Strange glass breakage
 

I have a sliding glass door leading to a small balcony in my new
house. The slider is double-paned glass, as is the fixed door it
slides over. There is also another fixed double-pane to the left of
the door.

I haven't moved in yet, due to multiple problems after purchase, so I
am just going over to work, let contractors in, and check up on the
place. This afternoon, I went over to the house, and the glass in the
fixed door (the one the slider passes over) had a spiderweb cracks in
it, throughout the entire pane of glass. I could hear the cracks
continuing, and I actually saw a few small ones form while I stood
there. The glass is still in place, but it is shattered throughout
the whole pane.

It appears that it radiates from a spot next to the frame, about 3/4
of a foot from the bottom. The door was fine last night, as far as I
saw, and no one was in the house but a flooring guy, finishing some
shoe molding and putting base in other rooms, so there doesn't seem to
be any way it was hit. The pane that is cracking is the interior
frame, so it apparently can't be from something outside hitting the
window.

The temperature has been pretty cold here lately (between 0 and 10
degfrees), but again, the other panes are fine, and it is an interior
pane. My only thought was an air leak between the panes, with a
temperature differential, but I don't know if that is the case.

Any thoughts?

Strange glass breakage
 

wrote in message
It appears that it radiates from a spot next to the frame, about 3/4
of a foot from the bottom. The door was fine last night, as far as I
saw, and no one was in the house but a flooring guy, finishing some
shoe molding and putting base in other rooms, so there doesn't seem to
be any way it was hit.

Maybe he hit it while carrying tools out. Sure sounds like typical tempered
glass that was hit, but it may have been from before and just showed up. It
can happen that way. Original hit seems OK, then a day or week later,
slamming the door will shatter it.

Strange glass breakage
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a sliding glass door leading to a small balcony in my new
house. The slider is double-paned glass, as is the fixed door it
slides over. There is also another fixed double-pane to the left of
the door.

I haven't moved in yet, due to multiple problems after purchase, so I
am just going over to work, let contractors in, and check up on the
place. This afternoon, I went over to the house, and the glass in the
fixed door (the one the slider passes over) had a spiderweb cracks in
it, throughout the entire pane of glass. I could hear the cracks
continuing, and I actually saw a few small ones form while I stood
there. The glass is still in place, but it is shattered throughout
the whole pane.

It appears that it radiates from a spot next to the frame, about 3/4
of a foot from the bottom. The door was fine last night, as far as I
saw, and no one was in the house but a flooring guy, finishing some
shoe molding and putting base in other rooms, so there doesn't seem to
be any way it was hit. The pane that is cracking is the interior
frame, so it apparently can't be from something outside hitting the
window.

The temperature has been pretty cold here lately (between 0 and 10
degfrees), but again, the other panes are fine, and it is an interior
pane. My only thought was an air leak between the panes, with a
temperature differential, but I don't know if that is the case.

That is weird- I had the same thing happen on an exterior pane, but it was
summer, so I'm reasonably sure it was a thrown rock from the mower. Good
thing it was at an apartment, so management had to pay, not me. If it is a
stock size, replacement won't be too painful. Hopefully no strange tints
they can't match or anything.

Was the flooring guy there the day you found the breakage, or the day
before? Does the balcony have steps to the ground? You sure the flooring guy
didn't use that door, like for a shortcut to carry materials and tools? I'm
picturing a portable chop saw carried by one end of the base, and the other
end raps into the glass. If no steps, maybe he was cutting out on the
balcony, to ease cleanup? (Sawdust is a pain to get out of fresh carpet.)

aem sends...

Strange glass breakage
 

Mystery solved!

I talked to the flooring guy. He was cutting in that room, and a
piece of wood flew off the saw into the window. He said he hoped
nothing happened, because he heard some crackling sounds, but they
stopped. When I told him about the appearance of the window, he was
not completely surprised. I am sure he will make good on it.