[A/S] Re: Exterior Glass

[dave@xxxxxxxxxx]

I'm in the glass biz. I can tell you my shpiel that I always say to 
people. It seems to be the thing they want to hear, "Tempered glass 
is 3 to 5 times stronger than regular glass. It is like the door 
glass of a car and shatters into millions of little pieces when it 
breaks and falls out and so it is less burglar resistant. It is 10 
times more resistant to heat changes. 
   Laminated glass is two layers of thin glass with vinyl in between. 
It is actually more fragile than regular glass but when it breaks it 
just cracks and the pieces hang together. You need to hack at it with 
an ax to get through (almost.) Therefore it is more burglar resistant 
although it costs about twice as much as tempered glass. Windshields 
must be made of laminated glass. 
   The front large window of my airstream was broken when we got it 
and I installed laminated glass. The original was 1/8" thick tempered 
but it is flat so laminated, which is 1/4" thick, will fit. Laminated 
is also much more sound proof than regular glass although in the 
airstream I doubt you could tell. I did not use the vinyl u-channel 
with the new laminated. I put it into the frame dry and ran a bead of 
silicon around the edges on the inside and the outside. That way it 
can be replaced in the future without destroying the frame. 
Thanks
Dave.