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In addition to our industry leading services, we can repair almost any piece of glass in almost any non-automotive application. When calling for a glass replacement there are a few things you should keep in mind, depending on what the glass is to be used for. When calling for a window replacement most glass companies are going to want to know some information about the window. Below are the questions you should be prepared to answer and explanations of the questions.
1. Approximate size of the glass to be replaced (needed to accurately calculate price of the glass)
2. Is the window a single or dual pane? ( the pricing for single and dual pane glass varies significantly)
3. Is the glass more than 24" from a door? ( By current Federal Building code all glass that is less than 24" from a door must be replaced with safety glass)
4. Is the glass more than 18" from the top of the nearest walking surface(ground)? ( By current Federal Building code glass that is less than 18" from a walking surface must be replaced with safety glass)
5. Is the glass clear or tinted?( Pricing varies from clear glass and tinted )
6. Are there decorative grids in/on the glass? (Sometimes window companies install metal strips on single panes or in dual panes to make the glass look as if it is a "French style")
Armed with the above information you should be able to call California Glass and get an accurate price for replacement of your window glass (in most cases).
Laminated Safety Glass
Similar to the glass in car windshields, laminated glass may crack upon impact, however the glass fragments typically stick to the protective inter-layer rather than falling free and potentially causing injury.
Tempered Safety Glass
Tempered glass is, under equal pressure approximately four times as strong as annealed glass. It resists breakage by small objects traveling approximately twice as fast as objects which break annealed glass. Tempered glass is also able to resist higher temperatures (200 ° F - 300 ° F) which would cause annealed glass to crack. Tempered glass possesses the basic visual qualities of annealed glass.
Annealed (Plate) Glass
Annealed glass is probably the most common glass around, however, it also has the potential of being one of the most dangerous glass types if used incorrectly. Many of the older homes in town still have annealed glass in their doors, this is a dangerous situation. Annealed glass in doors can break just by closing the door, or if someone were to walk into the door the glass would break into large jagged shards that could potentially cause severe cuts. When replacing annealed glass in doors it is required that the "door opening" be brought up to code, thus requiring all glass within the main door frame to be replaced with safety glass. We recommend all the glass in your home be inspected and brought up to current code.
Dual Pane Glass
Dual pane windows are made up of two pieces of glass separated by an airspace that are physically sealed together, and cannot be separated. Dual panes can be made up of countless combinations of glass and spacers to make the overall thickness anywhere from 7/16" all the way up to 1 and 1/4". Dual panes may also have tinted glass on the outer pane please note the tint when calling for an estimate. Keep in mind, while shopping for a dual pane replacement that there are different qualities of dual panes, ranging from no warranty to a ten year warranty. It is important to note that application of any film tint does immediately void the original glass manufacturer's warranty. California Glass recommends Vallejo Tint Shop for all of you filming needs.
Single Pane Glass
Single pane windows are the most common type of windows. They are made up of a single piece of glass. In residential applications the glass is typically no thicker than 1/8", in commercial applications the glass is most commonly 1/4" thick. Single pane windows for the most part are an obsolete product, other than the glass itself, many parts are no longer available for these windows. With that in mind, we recommend that you upgrade your windows to a high quality dual pane window.
