Vancouver Glass
1706 E Hastings St V5L 1S9 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Dangers of a Quick Fix I’ve received many inquiries to my office from homeowners who are concerned with foggy windows. What they are noticing is their windows are foggy because the sealed glass unit (dual pane glass) has been compromised, which has allowed water vapour to get inside of the window pane, showing up as moisture or condensation on the inside of the sealed glass unit. During my 50+ years in the home improvement industry, I’ve seen my fair share of products come on... the market that do not work as advertised. You may have heard or seen advertising for window ‘restoration’ services that in some cases offer a 10 year warranty or longer. This service is promoted as a less-expensive and less disruptive way to solve the problem of foggy windows when compared to insulated glass or total window replacement. Typically these companies will drill small holes in the corners of the window glass, through these holes they push compressed air through the window for a period of time to remove the existing moisture. Then they install valves in the holes they’ve drilled to allow any moisture that may get inside of the window glass to escape. Folks, let me explain to you why this process is fundamentally flawed. A glass window sealed unit is exactly that, a sealed unit. No air or moisture is supposed to get in between the panes of glass. If you noticed moisture on the inside of your sealed unit has failed then it is time to replace the widow sealed unit or entire window including the frame. By design a window sealed unit is meant to keep all air and moisture outside of the window glass. When sealed units are made, they are manufactured in a controlled factory environment to ensure the sealed unit is air sealed. It is important to note the quality of a factory sealed glass unit cannot be replicated outside of a controlled factory environment. If the sealed unit is allowed to ‘breath’ or vent, it cannot effectively do what job it’s meant to do. The only way to properly solve the problem of foggy windows is to have new window glass installed (I always recommend going with energy efficient window glass, such as Low E Squared with Argon Gas) or have a new window installed, including the window glass and frame, such as an energy efficient vinyl frame window. Replacing your sealed glass units can cost a little more than the window restoration process, but it is the proper way to go about addressing the issue. When purchasing new window glass sealed units or new windows including the widow frame, be sure inquire what the warranty covers with respect to both labour and material. We’ve received feedback from customers who had the window defogging process performed on their windows only to notice moisture once again on the inside of the windows glass. Some of these customers attempted to have the window glass restoration process redone and been unsuccessful in their attempt to have their warranties honored.

The Dangers of Glass In his basement, David Chesney keeps the frame of a metal patio table with a missing glass top as a grim reminder of an accident that scarred his daughter’s face. Jada, 11 months old at the time, was sitting on the edge of the table, facing her dad when the accident happened. All of a sudden, out of the blue, it was like a big gunshot went off, says Chesney, who lives in Mount Pearl, Nfld. My hands went up and Jada sort of fell in a backward motion. A...Continue reading

Glass-Topped Table Injuries Each year glass-topped tables account for 20,000 serious injuries. A report in this month’s issue of Pediatric Emergency Care concludes that such tables are an overlooked safety threat. Based on research conducted by Children’s Hospital Boston and written in collaboration with Consumers Union, the study found that common glass used in tables can cause severe injuries to children. Researchers concluded that many of these injuries could have been pre...vented by the use of tempered glass and the development of safety standards requiring its use. As we explained earlier on this blog, when tempered glass breaks it shatters into many small fragments. But when common glass breaks, it produces large, jagged pieces. Huge shards of glass are basically like knives. If they sever an artery, they can cause uncontrolled bleeding, and the injury can be fatal, says Amir Kimia, MD, of the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston, who led the study. This is a serious safety hazard with a simple remedy, says Donald Mays, Senior Director of Product Safety and Technical Policy for Consumers Union. The use of tempered glass can significantly reduce the thousands of serious injuries incurred each year from the use of common annealed glass in furniture.

A custom All Glass Shower is the most efficient way to add value, beauty and durability to your home. Vancouver Glass offers stunning custom glass solutions for any environment. Whether you are transforming your bathtub to a stand in shower, or adding an additional shower enclosure to your existing bathroom Vancouver Glass can design, create and install the bathroom you have always dreamed of.

Update your office space with one simple change that’s impact is anything but simple the installation of a glass railing. Railings on staircases, balconies, interior second stories and office entrances can be a tired reflection of dated décor. Are the banisters made of the honey oak of the 80’s? Or are the railings made from the black twisted wrought iron of the 70’s? Instead, they can be a shining example of timeless décor when replaced with glass railings.