Contractors;....Stop Installing Defective Glass!

Are you a General Contractor?  Do you think that all windows are created equal?  Unfortunately this is not the case.  The first thing you must know is that depending on the design of the building windows can become stained within a matter of several months.  Such stains will not come off with a simple scrub and squeegee.  But require a much more aggressive and high tech solution.  Also you certainly would never want to allow a so called "professional" window cleaning company to use an acid to remove these stains if they have already formed.  Acids can strip off low e glass coats, magnify light scratches, and etch glass.  They are also bad for the environment and a serious health hazard.

Windows are likely to have defective glass surfaces these days.  I mean they usually are very prone to scratching.  Right from the beginning it is necessary to know exactly what you are dealing with.  Razor blades and even so called safe abrasives can easily scratch this defective surface.  Which can cause tremendous damage climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if there are hundreds of windows in the building.

Another problem has to do with low e glass.  Exactly where is the coating, is it there at all, and what is the condition even on brand new glass?  Quite frequently windows will be rated as low e but not have a low e coating.  There are ways to check every window to determine if there are any coatings missing that should be there.  Also where they might be.  Sometimes coatings that should be protected between the two plates of an IG unit are actually exposed.

Negative deflection is a serious problem causing windows to implode with a loud bang.  Very loud.  This happens because the gas between the two plates of an IG Unit out gases but nothing comes back in.  So the plates are sucked in towards the center.  This is known as negative deflection.  There is a very simple test that will show up this problem.  Most times windows are stored for a matter of six months or more before they are installed.  At the time of installation windows are usually NEVER properly inspected for all of these things mentioned above and so much more.  The very best thing to do is to have a professional glass/window consultant/inspector on every new building from beginning to end.  In other words from the day the windows are first purchased and put into storage until the day they are installed and the building is turned over to the owner.  Windows actually pass about seven different hands before the construction is complete.  During this time virtually anything can happen.  And the last thing any contractor wants is to have to wait even a couple of weeks for a replacement window because of some defection or damage.  Such could cost way too much if the deadline is not met in a timely fashion.

I have worked for contractors, window cleaning companies, real estate agents, insurance companies, and even lawyers on these issues.  And can help you too.  Just send me an email and we can talk about any and all special projects that you might have going on right now.  I also have references available on request.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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