Do I need to replace windows with fog between the panes?
Trapped moisture between glass panes appears as heavy condensation, fog, or tiny dark spots on the inside surface of the glass. While this often indicates a seal failure—sometimes noticed right after power washing—it does not require an immediate fix. Many people simply wait a couple of years before replacing the affected windows.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Wrapping the window with insulating film for the winterDid this help you?
- 2Tolerating the fog and leaving it as is to delay the cost of replacementDid this help you?
- 3Replacing the affected glass or the entire window unitDid this help you?
- 4planning to eventually replace the entire windowDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I had my house professionally power washed about two weeks ago, and shortly afterward I noticed significant fogging and what looks like trapped moisture between the panes of three different windows.”source ↗
“I have a couple windows like this, planning to replace them in a couple of years.”source ↗
“I have just noticed numerous tiny dark spots on my window glass”source ↗
“The spots appear to be on the inside surface of the interior glass They look like tiny specks and are spread across the window and a lot more condensation on this window that other windows in the room.”source ↗
“Is this a seal failure, or could it be something else? Shouild this be replaced asap?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 6Water pooling in window tracks even after cleaning weep holes
- 3Why does my car window get stuck on the weatherstripping?
- 2How to seal a wide half-inch window gap
- 2How to tell if a fogged window repair quote is reasonable
- 5How to seal a gap under a glass door
- 12How to replace a broken glass pane yourself