My foreman told me to always use a 1/4 inch spacer for shower door glass in Phoenix heat

He said the expansion would crack it otherwise, and sure enough, the first job I did without it had a panel split after six months. Anyone else have a specific rule they follow for hot climate installs?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese99710d ago

Come on, that spacer is overkill. Modern tempered glass is built to handle way more stress than people give it credit for. I've done tons of installs here without any special gap and never had a single crack.

sanchez.mary10d ago

Exactly, and it's not just about the glass strength. You're ignoring the whole frame system. Metal expands and contracts with temperature changes way more than glass does. That spacer isn't for the glass stress alone, it's to stop the frame from pinching the edge during a heat wave or a cold snap. Seen it happen. A tight install might be fine for months until one extreme day. Then you hear that pop.