Velux window shattered...guaranteed?

Bossfan

Hi all,
The inner pane of glass on our Velux window in bathroom shattered without any warning last night causing a major near miss for one of the kids as the window is located directly above the toilet cistern :eek: The window/house is over eight years old and we never have any problems.

Anyone ever had something similar happen and would you think Velux will replace the pane? Have emailed them, but doubt I have a written guarantee of installation date.

mad m

I doubt you will have any come back. You sure nothing hit it? Like a bird carrying something that fell from its beak? You could claim it on your house insurance?

Bossfan

Thanks for reply. The funny thing is, that the outer pane is still in place, no marks appear from any possible flying objects. Def not tampered with from inside as it's outta reach from kids. I'll let you know on how I get on with Velux.

SoldOut

If the glass was toughened its possible this happened :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage

Bossfan

Thanks for the info - some of the causes looks like what happened to us.
More importantly, I forgot to say in first post that this is the second velux window (inner pane) to shatter in space of 8 weeks for us. Only have two installed on house. Must have got some of a bad batch when we built back in 2001. Velux coming out early March to look at it. Will update on outcome.

Keith Riddle

Hi Bossfan,

I work for VELUX in Glenrothes, Scotland where we also look after customers in Ireland. Your blog came up on a Google service we buy that shows where our name appears on the internet and I thought I'd reply.

Obviously, you've already been in touch with us so some of this you may already know.

The wikipedia article is pretty close. As it suggests, a double glazed unit has to be built with some tolerance for movement for all sorts of reasons. One reason is if the seal on the unit breaks down, the gas between the panes can escape at a different rate to the rate at which air gets back in, depending on the air pressure outside. The 2 panes can then get pulled in towards each other by the vacuum created. Larger pieces of glass can generally cope with more movement and over time the pressure difference will equalise. However, if the pieces of glass are small (at a guess your window will be one of our smaller sizes) or subjected to sudden changes in air pressure (such as if the weather delivers a cold snap), then, fortunately very rarely, they can break.

Our windows use toughened glass on the outside pane - to protect them from items coming through from outside. The inside pane is usually float - or ordinary glass. In your case I think what's happened is that the seal on the unit has broken at some point; a vacuum has built up inside the unit and the weaker piece of glass - the one on the inside - has broken.

This is very unusual which is why although many people in the glazing industry would know about it, most people don't. However, if there is anything else you'd like to ask me about it, please feel free to call me; main switchboard is 0044 (0) 1592 772200.

RKQ

Hi Keith thats a very kind and informative post.

I've 17 velux on my house and 4 on my garage, so your reasurances above are greatly appreciated.

Bossfan

Keith,
Many thanks for your in depth reply. I will make contact with you soon.

Bossfan

Hi,
Just like to follow up and say that Velux were excellent. They came and replaced the panes. The 10 year guarantee starts again.

byte

Bossfan wrote: »

Hi,
Just like to follow up and say that Velux were excellent. They came and replaced the panes. The 10 year guarantee starts again.

That's good to know, as I've 4 large and 2 small Velux windows.

Didn't realise they stood over their products for such a long time, fair play.

Whistleblowers

Bossfan

Don't be fooled this is a product fault that is why velux replaces them so quickly and for free even if out of guarantee.

I bet it was the internal pane that shattered and the external pane was OK.

This is a dangerous product :eek: that will injury someone soon :mad:

Ciaran500

Whistleblowers wrote: »

Bossfan

Don't be fooled this is a product fault that is why velux replaces them so quickly and for free even if out of guarantee.

I bet it was the internal pane that shattered and the external pane was OK.

This is a dangerous product :eek: that will injury someone soon :mad:

You going to give any reasoning?

Whistleblowers

Ciaran500 wrote: »

You going to give any reasoning?

OK

if this was a normal event then it is the outside pane that should break not the inner pane unless of course the inner pane is thinner? In which case why is the inner pane thinner and why don't they use laminated panes?

I haven't inspected a velux window pane but i do know about double glazing units. If you know that gas leaks out between the panes and causes a vacuum that causes the inner pane to break then you should either use thicker glass or a laminated pane therefore it is a product fault.

Float glass breaking above your head is extremely dangerous and as a leading company in the work they should know that!!!!

LittleMomo

My velux window spontaneously shattered this morning directly above my head. The inner pane broke for no apparent reason but luckily the blind caught the glass otherwise I would've been severely injured or worse decapitated!

I called Velux and they've agreed to repair the window, but I'm worried that it'll happen again. My bed is directly underneath the window and there's no other way to move the bed. Although this is a rare occurrence, Velux should ensure its products are 100% safe especially if they know their windows can spontaneously implode!

Whistleblowers

LittleMomo wrote: »

My velux window spontaneously shattered this morning directly above my head. The inner pane broke for no apparent reason but luckily the blind caught the glass otherwise I would've been severely injured or worse decapitated!

I called Velux and they've agreed to repair the window, but I'm worried that it'll happen again. My bed is directly underneath the window and there's no other way to move the bed. Although this is a rare occurrence, Velux should ensure its products are 100% safe especially if they know their windows can spontaneously implode!

No doubt they will fit a new pane and it will have a laminated inner pane to stop it exploding and shattering all over you. Now if this isn't a product fault I don't know what is!!!

Someone is going to get hurt soon. This product needs a recall so why don't they do it - too many installed??? too expensive??? too much bother???

newdomainer

Whistleblowers wrote: »

No doubt they will fit a new pane and it will have a laminated inner pane to stop it exploding and shattering all over you. Now if this isn't a product fault I don't know what is!!!

Someone is going to get hurt soon. This product needs a recall so why don't they do it - too many installed??? too expensive??? too much bother???

The phone number for Velux in Keith Riddles post is incorrect
The correct number is: 01592 778225

I have just had this happen to me; bedroom Velux implode - but without being over dramatic like whistle blower; I'm happy (very happy) that Velux customer service is as good as it is... I phoned, they were helpful and courteous and are arranging replacement units to be installed...

I can't imagine what the odds are for a broken pane of glass falling in such a way that it might cause severe injury... the glass shattered & remained largely in situ... I've had the windows for 5 years and have never heard of this problem before.... I applaud Velux for being pro-active and replacing not only the broken unit but also the adjacent one too... Yes, maybe it is a fault that has occurred many times now... but as a % of units fitted I doubt it's that many... a recall or replacement programme would be prohibitively expensive and I think that replacing units free of charge as & when they need to is a sensible policy....
Some people think that businesses are made of money... just like whistle blower.... but keep it real; I for one am impressed at Veluxs response.... customer service like that shouldn't be taken for granted!

bernio

i have 8 velux windows and out of the 8 four of them smashed out of the blue one just went on me this morning .it was the inside glass that went . i'm so afraid now that the outside will burst then i'm in right trouble . no one will be out now if they were to fix them it's too near x-mas. can anybody let me know would the outside pane of glass hold . thanks

newdomainer

bernio wrote: »

i have 8 velux windows and out of the 8 four of them smashed out of the blue one just went on me this morning .it was the inside glass that went . i'm so afraid now that the outside will burst then i'm in right trouble . no one will be out now if they were to fix them it's too near x-mas. can anybody let me know would the outside pane of glass hold . thanks

Wow! 4 failed! That's shocking!

Good news is that Velux have a 10yr warranty - so if your windows are less than 10 yrs old they will replace the glazing units free of charge.

Not only that, but if you're windows are of the smaller sizes (the ones that have the problem are generally the smaller sizes) Velux will replace all of the units - even the ones that haven't broken!

As for your windows breaking on the outside - this is very unlikely to happen... the inner pane breaks because of the negative air pressure in the double glazing cavity 'sucks' the inner pane into the cavity (i.e. towards the outside) causing it to break.... as soon as it breaks the air pressure around the outer pane returns to normal air pressure.
As the outer pane is made with thicker & stronger toughened glass it will only break if someone throws a brick through it... and even that is hard to do as most bricks will literally 'bounce' off the glass ;-)

So, you're safe from the elements at least!

explodingwindow

I work for them and fed up hiding we know about this when we replace inner panes. Its been a problem for a few years because of a faulty batch but they wont do anything about it. Someone is going to ge badly injured one of these days. They throw money at anybody who starts making noises so you should claim for any damage. They wont question it!

john rudkin

I run a glazing company and the velux no. C002 seems to have problems.
The inner glass shatters for no apparent reason. My solution is to fit new units with 4mm toughened glass to both inner and outer panes. This method has been successful so far;

volvo 240

Sounds an awfull thing to happen. Especially if you have a velux above your bed!! Velux should fit toughened glass as a minimum on both panes from now on. I would prefer laminated glass!! Don't you get a better u value using both toughened and laminated glass? I have replaced 2 large velux panes in France as the seal had gone. (Condensation inside) and was surprised that the old glass and new glass was not safety stamped/ marked at all. This being a velux replacement kit with the seals etc for 75 euros. The other thing I didn't like was that there was no edging to the glass or tape to protect you from the sharp edges while you fitted it. The old and new glass looked like and sounded like ordinary 4mm glass. James.

colinryan

We have a Velux which has become clouded (white out) between the two panes - I assume the seal between the 2 sheets is broken.


Is this an early sign of distortion or potential for the glass to shatter? Would the guarantee cover this?

volvo 240

colinryan wrote: »

We have a Velux which has become clouded (white out) between the two panes - I assume the seal between the 2 sheets is broken.


Is this an early sign of distortion or potential for the glass to shatter? Would the guarantee cover this?

According to this thread velux have a 10 year warranty so if your window is under I would give them a call and ask. It sounds as if the danger has gone if it's suffering from condensation as the gas has already gone/leaked out as the seal has gone. They implode as the gas is leaking out. Hope you get it sorted free or cheaply. James:)

colinryan

Found this : http://www.skylightsdirect.com/faq.html#d2

JeffWD

I have four Velux Skylights. The two larger ones are FSF models (vent flap). They are a good size at about 2x3 ft. Both are installed on the same roof, same exposure about 5 feet apart. They are up quite high as the ceiling is 14 ft. Both units developed spontaneous cracks on inner pane. One of the cracks is quite large, running from the bottom of the frame up through the glass aprox 18 inches. The crack on the other window is smaller, approx 6 inches. It is not possible for anything to have hit/contacted the window given there are no trees around the home, and the skylight is too high on the ceiling for any interior damage. The windows have been installed for approx 10 years. I have not been able to get up to the lights yet to obtain the serial number yet. My immediate concern is for safety given that they sit right over the area where the family watches TV. Given everything I have read here about windows exploding and falling on people I am really wondering about the product quality issues. Any ideas on why my windows would crack, but not immediately fall in ? Or why they do crack at all ? I have always had high quality thermal windows in my house (Anderson/Marvin) and have never heard of panes cracking. I called Velux today and they told me that they were not familiar with similar issues. From reading this forum I am thinking otherwise and questioning whether they are being upfront with me. As soon as I get the serial number I will be calling Velux back.

littlemiss72

I don't think it is over dramatic at all, my bathroom window imploded as well just 2 days ago and the glass was spread around the room, the noise when it went was deafening and the glass was certainly not contained within the frame. Great big pointed shards everywhere that could have caused serious injury or indeed death if anyone had been in the room and i have 3 young children also.

My concern now is that my 2 youngest sleep in bunkbeds directly beneath another velux. I don't know how long the windows have been fitted and also does anyone know if there is a contact in northern ireland / ireland or is it mainland uk? Many thanks

gsxr1

I seen this happen also in a home. It was not a velux . They where custom made .

I was a framing problem. The windows where not given any clearance when installed in a new roof. When the roof timbers dried over the next 5 months they shrunk, cracking ever window.

Lavidolas

This has just happened to me this morning too. I have four Velux windows which were installed when the house was built(circa 2004) I think. All of them are at a slight slant (c. 45-60 degrees). One has just shattered in the kitchen over the kitchen table! Again, same as above, it seems to be the inner pane but I can't see any damage on the outside pane as it is still dark. Very concerned about this and potential damage given the locations of the panes and small children in the house.

Will try Velux now to see when they can assist, particularly as it is forecasted to go to -10 this week!! :eek:

Can anyone comment on how quick they come out to replace?

Thks

zack01

Hi
Exact same thing happened us last night, the window is situated directly over our bath, we heard a huge crash and ran upstairs, the bath was covered in glass. Thank god no one was in the bath, our four year old had has his bath only an hour previous.
I rang Velux this morning and they are sending out a technician to fix the window.
You have a ten year guarantee on the windows so if in any doubt get them replaced.

Lavidolas

Thanks Zack! I called them during the week and they are coming out on 16 Dec to take out inner panes on all of the windows and replace with laminate glass. Not sure if it will have an impact on heat retention (probably) but definitely the safer option because the glass shatters everywhere when it happens! They are also paying for any costs in relation to getting someone out to board up the skylight in the meantime which is decent but have done so myself.

Would advise anyone else to check their skylights for any stress marks, particularly in the cold weather. Apparently the inner glass can concave and a vaccum is created which will cause to shatter.

daz801

This literally just happened to me there about 30 minutes ago.
Sitting in the sitting room and we hear a thump upstairs. We go upstairs to investigate and we find the inside pain shattered. The glass didnt fall down though its still in the frame, its just shattered throughout. it look like it was punched with the center pushed up towards the outer pane.
Sounds like a common thing.....also like the op's they were installed in 2001, bad batch maybe?

Googled what happened to see if i could find an answer.......glad to find it in familiar place

Docfitz

Just this afternoon the inside glass in Velux window in my bathroom skylight shattered and ended up all over the floor. As it's approx 3 metres above the floor, you can imagine the mess and potential for harm. A local glass company are coming tomorrow to sort it, but from this thread I should be ringing Velux as the house isn't built ten years. I'm a little confused as to whether the telephone number quoted in earlier post is actually correct. Can anyone clarify, please?
Good to see that Boards has the answer, once again.

Docfitz

Docfitz wrote: »

Just this afternoon the inside glass in Velux window in my bathroom skylight shattered and ended up all over the floor. As it's approx 3 metres above the floor, you can imagine the mess and potential for harm. A local glass company are coming tomorrow to sort it, but from this thread I should be ringing Velux as the house isn't built ten years. I'm a little confused as to whether the telephone number quoted in earlier post is actually correct. Can anyone clarify, please?
Good to see that Boards has the answer, once again.

Just to update my earlier post - Velux arrived today and replaced the skylight velux window, under guarantee, as it's less than 10 years installed. Very efficient and pleasant fitter did the work in about 30 minutes.

So, anyone with similar problem - speak to Velux.

NY68

Hi, thanks to all the people who posted info here. One of my velux windows 'self-smashed' before Christmas. Thanks to the info here I contacted the company and the came out, fixed the broken one and replaced the other. I have two larger ones which they said have given no problems yet. I was wondering if anybody had any problems with the bigger type windows?
Thanks

cubix

Just wondering if its only the inner pains of glass that are breaking with everyone elses velux. As the outer pain seems to have cracked on this one. Is a double glazed unit in a velux standard so can be got anywhere or velux only?

Thanks

Docfitz

Hi, all the cases that I've heard of to date have related to the inner pane. However, I'm sure that Velux will replace the unit, if it's less than 10 years old. They seem to be very efficient and helpful. If it's not a Velux window, you may well have to involve your insurance company and a glass replacement company.

cubix

Cheers Doc, its a velux alright. On the off chance were not covered does anyone know if the double glazed unit is standard or is it a special unit that only velux do. Also its a second hand property, is there a serial/manufacture date that will tell velux how old it is.

Cheers

Docfitz

Sorry Cubix, can't help there. No industry knowledge, I'm just an affected householder. From earlier posts, you should ring Velux - there's a Scottish number posted and they have a Dublin number on their website. Good luck. Doc.

massy086

cubix wrote: »

Cheers Doc, its a velux alright. On the off chance were not covered does anyone know if the double glazed unit is standard or is it a special unit that only velux do. Also its a second hand property, is there a serial/manufacture date that will tell velux how old it is.

Cheers

yes they are just a standard double glazed unit i do loads of them if your not covered send me a pm and i,d be happy to give you a free quote im a dublin based glazier

NY68

Hi Cubix, when i rang they did not seem too interested about when i bought the windows, anyway I think they want to sort out this problem with the minimum of fuss. It's defiantly worth giving them a ring.

ifah

This thread really frightened me - we have 2 S06 windows in the kids playroom and two more M06 units in an attic bedroom.

I just contacted Velux and they confirmed that the affected batches were manufactured around 2001 and were the C02/C04 sizes.

They also said if I get the full Window code to them they will let me know what type of glazed unit (float/laminated) is installed.

Worth a quick phone call i'd say - http://www.velux.ie/aboutvelux/velux_gb/contact/default.aspx

Jacqueline Dalziel

My name is Jacqueline Dalziel and I work for the VELUX Company. I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to inform VELUX of their experience of pane breakage.

We take the quality of our products seriously and have decided to issue a product warning to inform our customers we have registered a level of spontaneous glass breakage in a specific type of small pane.

The pane codes affected are only those with the reference 00UE, 59 or 34, in combination with the number 8 or the letter Y. The size of the pane is 39cm/15.5 inches or less. These panes were produced and sold between 1997 and 2003.

Under specific conditions, generally experienced in the winter, there is a minor risk that the inner glass may break spontaneously, with the possibility of glass fragments falling.

To determine whether your pane is affected please visit our website www.velux-pw.ie Alternatively you can call the VELUX Product Warning Help Line on 1800 509 628.

If your pane is affected VELUX will replace the pane ex-gratia (free) and provide options for installation.

We recommend that you act on this warning and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Rayp

A Velux pane shattered in my home today.

Thanks to this thread I have called Velux UK on 08009807030 and had the problem registered and they are organising replacements of all 3 installed on 4th Nov.

You will need to get the pane code on the spacer, details of how to do this can be found on http://www.velux-pw.co.uk/

Thanks to all you previous contributers.

Jamie the Joiner

I have just jumped on the band wagon so I have not had time to read all the info on here.
I had a call yesterday from my manager at one of my properties that I run as a guest house to say the velux on the top floor bathroom had just cracked and fallen out all over the toilet and floor. I drove from Leeds to Bridlington to find glass everywhere and still large pieces still hanging down!
I and still am confused why there is no safety aspect to an opening sash window which is floating above your head!!!! I know there is an issue with certain products which were made between the dates indicated on the velux web site, but having called valux this morning they told me they still make the windows with normal float glass on the inside? I said surely they must be at least laminated on the inside? or even
a £3 clear film applied to the face for such and incident? I think this is crazy! (She said regs don't state that)
I did notice a post from somebody earlier indicating that another poster may be over reacting when stating that somebody could be killed from a large piece of falling glass.
Well I tell that poster at the time of the glass breaking for no reason yesterday I have the room let to a family with 2 you girls and one was 2 years old. As luck would have it the baby was crawling on the floor outside of the bathroom!!!
I could be wrong but to me this is very serious and yes it may be the seal that fails causing the gas to leak from the unit therefore hot and cold contraction from outside and in causes the glass to break.
And yes they may use a better seal now which will stop this happening but this does not get over the fact that right above your head is glass that could break and large pieces could fall on you while you are on the toilet or in the bath. Now that is crazy.
I would be happy If somebody could tell me different and that the girl from velux has got it wrong and now there is at least some line of defence from this happening on the internal pane. Any velux from now on in any of my properties will be lined with film. It costs peanuts
and could save something happening to the little one who was staying at my guest house. I think it is a disgrace and it all boils down to money and regulations. The regs will only change when somebody is hurt.
Yes I have gone on for long enough but I am very angry to say the least as i could of been at the bedside of a little girl in Bridlington hospital.

eliwallach

Happened to one of our five velux windows just a couple of weeks back. Inner pane shattered sending a sizeable shard of glass (length of a biro) from a double height ceiling. The house was built in 2002. There is a danger attached to these windows still. Velux did replace ALL windows promptly without even launching an investigation. Great service, but they are only reactive and not proactive to the faulty batch.