window question

[mopower440]

My double wide has what looks like separate outside windows and inside windows instead of a single unit with inner and outer pains. The wood between the inner and outer glass needs to be painted. Im wondering if i can remove all the perimeter screws holding the window to the wall on the inside of the house and remove the complete inside window so i can get in there to paint? Can i do this or will this cause the outside window to to fall out? I cant tell on the outside of the house if it also has screws holding it to the outside wall or not because of the siding..

[Greg]

It looks to me like the basic "Trailer" window. A single pane window on the outside wall and a single pane window on the inside wall, with a 100% chance of air leakage.

If you are in a cold area I would think about planning window replacement wit a quality double hung window.

You can remove the windows to paint, but I think I would just tape them off. They are usually installed with hundreds of screws and a gasket that is about the stickiest stuff you have ever seen. Plus you may end up opening a can of worms you really don't want opened.

Greg

[mopower440]

Yes, it is the basic trailer windows with single pain on outside and single pain inside. The painting i am needing to do is the wood between the inside and outside pains, thats why i kinda need to remove the inside pain if i can without the outside pain falling out..? Is the outside pain also bolted on the outside wall with all those bolts as is the inside pain? If so, then i can take the inside off without the outside falling out..

[1987Commodore]

They are separate windows. You can remove the inner one with no problem. Mine had no gasket holding it in, so I put a bead of caulk on when I reinstalled it. If you don't want to remove the whole window frame, the lower glass pane is removed by pulling inward at the bottom and tilting it sideways to release the top guides. The upper pane likely has a removable clip holding it to the center bar. Then push up slightly, and angle toward the outside window and lower it to remove.

[Greg]

You can just unscrew the whole inside frame and remove it. Usually from the factory the screws just go into the sheetrock and are not really what I would call securely mounted. If you go this route I would try to find a way to get the screws into the window frame or studs.

Greg

[MrPisky]

I have this very same type of window. However, I need to replace a broken pane on the OUTSIDE window. I was hoping there was a way to do it without having to remove the vinyl siding and frame on the outside. Is there a way of getting the OUTER pane out from the INSIDE in order to measure and replace just the pane?

[Greg]

It depends on the window. Some types you can unlatch, pull out the latch end of the track and twist the window to remove from the frame.

If you can post a picture we may be able to see what style you have.

Greg

[MrPisky]

Thanks Greg, will do that tomorrow.

[MrPisky]

Here are some pics of my windows:

Outside view of enire window

IMAG2960.jpg

Outside view closeup

IMAG2961.jpg

Inside view #1

IMAG2963.jpg

[MrPisky]

Inside view #2

IMAG2964.jpg

[Greg]

It looks to me like the type of outside window pane that you can push the bottom up and slide it out of the bottom track and drop it down. I know I have had the top panes out, but it is drawing a blank how they come out.

Greg

[Steve S.]

I had to replace one of my exterior window panes many years ago(I broke it myself, because I locked myself out of the house ) Mine was easy and I didn't have to remove the frame at all...just pried away those cheapo square plastic retainers from the outside, used a sharp carpet knife to cut away the sealant between pane and frame and pushed out broken glass from inside. The hardest part was getting the new glass cut to proper size...I just used exterior caulking on inside and outside of new window pane...never did find replacements for those square plastic retainers.
Your window looks like it could be removed from the inside by cutting away the caulking, but the window glass may be captured by the frame, so you may have to take the entire frame down and disassemble to remove the glass. If you can get one of the broken pieces of glass away from the frame you may be able to see how it is held in place.

[MrPisky]

Thank you for the replies.

The window I need to remove is the outside upper window and it's fixed in place. The outside lower window slides up and down in a track, but doesn't look to be removable. The inside lower window is also on a track and is easily removed from the inside. But the outside windows don't seem to offer any possible way to replace a pane without removal and disassembly of the whole frame. Was hoping there was something I was not able to see, a hidden latch or some other "trick," that I was not aware of. Looks like this is gonna be a nightmare...

[Greg]

Well, If you want to do yourself a favor, start upgrading your windows. Replacing "Trailer" windows with a good quality double hung is not that expensive and really not that hard to do. Trust me, You will be glad you did.

Greg

[1987Commodore]

Many years ago, we had a similar situation. I could not figure out how to remove the pane either.
My wife came up with a simple solution -- she called a glass shop to fix it!!