HOW LONG DO GLASS AND WINDOW REPAIRS TAKE
Short answer, anywhere from ten minutes to two months. Why such a large range?
Small Breaks vs Large Holes
When a single pane of glass in your home cracks, you should take care of the problem immediately. Just like car windshields, these cracks can grow if left alone. Make sure you call a professional to do the job for you, to reduce the risk of causing further damage. Small breaks with fewer jagged edges can take them less than thirty minutes.
If you are looking at larger breaks and actual holes, your first instinct will be to cover the pane with cardboard or plastic. That’s good, but a glass and window repair business can send someone to your home and give you an estimate on the job. They can even do this while boarding up the hole for you, which will again mean less risk to you or the window.
Glass Pane vs Whole Window
Repairing a single pane of glass tends to be a lot quicker and cheaper than replacing the window entirely. But this short-term fix could result in weaker glass since the faster glass shops only take a few hours for any pane. If you need a pane of glass fixed now or on a budget, go with single pane repair but be aware of these trade-offs.
On the other hand, there are many good reasons to consider taking out the whole window. Wooden frames will rot over time, or the mechanism to operate a window can begin to fail, or the seals around the panes will grow weaker with age. Sometimes a window frame will simply have accumulated too much visible damage over the years, or have an older style that no longer fits the rest of your house.
More importantly, older windows are often rated much lower for heat insulation, draftiness caused by old seals, and soundproofing against outside noises. Security for windows has also gotten much better over time, either from break sensor technology on the glass or since newer windows have better locks to keep them from being opened from the outside. There is no way to fix these problems other than buying a new window.
A Month Long Process
Replacing broken glass or windows professionally can take up to several weeks in total, often less than two months. During the board up process and estimate, a technician will accurately measure the section that needs to be replaced. These measurements allow them to order a custom fitting piece of glass. Cutting and carefully shipping that new pane often takes a month alone, the majority of your window replacement time.
Then, when the glass arrives and you pick a day and time for installation, the final visit can take less than an hour. This involves removing any leftover broken glass and glazing, scraping out the old insulating foam, then placing the new window in with brand new insulating foam and sealant. Larger or more complicated windows can take several days at most, based on how much work they need to do insulating, anchoring, and finally cladding the exterior trim.
What if multiple glass panes are broken? The same process and not much longer, since a team can replace about ten or more small glass panes in a full day of work.
Speeding Up The Process
You can help the job go faster on the day of your final visit by clearing a path to the window(s) for the replacement team, unlocking doors if you will be gone during their visit, and disabling security devices on the window. If you can, remove blinds, draperies, and anything hanging on nearby walls so they don’t need to work around them.
Also, remember that certain seasons and events can cause both a window replacement business and the glass cutters they rely on to be much busier than normal. If rough weather caused your window to break, the same will be true for many others. On the other hand, if you happen to live closer to a glass pane manufacturer, they might be able to get windows from them faster and cheaper.
Select Glass & Windows Inc. offers 24/7 Emergency Services with Board Up, and in some cases can provide same-day glass repair and replacement. During the estimate they will give the best guess timeframe for the job, so the best way to find out how long it will take to repair your glass or window is to call them. They also do Window Leak Repair, Commercial Glass, Oversize Glass, and Mirrors.
If you’d like to schedule your free estimate give us a call at (703) 348-3517 or click here to contact us.
If you’d like to learn more about Broken Double Pane Windows – Should You Repair or Replace just click here.