Feather Friendly is SAFE and will NOT void your window warranty

Glass is a defining architectural feature of our time. It is a robust, beautiful, and versatile material. But like most things, glass has a certain threshold. It can accommodate certain levels of stress before buckling under the pressure. Once a crack begins to form, there is little to stop it from spreading and eventually shattering.

Aside from blunt force, what causes glass to fail?

In some cases, differences in temperature between various areas on a pane of glass cause it to crack. This phenomenon is known as thermal breakage. A thermal stress fracture is easy to spot: one end of the fracture will be in contact with the edge of the window, and at a right angle to the edge of the glass.

What is 'Thermal Breakage,' and does Feather Friendly® increase the risk?

Thermal fractures are caused by flaws in the glass which are hidden by the frame, or because of temperature differences in the glass: some areas heat up faster and to a higher temperature, while other areas remain cooler, causing stress to build up at a molecular level at the intersection of these areas.

Research has shown that solid window film applications can increase the risk of thermal breakage because they cover 100% of the surface and therefore attract more heat. Film over glass can cause rapid heat absorption from sunlight in the center of a glass pane, while along the edges and frame the glass heats up more slowly. This temperature variation stresses the glass and can result in a thermal fracture (see Figure 1). Specific types of glass have varying maximum absorption thresholds, and different films have different absorption levels. Film is very safe for glass, so long as the correct film is selected for the corresponding types of glass.

Rest easy with Feather Friendly®