Spontaneous shattering of double glazed panels (2023 Update)

[2dallies]

That sounds like a great service, well done Velux. I’d definitely look into their products in future. Sadly the company I used (Creative View in Clacton) have no interest in helping us, or customer service with reassurance if it will, or might happen again. We have tried to challenge the warranty /guarantees to no avail. Their only comment is we can get another glass unit, but it won’t be the same colour, it’ll cost £1200, take 2-3 months and they want 75% payment up front!!!! I’ve asked other glazers (we’ve been quoted approx £280 - £300 by four different ones), but using someone else will probably invalidate our original 10 year warranty, and guarantees, if there’s any other issues (not that the guarantees seem worth the paper they are written on!!).

[2dallies]

[LINDA]

Hi Dave yes this happened to us yesterday . Luckily we were out or we would have been hurt . A window in the roof blew our security camera filmed it .So nothing had hit it . We phoned the company as we have only had it three years and it’s still under guarantee. It was a shock and we feel scared to go into there now.

[2dallies]

Hi Linda, let us know how you get on with your installers and the guarantee and what they say. My guarantee was for ten years, but they won't honour it as they said /"our guarantee does not cover the natural phenomenon of Nickel Sulphide", but we have had an independent report and the panel came out, exposing a screw that was badly fitted, sticking outward of the frame and into the side of the glass panel. We have been told the settling of the build and the glass panel can only take so much stress and this is the cause. Our installer are adamant this would have happened instantly, not two years later and won't help us in anyway. If anyone else can shed an opinion on this screw, we would be grateful to hear it and also from you Linda on the findings of your installation company and what they do about it.

[PJS]

Hi I have just found your message about shattering internal conservatory glass roof panels. This morning we have woken to this experience and we are wondering if the company may be the same. Have rang them this morning and been told not covered by insurance. The company fitted 4 years ago. With live in Nottingham area.

[2dallies]

Hi PJS, firstly sorry to hear it's happened to you. I doubt it's the same company, mine was Creative View Clacton, Essex. I had an independent person look at mine as the company weren't interested, and it turns out to be a wayward screw (shoddy workmanship), but I still haven't got anywhere. I think these companies get out of having to honour their guarantees/insurance, by blaming "Nickel Sulphide" inclusions, without even checking their installation or going to their glass manufacturer for advice. My understanding from all the 'homework' I've done is it's usually a bad batch of glass or bad fitting, either way it's possible it could happen again if it's the same batch of glass or the same fitter! Good luck, keep me posted on how you get on, I'm still trying to fight it because on our guarantees there are no 'exclusions' stated, so assumed we would be covered. We had 17 panels in our roof, I don't want to keep paying £1200 (plus all the damaged furniture) every time one explodes!!

[Alan]

Today 19 September 2021. This has just happened to us. A loud bang when my wife was in the conservatory and I was in the adjoining kitchen. The end inner pane of a double glazed roof panel suddenly shattered. Within about 15 minutes the shattered crystals of broken glass started to fall. The hard wood conservatory was constructed and installed in 2005 which is 16 years ago so no guarantee on the windows. The outer pane appears to be OK for now and there does not appear to be any impact evidence either inside or out.

[Brian Gaff]

I'd think there was a tiny crack and the pane was under some uneven stress, and then just like windscreens the thing just went. I'm rather surprised that in roofing units they do not have a layer of plastic film over them to stop the dangerous chards from falling on somebody. Brian

[whisky-dave]

There was some instances of this happening with anglian windows recently, heard about it on watchdog or whatever on the BBC the one show last week I think.

2005 so nothing to do with Brexit or covid at least, so must be global warming. :-)

[Paul]

Hi yes we have just experienced our second unit explosion first was a roof panel and now a side panel the roof panel went while we were out when it fell in it damaged the floor if the children were out there it would have cut them to pieces both were inside panes thanks

[NY]

At first I thought you meant that the inside and outside panes had both shattered, which would have suggested an object striking the window from outside and penetrating both panes.

[Jeff Layman]

Toughened glass breaks into thousands of small pieces when broken. It would be very unlikely to cause anything other than a few minor cuts or scratches.

FWIW our conservatory has been up nearly 9 years. None of the glass panels have broken. In addition, some are unusual shapes (including three and five sided), so stresses might be higher on those.

[Brian Gaff]

This problem seems to have been going on for many years. Has anyone come up with a cause, or is it that the weight of the pane if used as a roof just cracks and falls in?I'd have thought a glass coated in a plastic film might have stopped this. Brian

[healingwings]

We have the same problems with Britelite Windows Ltd:

1. Patio door exploded.
2. Double glazed units exploded.
3. Roof leaks.
4. Window coving falling off.

12 other other defects and conservatory problems.