when i
suggest safety glass to a client, it's not because i want to take their money.
without sounding overtly cliché, i want to save them money.
safety glass offers: |
• protection of the art
glass:
i have repaired far too many panels due to the
fact there was no safety glass installed. art glass is not designed to be the
sole barrier between your interior and the exterior. it is ornamental artwork. door
panels especially receive abuse each and every time the door closes, more so
when it slams. the door stops immediately, but the art glass wants to keep
going. over time, the metalwork within the panel weakens, eventually to a point
fatigue causes the glass to loosen or break. safety glass helps keep the art
glass in place during door operation.
safety glass prevents most flying
obstacles from hitting and damaging the art glass from the outside. it also
helps save the glass from breakage when someone pushes on the glass to open
the door, as well as adding a more formable barrier to anyone thinking they can pop through the art
glass to reach in and unlock your door. • sealing out the environment:
art glass in
an opening all by itself will rarely seal out water for the life of the panel.
many times, a seal isn't 100% from day one.
water finding it's way onto the panel, will eventually leak in and around the
bottom border channel, anywhere else not 100% sealed correctly, and through
the panel itself, as it's typical that a leaded art glass panel in a door by
itself will
not stay completely sealed to withstand water intrusion forever. once
water reaches the border
channel, it can disintegrate over a short period of time, causing panel fatigue
and damage to whatever the panel is mounted in.
art glass panels caulked in by them selves will cost more to repair, if and
when they need it, due to the extra work involved in removing the damaged
panel and the risk of breaking additional pieces during the removal process.
safety glass is far easier to seal into an opening with immediate 100% coverage. the art
glass then needs no caulking to close it into the opening, thus making it far
easier to remove, if needed.
• safety:
by it's very name, safety glass
offers safety. art glass is weaker than any safety glass and therefore, offers
less resistance to a person falling into the panel. pushing or falling against art
glass protected by safety glass on the outside may cause the art glass to break,
but it will prevent a greater injury to the faller and less damage to the art
glass.
• cleaning:
safety glass removes the need to repeatedly
clean the exterior side of the art glass. exposed art glass can
be a
nightmare to keep clean, due to the entrapment of dirt and debris in and
amongst the lead work. it can take hours to thoroughly
clean an exposed panel,
whereas safety glass is a quick spritz and a wipe.
• downsides: i can think of only three downsides to having safety
glass in an installation.
1) standard tempered glass or the more
expensive impact glass does add to the over all cost.
2) there will be a
reflective surface on the outside of your installation. while it makes no
visual
difference from the inside or at night, some people do find this an annoyance during the day
from the outside.
3) over the years, fogging may occur in between the art
glass and safety glass. this is a rare occurrence. it has been my
experience, that fogging occurs primarily when an attempt has been made to seal in
the art glass along
with the safety glass, without allowing the space in between to 'breath'.
a small amount of trapped moisture can then appear as a fog on the glasses.
i feel that these issues do not compare to the protection, safety, and savings
that safety glass will offer in the long run. i can not stress
enough, the importance of adding safety glass to most any exterior exposed art glass installation.
|
|
for example: |
 |
these are entry doors to a professional office. i have
removed, repaired, and reinstalled
the active door art glass panel on the left side three times now. each time, i
highly recommended adding safety glass, but always denied. i feel it's especially
important, due to the fact this office services primarily elderly clients that come and go throughout
the day. twice the panel was broken by the clients themselves.
weaknesses and gaps in the original caulking material has allowed
water intrusion, causing partial disintegration of the
panel's border channel, as well as damage to the door itself.
i am confident these panels will need continued repair as long as they
are in these doors under current circumstances. the active door panel
is gradually deteriorating. several solder joints are weak with some
evident separation.
october 2010: i was contacted to repair
the same door panel a fourth time. it appears my insistence on safety glass
may have ended my relationship with these doors, as no further
contact has been made about this latest need of repair. |
|
| 'x'
marks the 4th time breaks. these panels are made with very nice bevels and hand made
glasses. these hand made glasses tend to be thin and delicate, as well as
very expensive. i
avoid using them in door panels at all because the break factor is so high.
the large bevels and metal bracing are heavy and
do add to the stress the thinner glasses must
endure. in my
opinion, using this type of glass
in door panels without safety glass is ill-advised, dangerous, and virtually guaranteed
future repair issues. |
|
