tempered glass for windows?

[Jim Elbrecht]

I just priced the windows for the last room in my 100 yr old house.

One of the options the salesman offered was tempered glass. My first instinct was 'sure, why not?' -- but the more I think about it, I have trouble justifying the extra $2-300 for 3 windows.

These are second floor windows- not in a high wind area, though there are trees nearby. They are not within range of any golf balls, baseballs, or other missiles. The windows that are there now have survived 110+ years without shattering. [likely the original windows as all the panes have bubbles and imperfections]

So is there something else I'm missing that makes tempered a worthwhile investment?

If the size of the pane makes a difference- 2 windows are 30x36 double hungs- so the panes are about 26x15. The other is a 74x36 slider- panes probably about 35x32.

They are Andersen 400s with the Smartsun LowE-4 glass. [still open to suggestions if anyone has strong feelings about these or other windows]

Jim

[RicodJour]

Code only requires tempered or laminated glass in certain situations, so unless the window glass is immediately adjacent to a door, within

18" of the floor, in a hurricane area, within 1 mile of the ocean, or within 5' vertically of the floor of a tub, you don't need it. Save the money.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the price difference isn't bigger.

R

[mm]

Even I would spend the extra $2. grin.

Don't they have historic value?

The only times windows get broken is from baseballs and shootings. Does your next door neighbor want to shoot you?

[Robert Neville]

Tempered glass is usually only required where there is a high probability of someone slipping or falling nearby and putting a head, arm or other body part through the glass. In most residental applications not on a golf course, that means in the bathroom or in sliding doors. Can't imagine why you'd want the expense in a standard window. Your local code may vary.

[Jim Elbrecht]

Maybe- you can have them if you want them. Otherwise I'll take the sashes & panes to the habitat store. It isn't worth messing with the frames. I used to take them out in one piece-- but now I hack them apart with a reciprocating saw.

Only have one & he's on the other side of the house. I can't see the ones facing these 2 walls.

Jim

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Thanks- that seems to be consensus- I'll see if I can spend that money someplace else.

Jim

[gfretwell]

Tempered glass is not part of the wind code. If you have "impact rated" windows, they are not tempered they are sandwich glass like a windshield, except heavier. My impact sliders have 9/16" glass and each 36 x 80 panel weighs almost 300 pounds.

[clare]

SOME impact glass is laminated AND tempered. Expensive stuff, because the glass needs to be cut to size, then oven tempered, THEN laminated. Cannot be cut.

[do_not_spam_me]

One day, about 40 years ago, the police came and told everybody in the kuldesak to move their cars out of the street. A few minutes later, a medivac helicoptor landed there and took the little girl who lived in the house farthest to the left to the hospital. She had run through sliding door made of untempered glass, and her torso was pierced by a very large shard. She died at the hospital that day. The next day, my father put metal bracing over all our sliding glass doors but had everything replaced with tempered glass.

She lived in the house farthest to the left:

[gfretwell]

This may actually be tempered too but the real impact protection is the plastic sheet inside. When they take the shot the window may break but the plastic holds everything together and preserves the envelope.

[krw]

When my wife was a girl she ran through a slider, too. When they were pulling stitches out of her leg they lost count at 500. She had a lot of leg problems for decades after that (no issues now). That was in the days before safety glass was required.

[ransley]

Andersen makes great glass you should check out the process at their website. They have a better condensing rating than pella, mine condense easily the andersens dont. Is this a factory install or a local, because if a non factory rep you have to check plumb, level and square before you pay because if anything is 1/8" or more out it isnt covered by Andersens warranty from day one. Read your warranty exclusions. Forget the tempered option. My Andersens are actualy clearer than other glass I have and they honor thier warranty. If you dont have an andersen co install it get their rep out to verify it to being accepted as not improper, so you get the warranty. It should only cost 100$ I had the rep out to late, after I paid, and the installer would not come back to fix several windows.

[Jeff The Drunk]

I had some skateboard punk try to bash out my front window after an altercation late one night when the SOB was skating up and down my street around midnight. Sitting in my driveway enjoying the nighttime air and sounds of crickets etc...in a quiet neighborhood, I was incensed at this punk and his so called "right to ride my skateboard wherever and whenever I want" attitude. Some words were exchanged and I threatened to kick his ass as he skated off. An hour later as I was hidden in the darkness this punk decided to bash on my front window with his skateboard. Little did he know it was a tempered window and although it sounded like he took his best shots (3) the window remained unscathed as he skated off with me and my baseball bat at his heels. Moral to the story, glad I paid the extra money for the special glass.

[mm]

Sorry. I don't have experience with hail that big.

[TrueCHoJiN]

responding to

TrueCHoJiN wrote: I know this is a late reply, but may help someone looking into whether or not a tempered window is required in certain situations...

MN Building Codes require, along with tempered glass within 5' of a bathtub, tempered windows in any stair wells.