Cracked inner panel of dual pane glass (Caused by window film or cellular shades w/ tracks?)

jay · 2005-02-02T00:22:36+00:00

I have a room in my house (I live in the Northeast) with two dual-pane windows next to each other (separate individual windows within the same frame).Today sometime toward the end of the afternoon, one of the inner panels of one of the windows developed a big crack. This particular room has a problem in which, since it faces the south, the room tends to get warmer than other rooms in the house on sunny days. This is due to heat from the sun making its' way through the window.I had installed tinted window film on the inside of the glass about 2 months ago. This is the kind that adheres via static cling. The manufacturer recommended against putting it on the inside of double-pane windows, but I tried it anyway, since, frankly, this film wasn't even very effective, but is CLAIMED to have a summer shading coefficient of .67 which isn't all that great a spec to begin with. (I also figured that since the windows are 20 years old, the seal was likely shot and there would not be much risk of them "exploding")About 1 month ago, since the window film alone did NOT help much in keeping the heat from getting into the room, I installed a double-cellular honeycomb room darkening shade that has side tracks so that the sides are virtually sealed. This did seem help a little in keeping heat from getting into the room, but tends to trap warm air between the shade and the window.Again, the combination of both the window film and the shade-with-side-tracks seemed to help a little in reducing the heat, but now today all of a sudden I have the crack in the inner pane of one of the windows. For this reason I have removed the window film because it is a strong suspect (simply because the manufacturer's warning "told me so" ).Do you think it was the window film alone that was the cause of the cracked glass, or could it have been due to the the cellular shade-with-side-tracks? Do you recommend I remove the side-tracks from the shade to avoid another crack, and just accept the fact...

J

jay 21 years ago

Even today (with no window film) the shades alone caused the window to get so hot I could not keep my hand on it.

The window screens were on the inside (between the shade and the window). Today I don't have the screens installed, since I had to remove them to get rid of the window film, and will install them again after I have new glass panels installed (looking into getting low e) for the two adjacent windows. The screens did not help since they were on the inside of the window.

Frankly, I'm afraid to continue using the insulated shade with the side tracks since it causes the glass to get very hot. I'd even bet that the insulated shade played as much, or even a greater, a role toward causing the crack than the window film (since the window film was not very effective).

J.

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m Ransley 21 years ago

You had a warning from the film co for good reason. Now why not call glass companys, everyone and you are just guessing here. Go get the facts from the man that makes glass ....

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Joseph Meehan 21 years ago

Yes.

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jay 21 years ago

I just downloaded a .PDF of Anderson's 20 limited warrantee. They list damage due to "insulated coverings" as an exclusion in the warrantee (as well as tinted window coverings).

J.

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Colbyt 21 years ago

I said the combination of the two. The film was the major componet of the failure. Actually it was user error.

As I stated in my post we install these inside skylights all the time with no problem.

Did these shade contain any warning labels about glass breakage when used with IG units?

How many cord warning child choking labels did you remove from this product?

Would they spend this much money on one safety aspect and fail to address another?

Your house, your expense do as you will.

Colbyt

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jay 21 years ago

Also, "Four Seasons Sunrooms" mentions that they do not cover damage due to "use of insulated shades during daylight hours" in their glass warranty.

J.

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jay 21 years ago

Skylights are likely a much heavier duty glass than the relatively-thin glass on my windows.

No, but they I now believe that they really SHOULD warn about glass breakage when used in conjunction with the side tracks during daylight hours.

Because they are legally required to address the cord choking issue. Likely room darkening shades with side tracks aren't popular enough to have caused too many problems, and likely the odds are much lower that cracks in the glass while the shades are down would result in death.

By the way, Anderson windows lists damage due to "insulated coverings" as an exclusion in their 20 year limited glass warranty. Also, "Four Seasons Sunrooms" mentions that they do not cover damage due to "use of insulated shades during daylight hours" in their glass warranty.

My point here is that, although I agree with your point that the glass cracked due to user error (my trying to solve the heat problem from the inside of the house) , and although I was foolish for putting the window film on the inside of the dual-pane windows, I suspect the shades-with-sidetracks equally as much, if not more, than the window film.

I will likely move the cellular shades into a room that faces the north!

J.

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m Ransley 21 years ago

Well if Anderson and 4 seasons have that exclusion then there is an issue. Good you found out for me I was thinking about your shades. Your shades are R 5 , that is the highest R for a shade Ive seen, it is equal to a Tri pane or 1" of pink foamboard is r5.5. True your glass should not be Too hot to touch. High R shades are usualy meant for night heat loss. Was there a warning with your shades ? There should have been. I have Anderson and pella, , maybe the exclusion is new I do not remember seeing it . Before I get cellulars I will research it more. I just put in a 5x8 Tripane id hate to break it. Why not just open a window and get fresh air in.

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jay 21 years ago

There was no warning. Anyway, the shades would likely not be a problem as long as the sidetracks aren't installed (but then why bother with a high r value shade with gaps). With the sidetracks, it creates the seal on the sides that traps the hot air between the shade and the glass on a sunny day.

J.

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