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In other news today, ...
Topic Started: Sep 27 2014, 12:55 PM (309 Views)
brenda
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..............
The interior glass of our backdoor made a loud noise this afternoon, and began cracking into a bazillion little pieces. It's safety glass, so it hasn't fallen out yet, but it will have to be replaced.

The outside glass looks fine, as does the sandwiched leaded glass design inside the two layers.

This is a newer custom door that is seven feet tall. It's a lotta glass, and it's going to be hard to replace it. Getting the moldings off and such will be interesting.

I have no idea why it shattered. No one was even near it at the time. I had hubby come see and listen to it. You could hear and see the cracking of the glass for several minutes.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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George K
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Finally
Wood was probably warping.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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brenda
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..............
George K
Sep 27 2014, 01:09 PM
Wood was probably warping.
Interesting idea. It's a mahogany door, rather thick, too.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
It could have been too tight as well. If so the swelling and shrinking of the wood can do that.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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George K
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Finally
Mikhailoh
Sep 27 2014, 02:09 PM
It could have been too tight as well. If so the swelling and shrinking of the wood can do that.
Good point. When building paneled furniture you must leave about a 3/16 gap for the panel to expand in the frame. However, when using plywood this is not a consideration because it is dimensionally stable. I imagine glass would be as well. But if the frame itself were so tight that when it expanded, just a bit.....wham. Thicker woods would be subject to more stresses from warping and expansion contraction.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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brenda
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..............
Mikhailoh
Sep 27 2014, 02:09 PM
It could have been too tight as well. If so the swelling and shrinking of the wood can do that.
This is more likely. We had a very warm stretch of weather, unseasonably warm. It could be messing with the moisture content of the wood.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Sorry to hear that, Brenda. Is it covered by warranty or insurance? Good luck with the replacement.
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
How old was this door?
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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brenda
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..............
It's about two years old. Gotta check the warranty.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Lisa
Junior Carp
It should be under warranty. We just had the glass in our 5 + year old french door replaced under warranty due to condensation between the panes. I believe most doors (especially if it was expensive) have a 10 year warranty on the glass. Though if the door was installed without the proper gap to allow for swelling/shrinking, it is likely that the door manufacturer will try to pin it in the contractor and weasel out of warranty coverage.

We had one of our Andersen windows do a similar thing -- the builder did not frame the proper size opening and the window (while it opens and closes fine) is ever so slightly warped -- you can see the glass is actually bent when the light hits it right. We have two of those size windows and both are screwed up. The glass in one cracked years ago --- we got a new sash (under warranty - they did not try to pin it on the builder even though I think it was his fault) and it has been fine (as has the other window) but the bowing is noticeable so I expect one or both will crack again.

Good luck getting it taken care of!
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brenda
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..............
I'll correct myself, the door is actually eight feet tall, hence the large area for glass.
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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John Galt
Fulla-Carp
Lisa
Sep 28 2014, 02:45 AM
It should be under warranty. We just had the glass in our 5 + year old french door replaced under warranty due to condensation between the panes. I believe most doors (especially if it was expensive) have a 10 year warranty on the glass. Though if the door was installed without the proper gap to allow for swelling/shrinking, it is likely that the door manufacturer will try to pin it in the contractor and weasel out of warranty coverage.

We had one of our Andersen windows do a similar thing -- the builder did not frame the proper size opening and the window (while it opens and closes fine) is ever so slightly warped -- you can see the glass is actually bent when the light hits it right. We have two of those size windows and both are screwed up. The glass in one cracked years ago --- we got a new sash (under warranty - they did not try to pin it on the builder even though I think it was his fault) and it has been fine (as has the other window) but the bowing is noticeable so I expect one or both will crack again.

Good luck getting it taken care of!
Lisa, if your windows were from the late 1980s/early 90s, you might have had the negative pressure problem that plagued Andersen windows of that era.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/windows/msg0107042917997.html

We had the oval condensation problem described in the forum, along with the warping that you describe. Fortunately none of our windows shattered. We contacted Andersen and they performed the repair under warranty. Some of the windows were past the 20 year mark, but they did them anyway.
Let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness.
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Lisa
Junior Carp
That is exactly what it is, I think....right down to the oval condensation. The weird thing is that the replacement sash they sent still does the same thing -- that is why I thought it was a problem with the way the window was framed. Also, the house was built in 1998 so it is a little past when the issue was, right? I will say that it is an odd sized window so I bet they don't sell many of them -- they could have sent me a replacement sash from the same lot for all I know.
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John Galt
Fulla-Carp
There's information etched in the lower right corner of the window glass as you look out from the inside. For instance, the window in the office where I'm sitting says "CIG3 3-98", and then Andersen and a bunch of other stuff. I believe the CIG means the glass was made by Cardinal Industries Glass, the company that had the problem. The 3-98 is the date of manufacture. I think that gardenweb thread was wrong about the dates with the problem windows. We have some from 98, and they had the problem. I quoted their dates without checking my own windows.

We didn't get replacement sashes or windows (we have both double-hung and casements in our house). Instead, Andersen sent out a factory authorized repair company, and they drilled small holes in either the metal that separates the two panes of glass, or actually a small hole right through the glass that they seal with silicone. I think it depends on whether they can get to the metal strip or not. We had the same problem in our main home and our vacation home, both have Andersens. By drilling a hole the vacuum is released and the windows should function fine.

The repairs were done six or eight years ago and we have had absolutely no problems with what they did. I was worried that drilling a hole would let in moisture and we'd get condensation between the panes, but it hasn't happened.

This is a very widely known problem, and Andersen stepped right up to the plate with an offer to fix it as I described. If they screw up drilling a hole and shatter the window, then they have to replace it at no charge. If it shatters on your watch because of the distortion of the glass due to the vacuum (and apparently they can just explode pretty much on their own), they won't honor the warranty because they don't know for certain if it was faulty glass or a baseball through the window....I would call Andersen and see what they say. It will help if you get all the dates from the affected windows. The rep they sent out checked all the windows (they can measure how much distortion there is) and they actually found a couple that I hadn't reported because they weren't condensing, but they determined that they were failing and required repair.
Edited by John Galt, Sep 28 2014, 01:46 PM.
Let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness.
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John Galt
Fulla-Carp
Lisa, found another thread in gardenweb: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/windows/msg0115522027061.html?24

Looks like Andersen didn't step up to extend the warranty. But I still think it's worth a try. And it sounds like the poster named oberon may have some ideas. If you're not a poster on gardenweb, might be worth a try to sign up and get in touch with him. I think I did and he had a lot of good info.

Never mind, you said the house was built in 1998, which means your 20 year warranty should still cover repair or replacement. :doh:
Edited by John Galt, Sep 28 2014, 02:46 PM.
Let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness.
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Jolly
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Geaux Tigers!
Wood moves.

The guys who built log cabins (the cabins that have lasted) in the old days were very good at all of the little building tricks that allowed those houses to settle and move.
The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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Lisa
Junior Carp
I thought our windows only had a 10 year warranty. I'm not sure why I thought that though...I will have to call them. Thanks!
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