Small hole in glass window - what's available for fix?

[Home Guy]

Either someone did this with a BB gun, or I did this with my lawn mower, but one of my windows (double-pane, removable inner pane) has a small hole (maybe 1/4" in the middle of a 1/2" crater) and a couple of short cracks radiating outward from the crater. This is (naturally) in the outer pane. This is plate glass, about 1/8" thick.

I know that car windshield repair commercials show some sort of clear liquid being injected into a windshield crater and makes the crater and cracks disappear. I don't need the fancy equipment - just the liquid.

Anyone know what it is, and does the Home Despot (or other hardware stores) sell it?

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Double pane? The seal is gone now whether hole is fixed or not. R value near zero. Better replace the panel B4 weather gets cold.

[Home Guy]

Ok, I think this will do it:

Canada Tire would probably also have something like this.

[aemeijers]

Read it again- removable inner pane, not insulated glass. For OP- forget it- there is no pretty repair. The car windshield repairs work because they have a plastic center layer, and you can suck all the air out as you are adding the plastic. No way to do that with air on both sides of pane. If you can't afford to replace right now, just clean the area, and apply clear tape over it- that should get you through the winter. If you wanna disguise it, get one of those bird stickers that supposedly prevent bird kamikaze attacks. But if you can remove the frame containing the damaged glass to carry it in to the window shop, you may be surprised how cheap the repair is.

[Jerry Ohio Also]

Wide clear packing tape from work. If you have a job.

Jr.

[Jerry Ohio Also]

If you work in a factory with a shipping department.

Jr.

[Ron]

It will ONLY work on laminated glass.

[Ron]

Ha....if he has a typical wooden Anderson from 25 yrs ago it's probably an Anderson that you need a router to get the glass out. A lot of the Andersons from that era (and earlier) built the frame around the glass!

[Home Guy]

I know that's what it says, but cracked laminated glass is still broken glass all the same. This stuff has to "stick" to glass and fill any cracks in the glass - regardless if there's a layer of plastic in the glass or not.

[Ron]

I misread it too, but the bottom line is it can't be "repaired". It needs to be replaced. And if it's the kind of Anderson that I think it is, he will need a router, or be damn good with a hammer and wood chisel.

[Home Guy]

Why should it matter whether or not there's a plastic layer buried somewhere inside the broken / cracked glass?

If this resin is supposed to flow into cracks and seal them, adhere or bond the cracked surfaces together, then we're still talking about a glass-to-glass interface that needs bonding / sealing.

This is in a small commercial building that does not have a humidifier as part of the HVAC system, so there will not be any fogging.

[Ron]

Fine....go ahead and buy it. I was only in the glass business for close to 25 yrs (the majority of it in auto glass), but you know more about it than I do................

[aemeijers]

Lotsa luck in getting the resin in the cracks without pulling a vacuum on the broken area. Google for a picture of how windshield star repairs are done, maybe it will make sense to you. Go ahead and try- you can't make it any worse.

[Ron]

Because, before the resin is pumped in, a vacuum is applied to remove all of the air from the runs (cracks).

[Ron]

And, it's not always as simple as some of those videos make it out to be. When I was in the glass business I had a professional windshield repair kit/machine, and it was still a PITA to get the resin to flown into the cracks sometimes. There is a flexing technique that sometimes has to be used. Sometimes you have to heat the inside of the windshield with a small torch. Not just any "Joe Blow" can successfully repair a stone chip. Especially with those kits from an auto parts store.

[Ron]

I believe there is only one brand. Andersen. I misspelled it. I just know that when I first got into the glass business, the AnderSENS that we had to replace the glass in didn't have any stops. We had to use a router to replace the glass, and then pay a carpenter to come behind us and do the rest.

[Home Guy]

What does that vacuum process have to do with whether or not the glass is laminated?

[aemeijers]

Sigh. BTDT. Spent several months trying to chase down parts for

1961-vintage Andersen crank-out casements when preparing my Grandmother's house for sale. Never did find all the parts, but found enough to make the place presentable. Outer panes on those were held by putty, though- I think they were before the assemble-frame-around-glass era. The removable inner panes were exactly as described, though.

[Home Guy]

Did you ever try to patch or fill-in a crater-hole in thin plate glass with this automotive resin stuff?

Or did you never have the opportunity or need to do so?

If you have first-hand experience with the failure of this automotive repair resin on ordinary non-laminated plate glass, then I will pay attention and carefully read your account of any such attempted use.

[Jules Richardson]

Clear caulk worked for me last year (similar-sized hole of unknown cause as the OP) - no fogging and no noticable difference to heating bills last winter.

cheers

Jules