Before You Call A Glass Repair Company
Maybe you’ve had a break-in. Maybe the kid who lives down the street tossed a wayward throw to home plate through your picture window. Or maybe you just closed it too hard and broke it yourself. In any case, you’ve got yourself a broken window, complete with dangling jagged shards and chunks of razor-sharp glass on the floor.
What do you do? You call a glass repair company. But before you do that, take a few minutes and gather some of the following information which will help expedite getting it repaired, hopefully the very same day.
What is the size of the broken window?
A major factor in same-day window repair is the size of the glass. A glass company employee won’t expect you to give them exact measurements over the phone, but will certainly ask you for a rough estimate. Find yourself a tape measure if you have one and (taking appropriate care, of course) measure both the height and the width. Measure only the glass surface you see (it’s what’s known as “daylight” in the glass repair business). Don’t have a tape measure or just can’t seem to find one when you need it? Use a sheet of typical copy paper – most are usually eleven inches long.
Knowing the rough size of the glass to be repaired will help avoid the glazier from having to return to the shop for a larger sheet.
Is the window single or double-pane?
Single-pane windows can usually be repaired that very same day, often on the spot. Double-pane (also referred to as thermal or insulated windows) are a different story. This type of window has to be custom-made and will usually have to be ordered by the glass company from their manufacturer. This can typically take anywhere from 5 to 10 working days.
Determining whether you have a single or double-pane window is a fairly simply endeavor regardless of how little knowledge of windows you have or how badly broken it is. At the edge of the glass wherever it meets the frame, look for a silver aluminum spacer anywhere from a 1/4 inch thick to 3/4 inch thick. The presence of this silver spacer almost certainly indicates a double-pane window.
If it is a double-pane window, are both panes broken or just one?
If both panes of a double-pane window are broken it will have to be boarded. If, however, only one pane is broken it can often be left in place without having to board it. Be sure to let the glass company know in advance if it’s just one pane that’s broken or both.
Is the broken glass in a door?
If so, it will have to be replaced with either tempered or laminated safety glass, even if there is ordinary plate glass in it now. Tempered safety glass must be ordered and typically takes a week or two to get, but laminated safety glass can be cut to size the same day.
Is the broken glass tinted or textured in any way?
If you want the glass repair done that same day, consider getting it replaced with clear flat glass. Bear in mind, custom ordered specialty glass can be expensive.
Is the window arched or rounded in any way?
Windows such as these must be made from a template and are often time-consuming.
Is the window located on the first or second floor?
Some windows (especially older wooden ones) can be glazed from the outside only, making second floor installations significantly more difficult.
If the broken window is the result of a break-in, have the police been there yet?
In such cases the glass repair company is often required to wait until the fingerprint technician has completed his or her work.
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Glass companies realize that you’re not a window glass expert, but knowing the answers to as many of these questions as possible and communicating them to whomever you speak with when you call for service will certainly increase the probability that the responder will have the right size and type of glass to fix your window that same day.
Most importantly, though, try to steer clear of the broken glass. Whenever possible, let the glass company clean it up. They are professionals and know how to handle it safely.