Bathroom Glass Explosion

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Bathroom Glass Explosion - Spontaneous

1 | 2 | 3

networkn

Networkn
32353 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1911365 30-Nov-2017 23:17

It took the guy 3 hours to clean the bathroom. Everything fabric was removed including all the towels, mats and clothing. All the brushes, pretty much anything where glass could be found no matter how small. He used a UV light to check the place over and found heaps after I couldn't see any sign of a single sign of glass anywhere.

They were really good at it, experienced.

He said the glass was higher up than he would have expected included embedded into the silicone. He said it was the worst he had seen in a long long time.

sonyxperiageek

2959 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1911401 1-Dec-2017 06:20

Who was the company you asked to clean up the glass?

Sony

WolfmanNZ

139 posts

Master Geek

#1911451 1-Dec-2017 09:20

networkn:

It took the guy 3 hours to clean the bathroom. Everything fabric was removed including all the towels, mats and clothing. All the brushes, pretty much anything where glass could be found no matter how small. He used a UV light to check the place over and found heaps after I couldn't see any sign of a single sign of glass anywhere.

They were really good at it, experienced.

He said the glass was higher up than he would have expected included embedded into the silicone. He said it was the worst he had seen in a long long time.

Jeebus. Great you got someone experienced at cleaning this up. Did he say how often this happens from his experience (sounds like a fair bit!)

networkn

Networkn
32353 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1911488 1-Dec-2017 09:47

WolfmanNZ:

networkn:

It took the guy 3 hours to clean the bathroom. Everything fabric was removed including all the towels, mats and clothing. All the brushes, pretty much anything where glass could be found no matter how small. He used a UV light to check the place over and found heaps after I couldn't see any sign of a single sign of glass anywhere.

They were really good at it, experienced.

He said the glass was higher up than he would have expected included embedded into the silicone. He said it was the worst he had seen in a long long time.

Jeebus. Great you got someone experienced at cleaning this up. Did he say how often this happens from his experience (sounds like a fair bit!)

He said he had done about 10 or something over a couple of years I think.

It's not common, but it happens.

Bung

6488 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1911497 1-Dec-2017 10:03

networkn:
I think we are going to insist that the remaining shower panels be replaced. Apparently, the stress on the remaining pieces will be significant and likely the same thing will happen again at a later date. Does that seem consistent with reasonableness?

Shower manufacturer has said that shower has been discontinued 5 years ago, so they can't supply an exact replacement, so the whole shower will need to be removed and replaced with a current model anyways.

At our bach the previous owner had a shower put in that lost the side return panel. Apparently the plumber had installed it under tension. Recently I dismantled it to redo the silicone (it shouldn't be visible on inside where it is likely to go mouldy). I found that the replacement glass panel had the same dimensions as the original but different cutouts on the wall side. So it sort of fits but isn't clamped quite the same. If I hadn't pulled it apart I would be none the wiser.

networkn

Networkn
32353 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1911499 1-Dec-2017 10:05

The shower manafacturer very clearly said they wouldn't under any circumstances recommend replacing one pane. Because it's frameless, the whole thing is designed very specifically. They said putting in a different but of glass potentially creates stress points not intended and could cause a similar situation.

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1912067 2-Dec-2017 19:14

I used to work in the glass industry (truck driver for a manufacturer in NZ, and painter for a local glass company here in Oz).

Toughened glass explodes all the time. It's constantly under stress... That's how it works.

I've had it explode in my hands. The first time it's a surprise. Mind you, after working in a glass factory, I don't react to the sound of broken glass the way most people do (and I used to). They actually budget for 20% breakage.

Still better than annealed, at least you're not going to slice an artery on a pebble of toughened.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

networkn

Networkn
32353 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1912103 2-Dec-2017 21:07

blakamin:

I used to work in the glass industry (truck driver for a manufacturer in NZ, and painter for a local glass company here in Oz).

Toughened glass explodes all the time. It's constantly under stress... That's how it works.

I've had it explode in my hands. The first time it's a surprise. Mind you, after working in a glass factory, I don't react to the sound of broken glass the way most people do (and I used to). They actually budget for 20% breakage.

Still better than annealed, at least you're not going to slice an artery on a pebble of toughened.

Our glass didn't shatter into popcorn that was safe to handle, well not entirely, there were hundreds of tiny impossibly small and sharp shards everywhere. The glass cleanup guy said he was shocked. The assessor was very concerned.

networkn

Networkn
32353 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1912105 2-Dec-2017 21:11

So an update for anyone that may care.

Insurance company seems to be willing to accept the claim. Initially not keen to replace all the glass but at our insistence and unwillingness to accept anything less, they have agreed to place the other panels which are not broken, and replace the actual entire glass and metal structure of the shower. They are going to get a customer shower maker to make one in the same dimensions so they don't have to re-tile and waterproof the area again. The damaged tiles they are confident can be "repaired" though I am unsure how.

The hope is now there is manafacturing capacity for our shower and installers available before Christmas otherwise we could be out until middle of January which would be enormously inconvenient.

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1912109 2-Dec-2017 21:15

networkn:

blakamin:

I used to work in the glass industry (truck driver for a manufacturer in NZ, and painter for a local glass company here in Oz).

Toughened glass explodes all the time. It's constantly under stress... That's how it works.

I've had it explode in my hands. The first time it's a surprise. Mind you, after working in a glass factory, I don't react to the sound of broken glass the way most people do (and I used to). They actually budget for 20% breakage.

Still better than annealed, at least you're not going to slice an artery on a pebble of toughened.

Our glass didn't shatter into popcorn that was safe to handle, well not entirely, there were hundreds of tiny impossibly small and sharp shards everywhere. The glass cleanup guy said he was shocked. The assessor was very concerned.

So cheap chinese "toughened glass" that hasn't been toughened correctly?

I hope you're going somewhere else!

edit: Just saw your second post. Most custom places have a 3-5 day turn around.

1eStar

1604 posts

Uber Geek

#1912156 2-Dec-2017 23:08

As already mentioned by Blake toughened glass is stronger because of the inherent stresses induced in it during the manufacturing process. Glass is a supercooled liquid which acts largely add a solid at normal temperatures. To toughen glass the surfaces are cooled more quickly with a quenching oil to induce shrinkage tension in the opposing surfaces of the glass. If these surface tensions become unbalanced the glass explodes. If you take a diamond (or anything harder than toughened glass, and scratch one surface sufficiently, this will destabilise the stress distribution in the glass and cause it to shatter.

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1912159 2-Dec-2017 23:16

1eStar:To toughen glass the surfaces are cooled more quickly with a quenching oil to induce shrinkage tension.

I worked for a glass company, and they never used oil.

Modern furnaces just use fans/air.

TLD

902 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1913563 5-Dec-2017 21:28

That is actually terrifying. Ever since I slipped stepping into our shower, and crashing into the side of it (non glass side) I have had a fear approaching phobia, of falling through a glass shower and being cut to ribbons. That fear was tempered with the discovery that showers use safety glass that can crack, but not shatter, but you have blown that right out of the water and I worried again. Is safety glass a fairly recent requirement? My shower is only a couple of years old, and 1000,1000mm, so 10mm thick.

I hope you got it sorted.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

1 | 2 | 3