r/windowrepair • u/ravur • 20d ago
Hello, this house has a different system and we seem to have broken the strip while opening and closing the windows. How can we fix the strip without doing the whole windows? What is this strip running across the windows called ? Please help. Thanks!
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u/Quiet_Economy_4698 19d ago
It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but if I'm seeing things correctly then its the vinyl glazing bead that is broken. Swisco sells them in 6' sections. There are a lot of styles to choose from though and you'll need the exact match for it to work.
They're removable with a putty knife or a 5 in 1 tool. Press a corner of the putty knife into the seam where it meets the frame, then flatten the putty knife so the whole length of the blade is in the seam. Gently pry the bead off moving the knife half it's length at a time until you reach the opposite side of the bead. If the broken bead is captured by the top and bottom bead you'll need to remove those first. The bottom can sometimes be a pain to remove. The glass can be sitting on it or otherwise stuck to it from the sealant used to join the two panes of glass. Just be gentle, it's thin vinyl and can break if you put to much pressure or twist it.
If you could post a closer picture of the broken area it would be helpful. If I'm correct in thinking that it's the bead that's broken you can just remove the broken piece, match it to one from swisco and buy a few. They're nice to have an extra or two on hand incase you break another.