I woke up this AM to find that our large round top window in our family room had cracked during the night. It was 20-30 below zero last night in Minnesota. I was wondering if the cold weather can cause this. Our house was built in 2002 so the window is still actually pretty new. If the cold can do this how does one prevent it from happening?
The chances are pretty good that it was a one-time event, caused by a combination of thermal stress and settling of the house over time, and maybe flexing of the wall and window under wind-load or a flaw in the window-glass. If you've got some heat source that's heating the window unevenly, like a spot-light or hot-air vent aimed directly at the glass, you might move that.
Likely a stress fault in the window coupled with the cold weather. In any case it should be covered by the manufacturer or builder.
is it an insulated (thermopane) window? are there exterior mouldings? if there are, water could have settled in and around the glass unit and the severe cold could have frozen the water so quickly it broke the lite. this could have happened if there are no exterior mouldings and there was a bad seal on the outside and allowed water to collect. if it is a thermopane, is it cracked on the inside or outside? was there a snow build up on the window sill?
mike..............
Thanks, Mike. I am not sure if it is inside or outside. It is about
15 feet in the air and I noticed when I was leaving for work. I went outside to see if there was anything on the ground like a bird or a ball or someting. Nothing. There is no snow. If you pictured the window as a clock cut n half the crack would look like it was 9:50. It is all the way from the edge to almost the middle. I think it is one pane now that I think about it. If not the crack is on the outside because you can see it more clearly from out there.There isn't molding, just siding around the window on the outside. I did look and there is a large bead of caulking around the window.
Thanks, Mike. I am not sure if it is inside or outside. It is about
15 feet in the air and I noticed when I was leaving for work. I went outside to see if there was anything on the ground like a bird or a ball or someting. Nothing. There is no snow. If you pictured the window as a clock cut n half the crack would look like it was 9:50. It is all the way from the edge to almost the middle. I think it is one pane now that I think about it. If not the crack is on the outside because you can see it more clearly from out there.There isn't molding, just siding around the window on the outside. I did look and there is a large bead of caulking around the window.
coming fromt he side like that, from the sounds of it, it could have been a pressure crack, like someone else said, settling of some sort. call a glass shop and have it taken care of. talk to them to see if an insulated unit can be installed in its place if it just a single glazed window.
good luck......
mike..............
Is the wall bricked up? Maybe things are too tight against the window and cold weather made things shift. Masons often brick windows too tight thought normally it is a hot weather problem.
Just to be safe, when you replace it, have them chisel out the frame and add extra rubber or caulk.
cold weather cant cause it. it was BIGFOOT!!! RUN!!!
randy
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