If you have at least one kid in your house, there is a good chance that you have experienced at least one broken window in the past - if not, there is probably one in your future. Do you know what to do if a window or glass door is broken in your home? How you clean it up, who replaces it and how you handle the entire situation will all have an impact on the outcome. My site contains tips for dealing with a broken window or glass door in your home. Hopefully, you will be able to learn from my many experiences and avoid the mistakes that I have made.
Drive for any length of time and you will inevitably encounter the dreaded windshield crack. Maybe it has been crocked by a rock from an 18-wheeler, or something else kicked up from the road. When do you know when its time to for windshield replacement, and when you'll be good to go with just a repair? Check out these tips to find out.
Types of Cracks
Not all cracks are the same. Consider the size, type, location, and depth of the crack on your windshield. If possible, try to determine the type of crack so you can communicate with a qualified repair or replacement professional.
There are actually quite a few classifications of cracks with a wide range of severity, ranging from the star break, bulls-eye, partial bulls-eye, crack chip, ding, pit, combination break, ding, edge crack, floater crack, half moon, long crack, and stone break. Some cracks are from stress and not impact, while most are caused by debris or rocks hitting the windshield.
When To Repair
Your windshield can usually be repaired when the crack or chip is very small. The rule of thumb for repairable crack size is smaller than a dollar bill. Easily repaired types of cracks include the star break, bulls-eye, partial bulls-eye, crack chip, ding and pit, which are all mostly small circular damage. This kind of repair usually takes around 30 minutes to an hour, depending on a few factors like the depth and if there is anything impacted into the crack that needs to be removed by vacuum.
Windshield repair is done by inject clear curable resin into the layer of glass on the outside of the windshield in order to improve the appearance and restore the physical integrity of the surface. This resin is cured, and then polished to leave a smooth surface that prevents the spread of any cracks.
If the crack is slanted or deep enough and the poly-vinyl butryal layer is damaged, the repair professional may deepen or enlarge the crack with a drill in an effort to make the hole more smooth and even so that the resin process reaches down into the PVB layer. Usually an injector is used to push the resin into the crack, with any excess removed afterwards.
When To Replace
There are times when repair cannot be done, or will not be reliable enough for your windshield to be safe. If the damage is on the inside of the windshield, or there is deep damage to both layers of glass, or over and sensors or antennas, if the crack reaches into a critical viewing area, is a system of complex compound fractures, or is two inches across or one foot or longer, you mostly likely will need to replace the glass entirely.
Often times the nature of your car insurance's policy on windshield repair and replacement will be the deciding factor in what you do in such a situation. Replacement can take around two hours so be prepared to wait if you are having this work done on your automobile.
It is a four-step process, involving protecting your car with canvas, cutting the windshield from the edges to remove it along with any seals or glue, the application of primer on your car frame where the new glass will inserted with a special adhesive sealer, and finally fitting the new windshield into perfect place.
Remember, when you have a crack in your windshield, time is of the essence. It is most certainly not going to go away, and you need to act quickly if you do not wish the crack to spread and become a bigger problem. Stay on top of the condition of your windshield in order to stay safe!
Share30 April 2015
