We’ve been experiencing some down right COLD weather around here lately and it may affected the performance of your old windows, and nothing is worse than a window catastrophes in the winter. Remember a childhood science experiment used to demonstrate how glass expands and contracts due to changes in temperature? An ice frosted drinking glass is filled with boiling water and the result is a cracked and broken glass. When the thermal temperature of glass becomes uneven, it can create stress on the glass just as if someone were applying pressure with their fist and the result is broken glass.
Now we know you didn’t pour hot water down your homes interior window so you might be wondering how did that crack just appear? Chances are you had chip or the beginnings of a crack that you couldn’t make out with the naked eye that was aggravated by the change in temperature. Unfortunately, larger windows are more at risk with the greatest surface area. It’s possible that part of your window receives some sunlight while the other portion is shadowed, perhaps from an overhang. When the wind comes ripping though, the difference in the thermal temperature becomes too much, and the next thing you know you have a broken window.
Similarly, you may have a window that has a floor heat vent without a flow guard blowing heat directly up onto the window. The intense outdoor temperature combines with the furnace working overtime to keep the house warm, equals thermal stress and broken window.
Unlike a window that has had an impact crack, which has a central circular web pattern, a thermal stress crack will run in a diagonal line across your window. Beware of long lines that do not splinter however, that may be a result of not having a good quality tempered safety glass.
Whatever the case, if your home has a window with a new crack due to the extreme temperatures outside, it’s time to call in the professionals. Glass Express is ready to brave the severe outdoor temperatures to ensure you are safe and comfortable everyday in your homes indoors.
