Would window have smashed if glass was toughened?

Rexxel

Hello,
Back in April, we had new windows at the front of our house fitted. A month later, some horrible person walked past at 5 am and threw a traffic cone at the bottom window and it smashed.

I am unsure if the glass fitted was toughened and it’s making me have doubts in my mind about whether the traffic cone would’ve smashed the window had it been toughened? It’s making me worry about whether the windows have been done properly. To be honest, the traffic cone did feel a few KGs heavy but I’m not sure how much a double glazed unit can take!

The fitter came back and we had another unit fitted. Slightly off topic but he left a blue rubber square spacer thing between the pane and the frame :S

Sorry, i know this is a bit of a weird one but I’m worried our windows aren’t upto regs and it might happen again. Would it have smashed regardless of the glass type?

Cheers

d0nkeyk0ng

Toughened glass is stronger than normal glass. It's not bulletproof! It will take more force to break. But it will break. It will break into tiny pieces that are less hazardous than large sharp shards.


The other term for it tempered glass.

EssexExile

Doesn't toughened glass have a little mark on each pane to say it's toughened?

Hasbeen

Rexxel wrote: »

Hello,
Back in April, we had new windows at the front of our house fitted. A month later, some horrible person walked past at 5 am and threw a traffic cone at the bottom window and it smashed.

I am unsure if the glass fitted was toughened and it’s making me have doubts in my mind about whether the traffic cone would’ve smashed the window had it been toughened? It’s making me worry about whether the windows have been done properly. To be honest, the traffic cone did feel a few KGs heavy but I’m not sure how much a double glazed unit can take!

The fitter came back and we had another unit fitted. Slightly off topic but he left a blue rubber square spacer thing between the pane and the frame :S

Sorry, i know this is a bit of a weird one but I’m worried our windows aren’t upto regs and it might happen again. Would it have smashed regardless of the glass type?

Cheers

I understand that the regs specify that toughened glass must be used if the height from the floor to the glass is 800mm or less what height are yours?

Hasbeen

EssexExile wrote: »

Doesn't toughened glass have a little mark on each pane to say it's toughened?

Mine has a little heart symbol with toughened BS6206A engraved.

that

toughened and laminated glass are stronger.

When toughened glass breaks it goes into loads of small pieces, often on the floor.

Laminated glass is a glass sandwich with the bread made out of glass and the filling made out of plastic. this filling is bonded to the glass, so when it break. the window often stays in the frame due to the plastic.

diamond_dave

I once tried to cut a piece of old glass for the greenhouse - wondered why it wouldn't cut. After a big bang, I realised that it was toughened!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lawn was covered with glass for weeks.

Davesnave

Rexxel wrote: »

I am unsure if the glass fitted was toughened

If it broke into thousands of bits, it was toughened.

that

You may as well watch this, but these glasses will be thick, heavy and expensive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_CiLZY-HGw

Although you see a guy servery beating a windows with a sledge hammer, think if he used a different tool (blowtorch) then things would go better for him?

if breakage is an issue, triple glase using polycarbonate, though it the long run (a good few years) it deteriorates with uv, go yellow and scratches quite easily.

Rexxel

Hasbeen wrote: »

I understand that the regs specify that toughened glass must be used if the height from the floor to the glass is 800mm or less what height are yours?

Hi, i was just able to measure today. It is 90cm from floor to window sill and 100cm from floor to where the glass starts.

Rexxel

Davesnave wrote: »

If it broke into thousands of bits, it was toughened.

There was a few pieces that were like shards and then little pieces as well. I think i know what you mean by thousands of bits so it's leading me to think it wasn't toughened.