How Could This Happen???

[Oakman]

We have been set up here at Cottonwoods RV Park since Sunday. Tonight after visiting with our daughter and grandchild we came back to the trailer and found this. The front of the fireplace was shattered in a million pieces. By the way, I never would have thought the front of the fireplace was actually glass. I can’t for the life of me figure out how the glass front could break when we weren’t here. Both air conditioners were running so it couldn’t have been caused by the heat. The door was locked so it wasn’t vandalism.

Thank goodness for the central vac system.

[Flybob]

Looks like the front of the fireplace may have been tempered glass. The process used to make the glass results in very high stress withing the glass. A slight scratch or a flaw in the glass can result in the glass literally exploding. Units that have glass sinks in the bathroom have seen the same thing.

[DreiHunde]

Wow!

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Looks like the front of the fireplace may have been tempered glass. The process used to make the glass results in very high stress withing the glass. A slight scratch or a flaw in the glass can result in the glass literally exploding. Units that have glass sinks in the bathroom have seen the same thing.

Yep, seen this happen. It is not uncommon for this to happen in vehicles too! Experts explain when, why tempered glass can randomly explode - ABC2News.com

[asquared]

Impressive

[ependydad]

Just be happy you weren't there. I bet had you been, you'd be changing pants and the central vac won't help you there!

[Terier]

For sure that was some surprise to come back to. Are you planning on replacing it with the same tempered glass?

[Oakman]

We are nearing the end of the fifth camping season with this trailer so I guess somewhere in our travels the stresses of bad roads weakened the glass. I could understand it happening if we had just come off the road or while it was at the storage lot in the summer heat, but out of the blue like that, just weird. I’m glad I had locked the door when we left or I would probably be convinced a vandal came in and broke the glass.

Originally Posted by ependydad

Just be happy you weren't there. I bet had you been, you'd be changing pants and the central vac won't help you there!

That made me laugh out loud Doug. I needed the chuckle.

Originally Posted by Terier

For sure that was some surprise to come back to. Are you planning on replacing it with the same tempered glass?

I will probably install a new fireplace rather than have the glass replaced Terier.

[Cowracer]

I've been in the same boat at the house. One day, for no particular reason, the glass front to the oven just assploded. The oven was not on. Nobody was even in the kitchen, except for one cat, and it took us an hour to calm the poor thing down.

Funny thing was that I owned that range for maybe 10 years and I never realized that the front was glass. I thought it was painted aluminum or something. You can imagine the surprise.

I guess some times tempered glass just lets go...?

Tim

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Terier

For sure that was some surprise to come back to. Are you planning on replacing it with the same tempered glass?

Don't think that's possible, as the same tempered glass is broken.

[Steeljag]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Just be happy you weren't there. I bet had you been, you'd be changing pants and the central vac won't help you there!

LOL !

[rockfordroo]

Had this happen to the rear window of my '72 Opel Manta about 1978. I had parked on a side street in the morning. A cold front moved in and the temperature dropped about 30 degrees over the space of the morning. When I came back, the rear window was shattered. Fortunately, it stayed in one piece, so I didn't have any opening into the car and no glass all over. It stayed together until I got it to the auto glass place.

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

I've been in the same boat at the house. One day, for no particular reason, the glass front to the oven just assploded. The oven was not on. Nobody was even in the kitchen, except for one cat, and it took us an hour to calm the poor thing down.

Funny thing was that I owned that range for maybe 10 years and I never realized that the front was glass. I thought it was painted aluminum or something. You can imagine the surprise.

I guess some times tempered glass just lets go...?

Tim

Totally off subject... when I was a kid we had a POC oven that would not stay lit/light up sometimes. Lit with a match(we was po). One evening we were preparing to eat and my sister had "lit" the oven and it didn't light. Few minutes later the oven blew and when it did the door flew off and hit the back of the chair I was sitting in. MMMM prolly needed a change after that. Sorry.

[chrisbailey13]

There are several threads of this happening in the Georgetown section of the forum where the vessel sinks explode in just that same manner.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ed-117012.html


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...0xl-53250.html

[Flybob]

Guess the glass in your fireplace just lost its temper.

[MOODMAN]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Guess the glass in your fireplace just lost its temper.

:roflb lack:

[Rugged Brown]

Without a doubt, it's caused by the wind baffling down the chimney...

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Guess the glass in your fireplace just lost its temper.

Thanks Flybob... I laughed out loud at that one.
Glad I was the only one in my office.

[Al Fiallos]

Tempered glass has one positive in its favor - it breaks (shatters) in chunks and not shards and slivers like normal glass. I used to crush cars for scrap iron and you could never predict how tempered glass would react - you could slam a hammer against one window and the hammer would just bounce off, on another car you would just bump the body and the windows would explode - unpredictable.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Guess the glass in your fireplace just lost its temper.

LOL