Broken tempered glass in double insul. door

We have a set of new french doors with the blinds in the middle of the two panes of glass. After a lawn mowing accident, the outside pane of glass on one of the doors was shattered. Can this be repaired by replacing with another peice of tempered glass? or is it more complicated then that? Two local glass shops priced us $150+ to replace the glass but several others said they couldn't do it at all. The last place I called said that we can't just replace the one piece of glass because it's double insulated and we have broken the seal by breaking the window. To replace the entire glass unit, Lowes priced us $214. We only paid $399 for both the doors! My husband would replace the glass himself but we aren't sure that is feasible since the glass companies act like dealing with tempered glass in a double insulation is very hard. Do you have any advice or recommendations? We are looking for the most inexpensive fix. Thanks alot. Dawn

 

Sadly, dual-glazed units are vacuum sealed with something like argon or some other inert gas. It is also the law in many States that any glass in or near a door must be tempered. I would however check with the manufacturer on any guarantees. The fact that it is broken and not defective might be a resounding "No." Dual-glazed units are set in with "stops" wooden or otherwise. Carefully remove them with something thin like a putty knife and de-glaze (uninstall) the glass. Take it to a glass shop for finished-size (accurately measured) measurement and quote. When you recieve the unit, reinstall it the same way it came out. You might want to run a bead of clear silicone on the interior set (what the glass sets up against) to resist leakage. And make sure the opening is clean and clear of any dirt or broken glass.