Tempered Glass Panels: How to Choose the Right One

As part of the means to make a home look good, people are buying into the idea of using glass to decorate their various homes and offices.

One of the kinds of lenses they use is tempered glass, also called toughened glass. Manufacturers design them to meet a specific requirement; that is why some are mainly for solar control, decorations, security, and architecture.

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In this blog post, we shall be looking at some of the significant factors that make a tempered glass panel relevant. Its difference with other kinds of glass and the various types that are available in the market. Check out how to tell if glass is tempered if you are wandering how to identify a tempered glass.

Areas Where You Can Install the Glass

According to the International Residential Code (IRC) set, which emphasizes that homeowners can install this kind of glass in their various homes and offices. It is generally to prevent certain things such as serious injuries or accidents. Let's now explain how we are to use tempered glass panels in our homes.

Glass Doors

According to International Residential Code (IRC), any glass panels that we can fix, slide, swing, or operable must have tempered glass installed. IRC also said that any glass door that is 24 inches tall installed in a doorway must be a tempered glass. However, this rule does not apply to glass doors that have just three inches opening.

Bathroom Glass

The glass installed in strategic areas such as the bathroom, hot tubs, saunas, spa decks, or a swimming pool should be a tempered glass. It must be a tempered glass if the bottom edge is less than sixty inches above the walkway.

Stairways Glass

Some glass installations are adjacent to the walkway, landings, and ramps. If such a crystal is five feet of the top or bottom of the lens is sixty inches less above the walking surface, then it is a toughened glass. This type of glass must have a tempered glass panel to make these areas look beautiful. 

How to Identify a Tempered Glass?

There are different ways to make glass; this kind of glass goes through a slower cooling process than other type of glass. This process makes it more durable than other ones, mainly because of its high resistance to heat and breakage.

If you love to see the aquarium, tempered glass is what manufacturers use to make it because they believe so much in its quality and ability to withstand pressure. Without taking so much time, let's look at less destructive ways we can use to know if the glass is a tempered one or not.

Edges of Tempered Glass

The first thing that will let you authenticate a tempered glass is its edges. A standard toughened glass must have all its tips completely smooth compared to other kinds of lenses that do have scuffed or ridged edges.

If you want to be sure the edges are smooth, run your fingers on them. If it's rough, there has to be a reason, reasons such as abrasion or roughness. If these are not the cause, then it is not a toughened glass but a usual glass.

Pay Attention to the Bug

Keeping an eye on the bug does not mean toughened glass has insects that destroy it. What we mean by a bug is a tiny label etched or sun blast in the glass corner. It usually comes with the glass's manufacturer name; such a place lets you know the glass is toughened or not.

If you are buying directly from a manufacturer, there is no confusion, as the manufacturer will clearly state the kind of glass it is. However, this is not always the case in situations where the lens has a frame-concealing stamp. In this regard, it is left to you to watch out for the clues.

View the Glass Through Polarized Lenses

There is a way to go about doing this. The first important thing is that it must be under the sun while holding a polarized pair of sunglasses. It is a must that you see a dark shadow, shady spots, or lines stretching across the surface of the glass.

Those lines that you see across the lenses result from the machine's rollers during the tempering process. Such evidence shows it has a tempered glass panel feature.

Check for Imperfections

The moment you begin to notice certain things such as dimples, bending, and warping, these are signs to show it's a toughened glass. All these signs are imperfections, and they occur during the heat process.

Tempered glass undergoes extreme heat before they get to the final stage of production and in the process. Some of them do have a slight impression on their surfaces that can let you easily identify the kind of glass they are if you can look carefully.

Standard Glass versus Tempered Glass

There are lots of reasons as to why a regular glass is entirely different from a toughened glass. Unlike a toughened glass, standard glass goes through the annealing process, which is what makes the glass cool easily and rapidly. They are also popular because you can recycle and reproduce them again only that they may not come out in dull colors.

Tempered glass is at least four times stronger than regular glass and is famous for its safety. If toughened glass wants to break, they do not cut into pieces like ordinary glass that can shatter into pieces when hit with hard objects. Tempered glass instead would squeeze and cause little damage to the body in case someone is involved in an accident with it.

Conclusion

For these reasons, tempered glass panels are the most common in those strategic areas explained early on. They serve as safety tools and, at the same time, help to add beauty to any area you install them if you would love to have them in your house just as others who appreciate it do.

Check out Fab Glass and Mirror website, as they would even make custom designs for you based on your specifications.

Abigail Jones
 

Hi, I'm Abigail. I like spending time tearing my house apart and putting it together back again. Join me on home improvement tutorials, tips on my blog.

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