Last night the non-movable part of our sliding glass door popped and then proceeded to crack into a billion small pieces overnight...thankfully it's the type of glass that doesn't break apart all over the place...three questions:

1) Can anyone explain why that would happen? There are no holes/evidence of foul play.

2) What type of store replaces something like this?

3) Is there any danger in it being broken for a few days until I can figure out what to do? It actually looks pretty neat (I wish I could just keep it the way it is - it's like a clear stain-glass window)

 

How old is the sliding door and have you had any extreme temperature changes recently? That's one possibility.

Any door/window business can replace the door. Replacing the glass might be more of a problem if the door is old.

The glass is safey glass (like your car windshield), so there's no immediate danger. It has virtually no strength now so it won't stand much pressure. If you must use the door, be careful. The broken pane might collapse.

 

Thanks for the reply...actually I'm in the Bay Area like you (San Carlos) so I wouldn't say there has been extreme temp changes (although it has been colder than usual)...it is actually the window part of the system that broke (the pane that overlaps with the actual sliding glass door when the door is open)...so is it possible that the glass can be replaced rather than the whole pane/glass? Any guess at the cost to replace the glass (about 7 feet by 5 feet)...since you're in the Bay Area is there anyone you would recommend for the job/purchase? Thanks again for the input...

 

Since my temperature theory got blown away I'm at something of a loss. Now if you were in the northeast........

You'll have to contact a door/window company in your area to find out about repair. I'm in San Jose, so I don't know anyone up there. The age of your door might have an effect on the repair cost.

If it isn't a thermal unit (double glazed) this might be a good time to think upgrade. You can get a Home Depot slider installed for around $900, or so. Your homeowners insurance might cover it.

 

An ill-fitting door that is in a bind will do this. I've seen a couple of these. House settling. Be sure the new glass isn't clamped in the frame or you'll be replacing it again....

 

Since it's sitting there like a pile of bricks stacked up, how do I get it out of there to replace the sheet of glass? Is there any "good" way to do this or do I just try to lay out some tarps so when I "knock it over" it'll be easier to clean up?

 

Oops, Andy is right - it isn't laminated. Sorry about that.

You could lay tarps and "nudge" it so it falls out. Be careful if there are kids or pets around. Sweep it up and toss it in the trash. I would tape a tarp or some thin plywood over the opening until you can get the door repaired or replaced.

You haven't mentioned the age of the door, but that kind of failure almost certainly resulted from some kind of unusual stress on the door that caused the glass to shatter. That needs to be looked into. It's possible that something has been "working" for a long time and weakened the glass until it finally broke.

 

The glass pane/frame is about 13 years old...I'll see if I can have someone "test the system" and figure out what the heck happened...I agree b/c some people have glass that is 100 years old w/out problems...it's definitely something you don't plan on having to replace as a homeowner...

 

Most of the information in the replies are correct. There is one other possibility, imperfections, and I've seen this about 4 times in my 40 years in the business.

IMPERFECTIONS

Inclusions in glass originate from impurities in th batch or cullet, or are combined from furnace refactories. Common forms of inclusions include aluminous stones, iron stones, and silicon. Nickel sulfide stones are uncommon, microscopic defects in glass, and may cause breakage. Delayed breakage may occur when a nickel sulfide stone is present near the center of the glass thickness.

The tempering process rarely introduces imperfections into glass. The basic glass may contain bubbles, vents, chips, and inclusions which, if accepted or not revealed by inspection before tempering can cause breakage in the initial heating or final quench operations. If inclusions are not eliminated by self destruction during the tempering process, in rare cases they may lead to failure at a later time.