Why did the glass window in my home suddenly shatter (crack) on its own?

Question

I have a 5ft by 4 ft window on top of my entrance door and this rmoning there was loud and sharp noise and when i saw the window, it was all cracked and shattered.

It has not fallen dow as it is a tempered glass, I believe. My house is about 1.5 years old and I dont understand why this happened?

I dont see any visible signs of stone, ball or bullet i.e., there no holes in the glass (just cracks) and by looking at the pattern it seems to flow from top center outwards towards the bottom.

Thanks

Answer 1

Your house is starting to settle . The glass installed was to big for the opening and the pressure pushed down on the glass and forced it to break. When you get someone to replace it make sure they allow atleast 1/8" clearance at the top for any such shifting. you can tell the pattern where the crack started from so when they change it check for screwheads left by the first installer , I have found alot in my time

Answer 2

Tempered glass breaks for the same reasons that annealed glass breaks. It's common for the temeperd glass to have a delay in breaking. There can be a weakness from the manufacturing process that is set off by the things that everyone here has already mentioned. The breaking is sudden and dramatic, just like you described. I bet that the glazier who replied is correct; you are likely to find a screw or nail in the house framing that has created a stress point.

You have a new house, and those windows are very likely to be under warranty. Now you just have to figure out how to pursue that warranty.

Building code would require that location to have tempered, laminated glass (your description sounds like tempered glass, anyway). Because it's probably also laminated, you won't have to worry that all of those glass cubes will fall out.

Answer 3

First I would do is call your home builder. See if they will fix it. Take pictures before you remove it. Then perhaps a glass company to repair it before it falls, and get some reasons from them as to why it may occur. Maybe its common in newer homes.

I agree with the settling of the house. Mine still creaks after 106 years. Perhaps they put the glass in with no room for wood frame to expand contract.

Check around the area above and side of the drywall. Do you see any cracks? Corners show but usually a seam on drywall cracks first if there is possibly a structural problem.

And i wouldn't rule out someone shooting it with a BB gun. That tiny hit may not show with all the crackles. Any kids within shot of it? They can shoot over 100 feet.

Answer 4

It may well be a stress fracture, and that could come from the settling of your home. Sometimes older homes "settle", and doors no longer fit like they should, and sometimes windows no longer will raise, so it doesn't seem too much of a stretch to think that the house might have settled enough to have stress fractured the window. Also, it could have been a drastic difference in the temperature from the outside and the inside. It could've been either really hot outside and cooled off really well inside, or visa-versa.There are several reasons.

Answer 5

1 Someone could have shot it with a airsoft gun from a distance.

2 Did you check outside? a bird may have flown into it, been stunned, and by the time you got there, flown away.

3 Do you get a newspaper delivered to your house by bike? If whoever was doing it and threw it hard enough, it's possible that it would shatter.

4 Could be something wrong with the design of the house, not enough support and weight shifted, causing the window to break.

5 Someone could have shot it with a slingshot.

6 Thermal shock

Answer 6

was it really humid where you live? a lot of times the wood will swell and that causes pressure on the windows that isn't usually there...that is also the reason why in the summer doors will stick and in the winter they flow smoothly. I'm not sure how to fix that if that is the cause, it might be something you should ask the manufacturer or construction company, you should have some sort of warranty. Good luck!

Answer 7

It's possible that as the glass or some part of the door changed in temperature too quickly, it expanded or contracted and shattered. This would be especially likely if the glass is old and/or if the weather is hotter or colder than usual where you live. This is the best explanation I can think of offhand.

Answer 8

If you don't see any bullets, rocks, balls, etc. it could have been a bird that flew into it, or just plain broke from the house settling after 15 years. The stress on the glass would eventually snap it.

Answer 9

Somebody hit your window lady accept the facts it was me and im very sorry

Answer 10

maybe your house is leveling and the frame got to big.