What should I do about the crack in my window?

Question

Last week, a small crack appeared on the right hand side of the left pane of the window in my home office. It's an old sash cord window in the upstairs front room of a 1930s terrace.

Anyway, within a few days, the crack had spread fully from right to left, across the entire pane - about 45cm (18 inches). The crack is in one of the two panes on the lower half of the window, ie the bit that slides up and dowm when you open and close the window.

The crack obviously has nowhere else to spread, having reached the edges, but I'm worried the glass will smash when I open/close the window and it moves. So I was thinking I should maybe try to stabilise the crack somehow - with tape or film or something. Or do I really need to replace the pane? Any tips on what to do would be gratefully received!

Thanks.

Answer 1

get a glazier!

Answer 2

as a temporary measure you could get some clear sticky back plasticand cut it to size and stick it in place on the inside of the pane of glass that is cracked, then when the weather improves you can either replace the broken glass pane yourself by removing the rising sash unit from the frame, this is done by removing the internal beading then carefully lifting the rising sash into the room, this will only drop a short distance due to the sash cordage attatched to the top edges, then supporting the sash you will need to unscreww the sash cord retaining brackets on the edges of the window.( remember to have someone taking the strain of the sash weight whist this is done otherwise the sash weight will pull the cord into the side frame and you will then heed to disassemble the whole side frame and rethread it, which is a very fiddly job ) remember to securely tie the sash cords to something secure once both sides are free.
once this is done you can then move the sash unit to a safe place so that you can remove the broken pane of glass and replace it with a new one.
then you will need to replace it in the reverse order to the removal.
the removal and replacement of the window can take a long time if the window frame is heavily painted.
the best way to get this done is to do the temporary fix and then get a reputable tradesman to do the hard work of replacing the glass when the weather improves.

Answer 3

I don't see the broken pane breaking out unless it is hit with force inward or outward. You can adhere some duct tape over the crack or you can replace the pane. It would have to be done from the exterior as it probably has glazing caulk that holds it in. That would have to be chiseled out and a new pane cut to size installed, held in place by window pane points, then re glaze the window.

Answer 4

Now that all the "punny" answers have hit... good ones too for sure.... grab some shipping tape from the dollar store and tape over the crack.... once the winter is finished and the weather warms, get a glass guy to replace the pane. There is no rush for now but the draft is not good for heating bills...:) Good luck!

Answer 5

Replace The Window

Answer 6

Don't leave it. At some time it could fall out on its own.

How competant are you at DIY? Is it on the ground floor or first floor level. It's an easy job to do, but has its hazzards due to the nature of the material. Call a proffesioal glazier, it shouldn't set you back too much. If they are going to be more than 24hours, put some tape over it as a temperary measure.

Answer 7

I would either take that section of the window out by removing the molding holding it in with a flatbar and take it to a glass specialist or remove the entire window and have it replaced with something double-pane either by yourself or a glass specialist. Most professionals do free estimates and can tell you the benefits of upgrading old windows.

Answer 8

You will have to replace the pane. Should not be a big deal. Good Luck...

Answer 9

yes you do need to replace the pane of glass..but in the meantime a roll of ducktape fixed in a cross type pattern should hold it together

Answer 10

you can use wide tape like you seal packages with for mailing, then replace the pane in summer. it shouldnt be too expensive.

Answer 11

Call in a glazier to replace the glass,