Safety glass shatters into crumbly bits

[working on it]

* We had quite a storm pass through last night, with high winds, intense rain, and some hail. It blew down the back fence, letting the neighbors livestock into my back yard, and something shattered the window of my wife's 20ft Puma trailer (from her catastrophe insurance adjuster days).

* I had seen broken automotive safety glass before, but never RV safety glass. This glass breaks down into tiny, crumbly bits, much smaller than auto glass. Not REALLY sharp at all, just the tiniest shavings (one of which did bite me, when trying to get a sample). Pretty safe, but I wonder if the tiniest bits might get in your eyes, if you were looking out a window when it broke. I keep my curtains closed at night in my trailer, so it's not a concern for my camping (it always T-storms when I camp).

[MickinOz]

I vote you don't fix the fence and give the livestock back until they finished trimming the undergrowth.

[GTS225]

I'd bet it's not safety glass, but tempered glass. I don't think towable campers are required to have safety glass in them, as they're not supposed to be occupied while under tow.

Roger

[working on it]

I'd bet it's not safety glass, but tempered glass....

* I think you're correct...though the broken window stayed together for awhile, the slightest touch would break off segments. Not so on auto safety glass, which is two pieces laminated together with a plastic sheet in-between. If it had been laminated auto glass, I could've pulled it out as a larger piece, held together on the plastic.

* That said, it took us a couple of hours to remove the broken glass and adhesive, using a flat bladed screwdriver and a heat gun (to soften the silicone adhesive holding the widow to the frame), and to fabricate a temporary replacement until we get the tinted polycarbonate we'll use to permanently fix it. The next door neighbor (other side, not the livestock owner) had a couple of sheets of 3/16 polycarbonate leftover by the previous home-owner; we used one to fill the open window (trimmed to fit the exact opening, and Gorilla-taped in place).

temporary polycarbonate window fix (left the paper on it).jpg (83.15 KiB) Viewed 1011 times

* With the window sealed, no birds, feral cats, dust, or rain can get in the trailer (hardly anything inside had gotten even slightly wet when the storm broke the window; must've been at the tail-end of the storm). I ordered a contour gauge and a 2'x4' sheet of tinted polycarbonate (1/8" thick, so the flexible rubber/vinyl? trim will fit back in place) from Amazon to fix the window permanently next week.

* The contour gauge will help us with the radius corners at the top, which we simulated using the new Gorilla-tape roll. Not perfect, but a quick fit. Our Dremel Sawmax had a plastic cutting blade that did a good job, so we're good there. I'll use my Wen rotary tool to dress the edges (I used a file this time, as we thought another storm was rolling in). What clear silicone (or polyurethane-based) adhesive should I use? I'm leaning towards OSI QUAD MAX clear (I used grey OSI QUAD on mt 4x8 trailer's windows...still great after 7 years).

[Philip]

Most auto's only have safety glass in the windshields for protection from flying debris. I think that is a NTSB ruling to.

All other windows are usually tempered glass.

The front window of the trailer might be safety. Knowing the RV industry I wouldn't bet on it because it was not built as a motor vehicle.

[2bits]

Yup, Tempered glass. Jayco has this front window with w built in rock guard until 2019 when the OEM discontinued them so they switched to a regular tempered glass that is not supposed to be on the front and had so many claims for breakage that they discontinued front windows altogether for 2021 which frustrates me as I just ordered a 2021 and want a front window, I can make a guard!! but that's how I know...

[working on it]

* Received the contour gauge and the "Polycarbonate Sheet Grey Tint Smoke - 48" x 24"- 1/8" Thick" from Amazon, yesterday. If it dries out outside for long enough, we'll take the emergency replacement window off the trailer, cut the new polycarbonate to exact size, accurately copying the curved corners (this time using the contour gauge and my Wen rotary tool), and glue it into place.

* We're going shopping today (the wife had a weeklong fever, now gone, and tested negatively for Covid yesterday). We'll pick up the OSI QUAD MAX (clear), and be ready to fix the window; if it turns out well, and if my 4x8's awning windows ever break, then I'll use the same material to replace the tempered glass in them (it seems that the tinted 15x18 awning windows are no longer made).