Hi TonyB,

I've just spotted your response to my posting and wonder if you'd
like to compare notes and discuss this problem further off the NG,

You can e-mail me directly at

ATB - Dave.

On 17/07/2014 20:44, TonyB wrote:
replying to Dave Chapman , TonyB wrote:
dave wrote:

Hi all, We purchased an add-on conservatory from one of the large
UK suppliers about four years ago and since then we have really
enjoyed all of the benefits of a warm bright place to sit and relax
even when the weather outside is far from ideal. However, our
enjoyment has not been without its downside since one morning about 18
months ago when we went into the conservatory we noticed that the
inner glass of one of the many double-glazed panels had shattered into
'a million' pieces for no obvious reason. Since our conservatory
came with a 10 year warranty, we contacted the company, explained the
problem to them, which they accepted without any fuss, and they then
arranged for one of their fitters to come and replace the panel, which
they did a couple of weeks later. All was fine for another six
months then the inner glass of a different double-glazed panel
shattered overnight in a similar way. The conmpany responded in
exactly the same way and the new faulty panel was replaced under
warranty. A couple of days ago we were sitting quietly in the
conservatory when there was a loud bang and the inner glass of one of
the other double-glazed roof panels exploded and loads of fragments of
glass showered down around us. Now, for a third time, we have had to
contact the company who, once again and without asking any questions,
have ordered a new panel which will be installed during the next
couple of weeks. Wen I spoke to the company I asked if this was a
very common occurrence and was just told that 'yes, it happens'.
Should I be reassured with that casual answer? Why has it always been
the INNER of the panels that fails? Nothing can have dropped onto the
conservatory roof from above and we don't play any hard-ball sports in
the conservatory. All very strange. I've done a very close
inspection of the structure of the conservatory, paying particular
attention to the frames around the glass panels to see if any of them
have become distorted but I haven't seen anything that could explain
these three glass breakages. I'm grateful that the faulty panels
have been replaced (to date) without any hassle from the company and
at least I've got another seven years of warranty remaining so can
hope that any manufacturing faults in the glass of the remaining
panels will have come to light (pun intended!), one way or another,
before that warranty expires. I've done a lot of Googling on the
subject and discovered that spontaneous shattering of toughened glass
panels for no obvious reason is very common, both in the UK and around
the world. Sudden temperature changes don't seem to be the cause - the
general view seems to be that it just happens sometimes. One
explanation offered is that small impurities were in the glass during
the tempering process and these can 'grow' over time (months or years)
to a point when they cause the glass to shatter suddenly. I'd be
very interested to hear the comments of anyone else in this NG who
have experienced similar spontaneous shattering of double-glazed
panels and how the suppliers of the faulty panels have reacted. ATB
- Dave.



Hi Dave,

We have experienced exactly the same thing. We also have a conservatory
from a major supplier, fitted just under 4 years ago. Last June, we came
home to find the inside pane of one of the large glass side panels
completely shattered. No-one was in the house at the time. About two weeks
later another panel shattered in exactly the same fashion. Both panels
went on relatively cool days, so heat excessive heat expansion could not
be the cause.
To date the company has replaced the two panels without question. However;
last Sunday there was a terrific bang and we were horrified to find a
third panel has shattered - again the inside pane on another relatively
cool day and again, fortunately no-one was in the conservatory at the
time. This time the site manager visited and has quibbled about the
guarantee. He did not offer any kind of information, or have any idea as
to the cause, other than 'it happens' - more than that, he seemed
unwilling to undertake any investigation - not at all re-assuring. We are
pushing to get the panel replaced under the guarantee, as we think it is
down to impurities within the glass and is therefore clearly a
manufacturing fault.
We are not all reassured that it won't happen again. Each shattering has
left a fine carpet of very sharp glass fragments on the floor, even though
the panel has stayed intact in the frame. I am not reassured that it is
not potentially dangerous to either us, or our pet dog who likes to soak
up the warmth. We have asked for a full investigation, but it doesn't seem
as though this will be forthcoming.
I would be very interested to hear of other's experiences.

Kind regards,

Tony