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Serving North Carolina

Insulated Glass Unit Replacement

Insulated glass unit (IGU) replacement typically costs $198 to $480 per unit, depending on glass area and type — most standard double-pane windows stay near the $198 base. Every unit is fabricated in our own shop, cut to your exact size, and swapped in one visit.

The same window crystal-clear after WowFix replaced the failed insulated glass unit Clear
Double-pane window clouded with moisture from a failed seal before WowFix repair Foggy

Real WowFix job — drag to see the difference.

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What Actually Failed

What's Inside the Unit, and Why We Replace All of It

An insulated glass unit is a factory-built part, and every piece of it has a job. Tap through the drawing to see them:

Cross-section of a double-pane sealed glass unit (IGU) at its bottom edge Two panes of glass with a sealed gas space between them. At the edge, a hollow metal spacer holds the panes apart; it is filled with desiccant beads and has small holes facing the gas space. A thin butyl seal bonds the spacer to each pane and blocks moisture. Below the spacer, an outer sealant holds the unit together. The whole unit sits in the window sash. ROOM OUTSIDE air / argon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Inside a sealed glass unit. Tap a part to find it on the drawing.
  • Two panes of glass, often with a Low-E coating on one of them.
  • A spacer around the edge that holds the panes apart. Its width sets the unit thickness you measure: 1/2, 5/8, 3/4 or 7/8 inch.
  • Desiccant inside the hollow spacer, which keeps the air between the panes dry.
  • Butyl, the seal that holds the glass to the spacer and keeps moisture out.

When a unit fails, the seal is what goes. Years of daily heating and cooling open the butyl somewhere along the edge. Moisture gets in, and the desiccant fills up with it like a bathtub. Once it's full, fog appears on the inside of the glass.

How a sealed glass unit fogs, from new to fogged and back A whole window with a magnifier on the edge of its lower glass unit. Day and night the gas between the panes heats and cools, the panes flex and the seal at the edge works. The butyl seal opens a hairline gap and water gets in. The desiccant inside the spacer soaks it up like a bathtub filling, while the glass still looks clear. When the tub is full, the water evaporates off the desiccant by day and settles on the inside of the glass by night, so the fog comes and goes, until it stays for good with white mineral streaks. The fix: a new sealed glass unit in the same window, clear again. the edge of the glass unit, up close room outside A new window Clear glass, sealed tight all the way around. Day and night, year after year Sun heats the gas between the panes, night cools it. The seal opens A hairline gap in the butyl. Water finds it. The tub fills The desiccant soaks it all up. The glass still looks clear. It overflows By day the water evaporates, by night it settles on the glass. Fogged for good Haze all day, white mineral streaks on the inside. We swap the glass unit Same window, a new sealed unit. Clear again. new flex opens fills overflows fogged new glass
The leak runs for years before you see it. The fog is the tub overflowing.

Why we don't just reseal the old one. By the time you see fog, the desiccant is full of water, and it can't be dried out inside a closed spacer. Fresh butyl over a wet spacer just seals the water in. And if the fog has been there a while, minerals have already etched the inner glass. So the honest repair is the whole unit: new glass, new spacer, new desiccant, new butyl, built to your measurements.

What stays. Your frame, sash, trim and paint. The new unit seals into the same opening, at the same thickness, with grids and coatings matched to the original. From $198 a unit, with a 5-year written warranty.

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HOT NEWS
Real estate market update · 30yr rate 7.4% · Oct 26
Carolina Journal

Real Estate Market Trends in Charlotte, NC: Prices Fall - Realtor.com

With prices falling in the Charlotte market, sellers have less room to negotiate and need their homes to be in top shape. Home inspectors often flag things like foggy sealed glass units starting from $198 or sash balancers at $175, which can lead to buyer credits or price cuts that cost far more than the actual repair. We can handle these fixes, such as rebuilding a rotted sash from $375, to save you from the cost of a new wood window about $2,000. Our crew books visits based on their schedule and provides a 5-year written warranty on the work.

Window Repair in Charlotte →
Stacker

NC’s population is booming. Our housing market is not. - Carolina Journal

With North Carolina's population growing faster than the available housing, buyers in Charlotte need to be strategic about the homes they find. During your walkthrough, look for specific issues like a sash balancer that won't stay up ($175) or a foggy sealed glass unit (from $198) rather than assuming you need a new vinyl window ($1,000+). Most problems are just one failed part, such as a window latch or lock ($115) or a casement crank ($275), which allows you to price your offer honestly based on the actual repair cost. We can handle these fixes with our 5-year written warranty and a mobile glass process that builds most sealed units the same day.

WBTV

Cities with the fastest-growing home prices in the Charlotte metro area - Stacker

With home prices growing quickly across the Charlotte metro, maintaining your property's condition is more important than ever for maximizing value. A home inspector will often flag soft or rotted wood on a window sill or sash, which sellers often mistake for a minor cosmetic issue that requires a full window replacement. Instead of spending $1,000+ on a new vinyl window or about $2,000 for wood, we can rebuild a rotted sash from $375 or a sill or frame from $475.

Rotten Wood Repair in Charlotte →

Questions homeowners ask us about windows and doors →

Old failed insulated glass unit next to the new sealed replacement unit
Sealed Glass, Any Size
The Part, Not the Window

What Thickness Is My Insulated Glass Unit — 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" or 7/8"?

An insulated glass unit is two panes of glass sealed around a spacer — one factory-built part that lifts out of your frame. The overall thickness (OD) is what you measure: 1/2 inch is the most common residential unit, with 5/8, 3/4 and 7/8 inch on newer and larger windows. Measure the visible glass width and height to the nearest 1/16 with a tape, note the unit thickness at an open edge, and that's everything our shop needs to build the replacement.

  • 1/2" overall thickness — the standard residential double-pane unit

  • 5/8", 3/4" and 7/8" OD — newer, larger and specialty windows

  • Measure with a tape: width, height, thickness — fractions welcome

  • Grids between glass, Low-E coatings and argon matched to the original

Own-Shop Fabrication

Why Does Our IGU Replacement Take One Visit Instead of 3–5 Weeks?

Most glass shops and franchise outfits order your sealed unit from a third-party fabricator — that's where multi-week lead times and middleman markup come from. We fabricate insulated glass units in our own shop: double-pane, tempered and laminated panels, cut to your measurements. That's why the swap starts at $198 and a scheduled repair finishes the day we arrive — old unit out, new unit sealed into the same frame.

  • Own in-house fabrication — no middleman markup, no 3-5 week wait

  • Double-pane and tempered glass panels built to exact size

  • Your frame, sash and trim stay untouched — only the glass changes

  • 5-year warranty on every sealed unit, in writing

New insulated glass unit on the workbench ready for one-visit installation
Built In-House
WowFix insulated glass unit replacement process in North Carolina
Diagnosed · Quoted · Warrantied
The Process

How Insulated Glass Unit Replacement Works

Measure, fabricate in our shop, one-visit swap — the frame never leaves the wall.

01/Measure Your Glass

Tape measure, fractions and the unit thickness at an open edge — or send a photo and we measure on site.

02/Written Quote by Size

Priced by your measurements and glass type — from $198, the exact number on paper before any work.

03/Fabricated in Our Shop

Your IGU is built to size in-house — spacers, Low-E, argon and grids matched to the original.

04/One-Visit Swap

Old unit out, new unit sealed in your existing frame — cleaned, tested and warrantied the same day.

Transparent Pricing

How Much Does Insulated Glass Unit Replacement Cost?

Insulated glass replacement runs $198 to $480 per unit for nearly every residential window — priced by glass area and type, never by fear of replacement:

  • Standard double-pane IGU — from $198 installed
  • Larger glass — priced by area and type (even a 4×5 ft picture window tops out near $480)
  • Options — Low-E, argon, obscure glass and grids matched to the original
  • Window seal repair — which of the two seals failed, and what each costs
  • In Charlotte? The complete Charlotte window repair guide — every part, frame material and brand, with prices
  • Whole-window replacement quoted by others — $1,000+ per opening; the IGU swap is the ~70% you keep — see window repair cost and foggy window repair cost
WowFix technician quoting insulated glass unit replacement on-site in North Carolina
Quoted On-Site, In Writing
Why WowFix

Why NC Homeowners Choose WowFix

Backed by a Warranty

Every repair comes with a written workmanship warranty. If it's not right, we come back and make it right.

Repair, Not Replace

We fix the part that failed — glass, seal, sash or hardware — so you keep your windows and skip full-replacement cost.

Local, In-House Crews

Your repair is done by our own technicians, never subcontracted — and most sealed glass is built the same day.

Upfront, Honest Pricing

A clear quote before any work starts. No hidden fees, no upsells, no pressure to replace what we can repair.

See the Difference

Real WowFix Repairs: Before & After

The same window sash rebuilt with a clean, painted, watertight frame after WowFix repair Restored
Window sash with rotted, crumbling wood at the rail before WowFix restoration Rotted Sash
The same double-hung window with a clear new glass pane installed by WowFix New Glass
Double-hung window with a broken, missing lower glass pane before WowFix repair Broken Pane
The same picture window with crystal-clear new glass restoring the view after WowFix repair Clear View
Picture window with its glass removed during a WowFix glass replacement Glass Out

Drag the handle to compare — swipe or tap a dot for more jobs.

Local Coverage

Serving NC & Surrounding Areas

Every city crew installs the same shop-built units — find yours below.

WOWFIX Windows and Doors

North Carolina — Charlotte, Triad & Triangle metros

(888) 887-6833

Where We Work

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Charlotte Metro

The Triad

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Testimonial
Reviews

What NC Customers Say

Carole W.
Carole W.

Verified Google Review

Eugene fabricated both screens and new half double-pane windows for my home. He was professional, dedicated, and experienced. He went above and beyond to ensure the job was done right and in a timely manner. I would highly recommend WowFix for work that meets all expectations!

5
Laura P.
Laura P.

Verified Google Review

This is a great company. We appreciate the hard work and honesty of Eugene, who made sure our windows were fixed to our satisfaction. He completed the work on time as promised.

5
Bill D.
Bill D.

Verified Google Review

I had a fantastic experience with WowFix. They repaired my existing windows by cutting out rotted sashes, fashioning new ones on-site, and splicing them in. They look and work absolutely good as new!

5
Bryce K.
Bryce K.

Verified Google Review

WowFix is a great company for repairs on doors and windows. I had two rotten double-door frames that they rebuilt. They communicate well and the pricing was fair.

5
Modern home with large clear windows and a clean front door at golden hour
See It For Yourself

A Real WowFix Repair — Start to Finish

No stock footage, no actors — this is one of our actual jobs. Watch a rotted, fogged-out window brought back to flawless, like-new glass.

Foggy Glass — Clarity Back · 1 / 2

Insulated Glass Unit Replacement — FAQ

From $198 for a standard double-pane unit, installed. Price scales with glass area and type — even a large 4×5 ft picture window lands near $480, still far below the $1,000+ full-window pitch.
Before We Arrive

How to Prepare for Your WowFix Window Repair Visit

  1. 1

    Photograph each problem window in daylight

    Snap a clear photo of every foggy, cracked or stuck window in natural light. Morning light shows fog between the panes best and lets us quote faster — often before we arrive.

  2. 2

    Note what each window is doing wrong

    Jot down the symptom per window — fog between the glass, won't open or stay up, draft, cracked pane, or rotted frame. It tells us whether it's a glass-only swap (from $198) or hardware/wood work.

  3. 3

    Clear about three feet in front of each window

    Move furniture, blinds and décor back roughly three feet so our crew can measure and work safely. It keeps the visit quick and your things out of the way.

  4. 4

    Find any window brand or paperwork

    If you have the original window brand, a sticker in the frame, or install paperwork, set it aside. It's not required, but it helps us match glass and parts on the first trip.

  5. 5

    Make sure we can reach the windows outside

    Unlock gates, secure pets, and clear the exterior path to the windows. Most glass-unit work is done from both sides, so outside access keeps everything one visit.

Proof

Real WowFix Repairs, Up Close

Real jobs, real photos — swipe for more.

Eugene Ko

Lead Window & Door Repair Specialist

This content is written by Eugene Ko, a master craftsman with 17+ years of hands-on experience in residential and commercial window repair. Eugene has personally completed over 15,000 window and door repairs across North Carolina, so every answer here is grounded in real field experience — not guesswork.

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Last updated: October 13, 2026

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