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

6 steps
Tap a step to watch it again.
Pick a window and dim the room a little, so the reflections show.
Turn on your phone's flashlight, hold it against the glass, and look at it from the side.
Each pane shows two points of light. Two in all: single. Four: double. Six: triple.
At the edge of the glass, inside the frame: a metal or rubbery strip between the panes means a sealed unit.
Note which rooms have which, for drafts and for quotes.
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.
Rather have
a pro do it?







