The Broken Window Screen Blog

News from the screen repair shop.....

Dec 24, 2025

Dehumidifier uses propane refrigerant

A Dutch company is introducing a new dehumidifier aimed at the commercial greenhouse market that uses propane or R290 refrigerant as it is called.

Propane as a refrigerant is supposedly much safer for the environment if it leaks. It doeos not have the ozone damaging properties of previous hydrocarbon refrigerants

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Dec 19, 2025

Ban on changing windows has unintended consequences

A condo owner in Florida wants to replace the screens in her porch with hurricane resistant windows.

But the condominium corporation wont allow it because it makes her screen porch look different from all of her neighbours.

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Dec 15, 2025

How to get rid of foggy windows in a car

Some mornings you get into the car and the windows are fogged up with condensation on the inside. This happens most often when you have an outdoor parking space. It's rarely a problem if your car is in a garage or underground parking.

You struggle to find a cleaning rag, which more often than not is just paper towels from the last fast food restaurant visit and no matter how much you wipe off the condensation keeps coming back.

Then you drive off with the heater on full blast knowing its going to take at least 20 minutes before you can properly see where you are going.

Theres a product on Amazon, basically a bag full of dessicant beads which can absorb all the condensation on the windows, so long as you put it in the car the night before.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/simple-3-car-gadget-could-stop-condensation-on-windscreens

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Dec 11, 2025

Drying clothes indoors with a dehumidifier

During warmer months hanging clothes out on the line to dry in the wind and the heat of the sun saves you money because you are not using your clothes dryer.

Hanging clothes up indoors is the next best option and if you use a dehumidifier, you can help the drying process along without having to turn up the heat or use your clothes dryer.

The dehumidifier uses less energy than a clothes dryer so it does not add to your electricity bill as much.

The placement of the dehumidifier is also important. It needs to be near where the dampness is and there should be free space around it so it can circulate the air. You dont want the unit up against a wall or covered up in any way

https://www.devonlive.com/news/property/dehumidifier-placement-mistake-stops-removing-10706327

UK Money Saving expert Martin Lewis even goes as far to say that clothes driers are a demon appliance, mostly due to how much they cost to operate.

Reccomends using a dehumidifier instead

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/household-bills/martin-lewis-save-energy-laundry-36249060

To use a dehumidifier properly you need 30cm clearance all around the unit so it has enough space to draw in moist air and exhaust dry air

https://www.themirror.com/tech/people-who-use-dehumidifier-dry-1579370

The difference between using a clothes dryer and running a dehumidifier can be significant especially in the UK, where electricity costs 28 -40 pence ($0.50 - $1.00 CDN) per kilowatt hour. This article cites the difference being 4 pence vs 50 pence for the drier but does not specify what dehumidifier was used.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mrs-hinch-fans-drying-two-113100435.html

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Dec 08, 2025

Condo owners speak up at board meetings

At this Palm Beach ,Florida Condo board meetings are routinely held over Zoom so every condo unit owner can see and hear what is being discussed.

Now Florida State law has been changed to say that those condo unit owners have a right to speak and be heard during the meeting. In the past the administrator of the Zoom meeting would not allow owners to write comments or participate in any part of the online meeting.

I thought that being able to speak at a Condo meeting was always possible. You might have to ask permission from the board to appear and speak.

What do Condo Unit owners have to say about this. Do you get to speak up at your board meetings. Is it something you would like to be able to do ?

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Nov 29, 2025

Getting rid of condensation on windows

As temperatures drop in the winter many of us have condensation forming on windows. Perhaps no one has it worse than the UK where the weather is perpetually damp and there are still many homes that don't use multi pane sealed unit windows.

The article talks about home made dessicant driers made from from adsorbents like cat litter but they are just not sufficient to soak up all the condensation. What clearly helps is a multi pane sealed unit window which inherently has a temperature gradient so the inside glass does not get as cold as the outside glass.

If you cant get rid of the single pane glass there are clear plastic sheets that can be stretched behind the existing windows and sealed all around so that you get effectively another pane with a bit of a temperature gradient. Not perfect but often enough to prevent condensation and block out any drafts.

The other thing you can do is provide fans to move warm air over the glass. This raises the dew point just enough to prevent condensation.

The article also talks about using dehumidifiers but you are going to need an industrial size dehumidifier or dessicant drier to get rid of condensation in just an average size room. All things considered you need to address the thermal performance of the walls and windows to permanently cure wet windows.

Another time honoured way to get to get rid of damp air is just to throw open windows in the middle of the winter and ventilate all the damp air outside. Aside from being uncomfortable this also leaves you needing to heat the rooms back up to a comfortable temperature afterwards. Which in turn drives up your home heating bill.

The article below discusses using a dehumidifier to lower humidity and maintain comfortable temperatures while using much less energy than the home heating system would otherwise consume.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2142392/stop-opening-windows-banish-mould

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/common-mistake-could-damaging-your-36372298

Another tip I ran across involves wetting a micro fiber cloth with a small amount of dish detergent and wiping the entire surface of the glass with it. I am skeptical if this could even work but here is trhe article that talks about it.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/property/condensation-disappear-windows-experts-old-10711899

Meaco 10 Liter, ElectriQ 12Liter and ProBreez 30 Liter dehumidifiers reviewed by the people who make them ! So take this article with a grain of salt.

https://www.idealhome.co.uk/house-manual/air-quality/where-to-place-a-dehumidifier-to-stop-window-condensation

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Nov 26, 2025

Recycling old Windshield Glass

A new car windshield can be extremely expensive. So much so that it just might be worth seeing if their is a wrecked car from which an old windshield can be recycled.

Thats exactly what this auto glass company in Britain is doing by partnering with an auto glass recycler to learn the best ways to successfully retrieve and recycle scrap car windshields

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Nov 25, 2025

Pass Through Window Construction Tips

Pass through service windows can be difficult to seal, especially commercial ones that have to open hundreds of times a day. This video lays out how to properly weatherseal this unique type of window

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Oct 04, 2025

Looking for Garage door sliding screen rollers

Garage sliding door screen roller

Hello, I am looking all over for the sliding screen rollers that are in the picture attached. Do you have them ? If so, how much are they, and do you

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Sep 09, 2025

Need brackets to hold storm door screen in place

I am trying to locate some brackets to hold a screen in place for a very old lever glass door The door is about 60 yrs old Thank you for your support

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