My sons patio door double glazing units which are in aluminium frames surrounded by a wooden frame in the brickwork [maybe coldshield] have blown, we can see no obvious way the frames have been assembled to enable us to get the glass out for replacement. can anyone advise on if its possible to repair, even if it means removing the whole frome if that is what is required.

many thanks Pete

Peter, February 2010

usually beaded inside remove gasket from outside push glass forward beads will become loose push beads forward then pull backout,other method take slider out completly look down box section maybe bolted together need small socket set to un bolt tap off box section gasket will be wrapp around type hope this helps

malc, February 2010

the ali frames have to be removed from the wooden frame.
there maybe anti-lift blocks above the ali frames which have to be removed first.
first remove the sliding door; moving it into an open position simply lift it up and ease it out bottom edge first.
the fixed pane needs to be moved away from the wooden frame (it will not be fixed with screws, only probably silicone and or a block on the bottom and head runners). once freed remove as slider.
now you have two units of glass in an ali frame.
the ali will only be four pieces screwed together and the glass will be encased in a u-shaped rubber gasket.
this is where you have to be careful.
unscrew the ali pieces and ease away from the rubber.
then you need to remove the rubber away from the glass. n.b. these doors will of been in for years and so the rubber will of either stuck to the ali and or the glass, mainly the glass. this rubber needs to go over your new units so be careful not to rip it.
your new units will have to be a near exact match in measurements including thickness.
i have done this before and knew what would be involved so i had glass manufacturer on standby to make new units within hours of given sizes.
i hope you have the same facility.
if not make sure you can board up the opening.

levi lewy, February 2010