It happened at 8:45 or so last night. I was at the dining room table processing pictures while watching something (loud) on my iPad, alone in our house in the middle of nowhere at the dead end of a dirt road. Suddenly I heard a loud pop like a car backfire or gun shot only louder. I walked outside to see what had happened. There's nothing visible but I see what looks like water running in patterns down the fixed side of the sliding glass door. Then I realize it's not water, but I'm watching the glass 'honeycomb' into hundreds of pieces. It's dual-paned safety glass (like a car's windshield) so it hadn't shattered into pieces, but something was very wrong. I called our builder (now retired) who gave me the name of someone to call. He was out fishing in the full moon but reached me at midnight. He came by this morning. Anderson window's warranty was 20 years -- missed it by 8 years. Now I'm dealing with measuring, sending photos across the lake to Charlevoix where they will create a new glass and bring it over on the ferry to install 'sometime soon.' In the meantime, a friend will help me tomorrow with covering the inside (the panel that has failed) with plastic so if it does crumble, the glass shards will be contained. Trying not to think about the cost. UGH!!!! BUT, it does make for a lovely filter for tonight's sunset.
Wow! What caused the initial breakage? Or does safety glass have a life span? Maybe your homeowners insurance will cover it even if the warranty has expired. You’re right; it does make an amazing image.
Oh my! This is a fabulous abstract. But wow, the cause of it all?! I have to wonder if your house shifted and put a strain on the door frame and glass? I can’t imagine it just shattering for no real reason.
@allie912@louannwarren It’s pretty much a mystery. House hasn’t shifted as (a) the door slid closed with no problem, so the frame is fine, and the identical set up next to it works fine. There is a gas of some kind (argon?) between the two panes, so maybe the sunset hit it just the wrong way and heated the gas. It might be a design flaw that took this long to play out. They really have no idea why, though. We just know nothing hit it since it’s the inside panel. Outside, it might have been a bird or something (but as the guy said who’s working on it, a bird hitting it that hard would have been lying on our deck). So, very very weird. Figures it’s the week Jim’s in Chicago and I’m on my own!
Sorry for your scare and damage, but It did make a great abstract. This same thing happened to a friend but it was her shower glass that exploded and then slowly crumbled and crackled all day.
What a story - and with your location - sure is a bigger problem than normal. But it really did make a fabulous abstract - Quick thinking on your part!
Oh gosh Taffy, that must've been scary for you being there all alone. What a bummer to have to deal with all that replacement stuff in such an isolated place too. Murphy's Law is alive and well. The only good thing, as you said, is a rather special abstract.
Wow, that must have been scary alone at night. Hope the "sometime soon" repair happens soon. You got a great abstract photo from the experience--but maybe there are better ways to get an abstract!
The lengths you go to to get a beautiful image! Wow how scary for you but I am pleased to see you made the best of it with this wonderful abstract! Hope it doesn’t take too long to get sorted!
what a story - full of intrigue and a bit of spine tingle too, and the suspense of not knowing will it fall completely to pieces before someone comes to replace ... and of course it happens when you are alone. what a fab abstract you got tho :)
it certainly has made for a good abstract capture. A similar thing happened to my sister's glass pool fence about a month ago. No known reason either but maybe a flaw in the glass that finally succumbs to something!
It makes a fabulous image. We often have news items about glass topped tables and screens shattering like this. It would have given you quite a fright !
hmmmm. nothing i would have enjoyed about this experience. apart from the fabulous image. do hope you're able to get it sorted without too much hassle or expenditure
What a horrible experience. You were on to the solution pretty quickly and despite the trauma, spotted the photographic mileage to be had. I do love this image - but not that it happened to you.
It dies make a lovely pattern...the only good thing to come out if it but perhaps 28 years isn’t bad going! Horrid to have such a scare & you on your own!
Believe it or not- that happened to us too when we lived in NJ! We had an unusual sliding door between one part of the house that was heated and a huge room that wasn't. Double-paned safety glass- just like yours. I returned home one day to find it shattered in a beautiful circular pattern- billions of little pieces! Thankfully it had not crumbled to the floor. But we ended up gently tapping it until the pieces fell out and collected all of them into a large garbage container. We were renting and the landlord never replaced the broken pane since the second pane did the job of keeping us warm just fine. We never knew why ours shattered either. It sure does make a cool filter. I never took a picture of ours.
@olivetreeann Oh gosh! So strange as I’ve also been hearing of others who had this happen. And of course, I’d never heard of this happening before. By today, the same thing happened — the contractor who was helping me came to measure and one slight touch and it started crumbling. All the glass is now gone and I’m relying on the second pane. Three weeks and the new pane will be installed.
How scary to hear something like that under the alone circumstances! But you've created lovely art out of it, so characteristically you to figure that out!
Glad you got in the TT, but there must be an easier way. It makes a terrific abstract. I have never heard of this happening before, but I can identify with the sound. Our outdoor table was a very strong safety type of glass. A Digger Pine cone dropped onto it and shattered it into thousands of bits....not sharp shards, but small bits all over the deck. When it happened, it literally sounded like something exploded in the back yard.
But it does provide a beautiful abstract.
How weird that must have been. Good luck with the repairing!