Browse Forums Windows & Doors 1 Jun 16, 2016 10:33 pm This is my first post so please be kind. I have some Dowell aluminium frame windows that look great but apparently they were made pre 1982. The windows are leaking a tiny amount of water & some are rattling in the wind. I need to remove many of them & replace the silicone or caulking. The plastic beading is too brittle & breaks when I try to remove it. The exact plastic beading is no longer available. I need to find a local source if possible of some replacement beading. This is my first post & I can't see where to attach a picture of the profile of the beading. Can anyone tell me how to attach a picture? I've searched everywhere on this site & I can't find out how. If so I will post a picture of the beading including dimensions. cheers Robert Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 3Jun 17, 2016 8:43 pm some more pics: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ That artists pallet knife is as thin as a piece of paper. I think someone has put silicon on the outside of the windows - run a tiny 2mm bead as a temporary repair which may have lasted quite a few years. I might have to do the same as it seems that only a USA supplier that I can find has some plastic snap in beading but not of the exact shape. Also - the windows may have only the old 3mm thick glass which could be damaged upon removal. I don't think that's available anymore due to building codes. If the glass was broken upon removal then a different dimension beading would have to used to hold it in place. That would mean buying 2 types of beading & it's all getting very complicated to do the job properly. Does anyone have some thoughts for me? cheers Robert. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 4Jun 18, 2016 1:41 pm Wow - 144 views & not one reply! This is not exactly a forum with fast interaction. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 5Jun 19, 2016 10:15 am 203 views. Surely there must be someone here who has worked on similar Dowell windows? There are millions of them In Australia. Do I put a tiny 2mm bead of silicon on the outside or do I continue looking for snap in beading & do the job properly? Or do i just remove the glass & put silicon on the inside of the the outside lip & seal them from inside as well & forget about the snap in beading? Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 6Jun 25, 2016 12:37 pm ummmm - 390 views & not one reply. OK - the place in the USA refused to let me have even a one inch sample of their beading even if I paid an extravagant amount to have it. They wanted me to pay for a huge minimum order quantity with no guarantee that it would fit. I have now decided to try & silicone the windows from the outside as a temporary solution. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 7Jul 09, 2016 10:34 pm Maybe too late for you. I had a similar issue with stegbar windows. They did have the beading available to purchase (looks a lot like yours) and the glass was fixed with a sticky foam tape that provided the 'tight' seal. I removed the beading, glass and old tape. Cut the new beading to size and applied a thin bed of silicone. Replaced the glass and fitted the beading. Bingo - problem solved. Broken one bit of glass though so a tip would be do the job first thing in the morning and know where to go and buy new glass ! Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 8Jul 10, 2016 12:28 am Bramah Maybe too late for you. I had a similar issue with stegbar windows. They did have the beading available to purchase (looks a lot like yours) and the glass was fixed with a sticky foam tape that provided the 'tight' seal. I removed the beading, glass and old tape. Cut the new beading to size and applied a thin bed of silicone. Replaced the glass and fitted the beading. Bingo - problem solved. Broken one bit of glass though so a tip would be do the job first thing in the morning and know where to go and buy new glass ! Thanks - but I can't get the equivalent beading with 100% certainty that it will fit. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 9Jul 13, 2016 8:20 pm Well - I finally bought the silicone & the caulking gun. https://www.bunnings.com.au/selleys-260g-all-clear-multipurpose-sealant_p1210350 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETOcghBacE0 Here's hoping that it goes well. I'll let you all know how it goes. I'll just apply it on the outside. cheers Robert Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 10Jul 16, 2016 7:07 pm It went well. It was difficult to get a nice smooth bead. I had to put masking tape down each side of where I wanted the bead because the silicone would form a sphere at the end of the nozzle. It helped when I heated the tube over a gas heating duct & only did one side of the window at a time - re-heating between runs of silicone. Winter time is not a good time to do outdoor silicone but I had no choice. Anyway I got the worst windows done for now - no more rattling in the wind - I hope. BTW - that silicone from Bunnings is so sticky it's incredible. If you get a tiny bit on your finger you nearly rip your skin off trying to remove it. cheers Robert. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 11Jul 25, 2016 2:52 pm Robert_Bruce It went well. It was difficult to get a nice smooth bead. I had to put masking tape down each side of where I wanted the bead because the silicone would form a sphere at the end of the nozzle. It helped when I heated the tube over a gas heating duct & only did one side of the window at a time - re-heating between runs of silicone. Winter time is not a good time to do outdoor silicone but I had no choice. Anyway I got the worst windows done for now - no more rattling in the wind - I hope. BTW - that silicone from Bunnings is so sticky it's incredible. If you get a tiny bit on your finger you nearly rip your skin off trying to remove it. cheers Robert. Well done that is the fix you need "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 12Jul 29, 2016 11:48 pm ECOECO Well done that is the fix you need Thanks - it's a lot simpler & cheaper than trying to remove thin 3mm glass & trying to track down non-existent plastic beading. Total cost $10.90 & I have plenty more silicone left. You'd think with millions of such windows in Australia that Dowell would continue to produce their plastic beading but just they want to sell you new windows at a cost of megabucks. Aluminium doesn't corrode away & neither does glass - it's just their lousy plastic beading that becomes brittle & cracks after more than 10 years. It must be a common problem with all windows - it's not just Dowell - they are all into it. I think it's an industry wide scam. Re: Old Dowell windows plastic snap in beading 13Sep 16, 2016 6:52 am Just commenting - the fix is still working well - no more rattling windows & no water ingress. 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