Single pane glass replacement question


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Old 05-30-15, 03:40 PM
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Single pane glass replacement question

I have a 28"x11 5/8 or 11 3/4" piece of single pain glass to replace.

I believe it is 11 3/4" but it might be slightly smaller than that at 11 5/8. I cant tell for certain

Is it likely the glass in windows are measured in quarter increments instead of 5/8?

Also

without removal of the glass prior to purchase of replacement glass I cant tell about thickness. I think the standard is 1/8" thick?

These are old double hung windows from the 1950's. The slide up and down on a aluminum tube in the track. I assume there is a rope in this tube?

How would I remove one of the two sliding portions if I wanted to take the entire piece into a window shop and have them replace? Would getting a glass company out for this job cost more than 75 bucks?
 
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Old 05-30-15, 03:43 PM
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All the glass I've ever had cut was cut to the dimensions I supplied. I try to measure them a tad on the small size as there is room for a little slop but if it's too tight .......
 
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Old 05-30-15, 03:52 PM
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I think you take off 1/8th off the length and width.It's been a long time since I cut and installed.
 
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Old 05-30-15, 03:53 PM
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I thought maybe there was a standard ... in quarter increments... instead of the odd 5/8 I am seeing.

Take 1/8 off between the bottom of the frame they lay in?

I was replacing the glazing and caused a crack right at the joint I was scrapping. There is a tiny crack about half the size of my pinky finger nail. I filled it with epoxy and its not a window that is visible and it also has a storm window over it.

I am not sure if I actually need to replace whether trying something I never done before or paying for it... would you?
 
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Old 05-30-15, 03:58 PM
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You got to be right on with the measurement. So you have 1/16th on both sides and up and down times 2 = 1/8th. A small crack will travel so it's best to replace.
 
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Old 05-30-15, 04:14 PM
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And yes single pane is 1/8th thick.
 
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Old 05-30-15, 05:20 PM
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Heres a concern.

Its a double hung window. The one needing replacement is the bottom.

I have the normal putty on the bottom and the sides but the top appears to have a slot where the glass sticks into. The old putting then does not look the same as the other 3 sides.

So if the glass fits into this slot on the top, how do I account for that in my measurement?
 
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Old 05-30-15, 05:30 PM
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How deep is the slot on top? Just think as if the window was laying down. It needs the top to rest against something. Is it not a rabbit joint on top too? Maybe you could make a example out of stiff cardboard for fit. Or you could split the difference in ht. and bring it up with broken wooden match sticks.
 
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Old 05-31-15, 05:25 AM
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hopefully someone can reply before the hardware store opens today.

I was able to get the glass out of the window in 2 pieces.

I can just measure the dimensions of the glass in that case and purchase/cut the exact same size of the old glass without the deduction. Is that correct?

Or do I still need that minus 1/8" since this is a replacement?
 
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Old 05-31-15, 05:54 AM
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It's better to have a slightly loose fit than a tight fit! An 1/8" gives you wiggle room. The sash isn't always square so take your measurements in several places. It's better to measure the opening than the old broken glass.
 
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Old 05-31-15, 01:14 PM
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thanks, im glad I read that before going to the hardware store.

The only question that remains is the glass that I used to replace. The old window was a single pane 1/8" thick. It appeared to be standard glass and broke in large sharp pieces. That's what I got for the replacement as well. I did not get tempered glass.

Was that a mistake?
Is there some 1/8" glass that isn't for replacement panes?

I hope I didn't make a mistake in that regard.
 
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Old 05-31-15, 01:19 PM
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You are correct. Don't forget to scrape off the hard putty that the glass was pushed against and replace with a new bed.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 03:46 AM
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There is a rule on where you must use tempered glass but generally that doesn't include windows unless they are real low. I don't know the specifics of the regs that cover that but basically it's to prevent injury from breaking glass on doors or real low large windows.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 03:58 AM
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I do window repair. Allow about 1/8 slop. The groove or channel at the top includes that 1/8". All sides should be glazed including that top section. Storm door glass must be tempered or plexi. I dis-agree with Marksr, whenever possible I always try to use the old glass as a template to replace with new. My reasoning: if the old piece fit then why change it. This is especially true when dealing with the metal frame that use gasketing. Even a 1/16 too small or big can make it almost impossible to refit.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 04:24 AM
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The problem I've run into with taking measurements off of broken pieces of glass is they don't always fit back together tightly and could give you a slightly larger measurement. Plus how well did that pane fit originally? I'd rather deal with a pane cut a tad too small than one that is a tad too big.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 04:52 AM
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First of all, single strength window glass, 3/32" thick, was always used in wood sash. Double strength, 1/8" thick was used in metal sash and over size windows. If you use 1/8" glass, you may have to open the top groove in the sash a bit to get the glass in. Tempered is not required. The best way to measure the glass is to remove the glass, remove the glazing compound completely, measure the opening and deduct 1/8" in width and height. Don't forget to hold the glass in with glazing points before applying glazing compound.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 04:34 PM
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Marksr, If the pane is broken too badly then yes you are correct. I will use the original pane only if I can get a clean uninterrupted measurement. In most cases it's just one continuous crack along one area leaving enough of two opposite sides to measure from. On metal frames it's a different story. Drop in panes are no problem. And the frame stays in one piece. It's the metal frames that use an envelope style gasket that covers both side of the glass that can be hairy. In those frames you must take the frame apart, attach the gasket and then re-attach each side. If the mitre corners don't match because of slightly wrong size glass you have to start over. And you can't shave off 1/32's of glass off the edge if too big or add anything if too small. Another problem is getting the proper size gasket to fill the frame channel. If the customer doesn't provide a piece of the old gasket then I need to guess what size will fit.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 05:15 PM
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envelope style gasket that covers both side of the glass
also called "rubber glazing boot" or "marine glazing".

What's really bad is when you have a casement sash that needs to have 1/8" rubber shims around the perimeter of the glass to keep the sash square, (so the exact size of the IGU is critical...) and the company you get the glass from decides that they can be sloppy that day and they don't take care to square up the 2 panes of glass when they butyl them together. Or maybe they lean the IGU against a wall and the glass slips, I don't know. At any rate, sometimes you get a skewed IGU that makes it tough to fit and practically impossible to use rubber spacers on.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 08:02 PM
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also called "rubber glazing boot" or "marine glazing".
AKA... Glass retaining spline.
 
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Old 06-01-15, 08:10 PM
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No, a boot goes all the way around both sides of the glass. A spline would go on one side only. I've been working on windows way too long.
 
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Old 06-02-15, 04:27 AM
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Depends on where you buy it from. We buy it from Prime. They call it retainer spline or channel.

 

Last edited by Norm201; 06-02-15 at 05:01 AM.
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Old 06-02-15, 10:34 AM
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I'll have to write a complaint about their inaccurate terms. lol
 
 

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