WINDOW SMASHED DUE TO THE COLD - HELP WHY? (PICS INCLUDED)

[pop80_uk]

Hey all,
We need your help, it was at around 11pm yesterday night that we heard a massive bang, we came up stairs and found the outside pain of glass has smashed terribly (see picture)

It was not the coldest night we have had here and the central heating was not on full so why would this happen?

Its a bathroom window and double glazed unit and the glass on the outside is the glass which has shattered

Also any idea on how much this will cost?
Our insurance excess will be around £350, will it cost more than this to fix?

Thanks in advance!

 

[crank39]

http://www.thewindowman.co.uk/explode.htm

As a service engineer i always came across this and was always asked why and how, to be honest..............i still don't know.

Cost wise its not worth going through your insurance, rough idea of costs for float glass which you have there id say £50 for the unit and £20 to fit.

If you need toughened glass ie: if the window cill lower than 800mm from the floor, is there a bath below the window, if so a toughened unit again id say £70 plus £20 to fit

 

[masona]

Is it a single glass?

Most likely to be what is known as thermal shock in the weakness of the glass which is called venting, it's common with difference air temperature pressure or could be badly fitted glass, it can be many things which is hard to find out what causes it

 

[crank39]

we came up stairs and found the outside pain of glass has smashed terribly

 

[pop80_uk]

http://www.thewindowman.co.uk/explode.htm

As a service engineer i always came across this and was always asked why and how, to be honest..............i still don't know.

Cost wise its not worth going through your insurance, rough idea of costs for float glass which you have there id say £50 for the unit and £20 to fit.

If you need toughened glass ie: if the window cill lower than 800mm from the floor, is there a bath below the window, if so a toughened unit again id say £70 plus £20 to fit

Thanks for the reply and the link, we have called a few places for a quote but no one has got back to us yet,

The only thing we are worried about is it is a patterned glass as it is a bathroom window , the other window has not shattered, but I guess they will need to replace both to match the pattern? Will will mean also replacing a good window.

The window is upstairs so I understand it will not need to be saftey, it it also not over the bath but to the far side of the room.

You don't fancy coming and doing it for £100 do you

 

[pop80_uk]

Is it a single glass?

Its a double glazed unit, although seems thicker in the middle than most double glazed units I have seen.

 

[crank39]

http://www.thewindowman.co.uk/explode.htm

As a service engineer i always came across this and was always asked why and how, to be honest..............i still don't know.

Cost wise its not worth going through your insurance, rough idea of costs for float glass which you have there id say £50 for the unit and £20 to fit.

If you need toughened glass ie: if the window cill lower than 800mm from the floor, is there a bath below the window, if so a toughened unit again id say £70 plus £20 to fit

Thanks for the reply and the link, we have called a few places for a quote but no one has got back to us yet,

The only thing we are worried about is it is a patterned glass as it is a bathroom window , the other window has not shattered, but I guess they will need to replace both to match the pattern? Will will mean also replacing a good window.

The window is upstairs so I understand it will not need to be saftey, it it also not over the bath but to the far side of the room.

You don't fancy coming and doing it for £100 do you

If i had the transport i'd gladly come over to do it.

As for the safety glass, regardless if its upstairs or not, if it below 800mm from the floor it needs to be, if not float glass will be fine. The frame won't need replacing, just the glass and the pattern is taffeta, a pilkinton glass pattern and easily available so you wont need to change the other on.

The only other thing is whether its pilkington 'K' , the person who comes to do the job should check, if he knows what he's doing, if the window was fitted after 2002 then it will be, although 'K' has been available for years before so it does sometimes crop up in windows that are older hence it needs to be checked

 

[pop80_uk]

If i had the transport i'd gladly come over to do it.

As for the safety glass, regardless if its upstairs or not, if it below 800mm from the floor it needs to be, if not float glass will be fine. The frame won't need replacing, just the glass and the pattern is taffeta, a pilkinton glass pattern and easily available so you wont need to change the other on.

The only other thing is whether its pilkington 'K' , the person who comes to do the job should check, if he knows what he's doing, if the window was fitted after 2002 then it will be, although 'K' has been available for years before so it does sometimes crop up in windows that are older hence it needs to be checked

If you would have had transport you would have been hired! Shame you don't as you obviously know your stuff.

How can I tell if its pilkington K? Will it be stamped ? I can not see any markings on the glass.

Will a company not replace one piece with Pilkington K if the other piece is normal float glass?

I will have to measure the floor to the window, is that the bathroom floor to the window I presume so 80cm.
This window is obviously not safety glass due to the way it has shattered, I presume the other pane that has not smashed will be the same glass, i.e non safety. If it turns out we need safety glass will they insist the other panel is changed as well?

Thanks!

 

[crank39]

1. How to tell if its 'K', on a clear unit ie an unpatterned one you can see like a milky coating when looking outwards, also from outside looking in it makes your net curtains look filthy, this is normal and is just the metalic 'K' coating sprayed onto the glass that reflects the heat back into the room. To test you use a 'K' tester, offer it upto the glass and if it beeps its 'k', it uses the coating to complete a small electrical circuit.

2. The company will replace the whole unit ie both panes as its a 'sealed unit', its 99% of the time that the inner pane is the 'k', they will replace like for like, if they fit a 'k' unit in a window which has other non'k' units in it will look odd from outside.

3. Yes just measure up from the floor to the cill, if its less than 800mm or 80cm then it needs to be toughened, both panes in the replacement unit will come toughened but there is no requirement for you to replace the unbroken unit for toughened.

 

[pop80_uk]

Thanks crank 39, looks like its not pilkington K, but normal glass.

Thanks for all your help, we have a few people coming to quote over the next couple of days.