18C to -24C, and a max of 20% RH down to -30C and 15% RH below that. So clearly it was too high. We have been getting some mould on the windows too, and Steve said that shows the RH is too high. I have sent an email to the Torlys people so will see what they have to say.

As it isn't normally below -20C here in Ottawa, I have set the humdifier to 40% RH - will see how that goes. Oh, and we have our ceiling fans on too, to move the air around and reduce condensation on the windows. Steve recommended that we remove the screens for the winter, so we have done that as well.