crack in double glazing unit

zildjian09

hello,

i bought a new build apartment last september and now a large crack has appeared in my balcony door double glazing unit. it has gradually got bigger and i called the developer, who put me in touch with the window contactor, who came out to have a look and is saying that i will maybe have to pay for the repair (i'm waiting for them to get back to me to say what their stance is).

the crack is inside the unit, it cannot be felt from either inside or outside. also, directly below my apartment is a gate leading into the development site. it has a closing mechanism on it, which means it bangs shut very forcefully every time someone goes through it. would this be responsible for this crack? i'm assuming the windows are under warranty as it's a new build?

if someone could give me any advice on where i stand with regards to this, i would be most grateful.

thanks x

maninthestreet

If it's the glass in a door, it will be toughened glass - I really can't see how a gate shutting would be able to cause such damage.

rosekitten

I had a large crack appear in my kitchen window
from the top to the bottom on the inside,
I rang the glazing company and they just
ordered another one.they never even came
out to look at it a week later the replacement
was in and they fitted the new pane.I asked
the man why this had happened he reckoned
that if the pane was slightly too large going
in the pressure would force it to crack.

They seemed to think it was one of those things
rare things that can happen and the new window
is fine I did not have to pay for the replacement

Also if that gate was resposible then both doors
would have cracks in them,sounds to me youi have
the same problem I had

sashman

zildjian09 wrote: »

hello,

i bought a new build apartment last september and now a large crack has appeared in my balcony door double glazing unit. it has gradually got bigger and i called the developer, who put me in touch with the window contactor, who came out to have a look and is saying that i will maybe have to pay for the repair (i'm waiting for them to get back to me to say what their stance is).

the crack is inside the unit, it cannot be felt from either inside or outside. also, directly below my apartment is a gate leading into the development site. it has a closing mechanism on it, which means it bangs shut very forcefully every time someone goes through it. would this be responsible for this crack? i'm assuming the windows are under warranty as it's a new build?

if someone could give me any advice on where i stand with regards to this, i would be most grateful.

thanks x

Ok I bang on about safety glazing on this site, because people still cut corners. zildjian09 I dont know if you have a problem but its possible, so please look for a Toughened logo on the glass unit, in the corner.

Plain annealed glass 6mm will crack into dangerous shards of glass, thats why the building regs state safety glazing must be used.

Doors and adjacent glazing needs safety glazing as does low level glass (glass in windows less than 800mm). Toughened glass doesnt crack, it explodes into small square of glass 4mm in size (approx).

However you may be lucky and have laminated glass 6.4mm (two sheets of 3 mm glass witha laminated centre) like car windscreens. This can crack but the shards are held captive by the lamination.

WHATEVER you have ensure the replacement glass is TXG or Laminated.

Why did it happen? well its quite possible that a srew head or glazing packer has exerted pressure on teh edge of the glass. Openeing/closing the window could start the crack as could the banging of the gates.

Units rarely break for no reason, but the glazier may suggest its your fault or the gates fault, i fancy it'll be the way it was glazed (his fault) but cannot be certain.

hope this is helpfull
sashman