0 %

DIY guideWindows

Single, double or triple glazed? How to tell

Hold a small light to the glass and count the reflections, then look for the spacer between the panes.

  • 5 to 10 min
  • 6 steps
  • Every step animated
Single, double or triple glazed? How to tell: the animation’s first picture

6 steps

Tap a step to watch it again.

  1. Pick a window and dim the room a little, so the reflections show.

  2. Turn on your phone's flashlight, hold it against the glass, and look at it from the side.

  3. Each pane shows two points of light. Two in all: single. Four: double. Six: triple.

  4. At the edge of the glass, inside the frame: a metal or rubbery strip between the panes means a sealed unit.

  5. Note which rooms have which, for drafts and for quotes.

  6. Mist between the panes that you can't wipe off, or cracked glass: the seal has gone. Ask Handyman for a window pro, who can often change just the glass.

What you need

  • Your phone's flashlight

Call a pro if

  • Mist or streaks between the panes
  • Cracked glass
  • Drafts round the frame you can feel

Handyman says: Fogged inside? I'll find a window pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.

Icon Rather have
a pro do it?