A Pane That Had Slipped Down Its Sash and Started Rattling
On this page
A customer in Ocean Grove noticed one of their timber window panes had dropped lower within the frame and was no longer supported along its top edge. The glass had begun rattling in the wind and moving freely in the sash.
What had actually gone wrong
On inspection the putty bedding had failed and separated from the glass, leaving the pane loose inside the timber sash.
This is the normal end of life for putty glazing. Linseed putty hardens over decades, shrinks away from the glass and eventually loses its grip, and once it does the pane has nothing holding it in position. It slides down under its own weight and starts to move.
Why it needed doing rather than watching
A loose pane in a sash is not a cosmetic annoyance. Every gust flexes it against bare timber with nothing cushioning it, which is a good way to crack the glass, and an unsupported pane in an upper sash can eventually come out altogether.
The rattle is the warning, and it is the point at which it is still a straightforward job.
What we did
Our glaziers carefully removed the old pane, then reinstalled and sealed it properly so there is no movement or rattle left in the sash.
Before
After
The job in short
- Site: Timber sash window, Ocean Grove
- Symptom: Pane dropped in the frame, unsupported at the top, rattling in wind
- Cause: Putty bedding failed and separated from the glass
- Work done: Pane removed, reinstalled and sealed to eliminate movement
