Glass Installs

Skylight secondary-glass installation?

We have a single pane, (very inefficient) skylight with both heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. We would like to install a second pane of glass as close to the first pane as possible for more energy efficency here in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. We have been told to contact a local glass manufacturer for residential glass. We have been told that they can sell us dead-light glass or laminated glass. How do we search for a local glass dealer who will work with us. Everything we can think of is not helping us find a list of residential glass companies. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. As far as finding a list of companies, the best thing is the local yellow pages. Included under "glass" will be auto glass places and commercial glaziers. It will take quite a few short phone calls. Don't settle for the first one that says they can do it and ask the ones that can't if they can recommend someone that can. If you're lucky, more than one place will refer you to the same company. You may end up with a carpenter or small contractor. A glass company most likely will not have materials suitable for a custom skylight (which is sort of what you're making). Find a company that can do the trim work or framing. Any contractor or woodworker should have a source for glass and they can create a simple frame to hold the glass in place. Not all will want this type of job though. Buy the glass through whoever installs it, even if they mark it up. That way if they measure wrong or break it while installing it, they're responsible for buying more glass. (You've contracted them to complete a job.) As far as the glass goes, if you just put a single pane up there, that will be the most economical. However, the air between the new piece and the old piece will not be dry. There will be condensation in the winter between the panes (like a failed insulated unit). Best case, it will fog up. Worst case, major condensation, mineral deposits and water damage. Definitely use laminated glass for this. Most likely, the local codes require it anyway. Plus the inter-layer in common laminated glass blocks a lot of UV light, saving your carpet/floors and furniture. The best way to go is take out the glass and put in a new insulated unit (double pane glass) made up of Tempered Low E over Clear Laminated. However it is doubtful that your original skylight framing will accept an insulated unit. (Unless you find a really good contractor.) *Tangent: If you do the single pane, I always thought that if you put a bunch of that silica gel (desacant), that comes in new shoe boxes and all kinds of imported stuff, inbetween two panes of glass, it might help with the fogging up. The glass would have to be sealed up tight with silicone so that no new air leaks in there. I've never heard of anyone trying this though.