Silicone joints - what type of glass can I use?

Hi!

I'm wondering if anyone can give me some advice about what type of glass can be 'silicone joined' - i.e. no solid vertical pieces between panes of glass.

Our family/living area will be north facing and have some great views (hopefully!) so we have quite large windows as a bit of a feature. Originally they were meant to be dbl glazed, however we were advised that you can't have silicon joints with dbl glazed (which makes sense i guess ) and also it's not recommended with laminated glass...

So we're trying to find an alternative solution where we can have efficient and effective glazing, but also maintain the silicon joint design...

Any info would be great

Thanks,
Adam

Any clear or toughened glass. The thickness is critical to meet standards. So the size of your window will determine the thickness. Post the size and the terrain and we can let you know.

Thanks for the reply! I'm not sure what you mean by 'terrain' but one window is 2400mm high by 3600mm wide. At the moment, split into 4 x 900m wide panes...and the other is 2100mm high by 2700mm wide..split into 3 x 900mm panes...

To gain better performance, can the clear or toughened glass be coated or modified in any way?

Hi

I mean N2, N3 or N4 - wind rating.

So you want these windows as all glass without the mullion (vertical connector)? I don't have the tables with me - but maybe could be done in one piece in 15mm toughened. Drawbacks are, affect on energy rating and the glass would need to be installed on site. (your big window would weigh over 300kgs.)

And yes you can apply films but I don't have the details right now. 3M do a Low-E film - but it is tinted.

.

Hi
why is it in sections? are the windows curved ?
If yes I would look at making it straight and use one double glazed unit for the whole window. It looks better than those silicon joints, it is cheaper, warmer and you get no distractions in your view.

I'm not sure?

Can I have a single DGU that is 2.4m high x 3.6m wide? I just assumed it couldn't be that big...otherwise, that would be perfect!!

By the way...the windows are going to be timber framed...does that make a difference???

In New Zealand you can get such a size , don't know about Australia

You can make DGUs any size - the only criteria is cost and the frame design. This size requires a reasonably strong frame - a heavy commercial section. And you need to make sure that the rebate that holds the glass is deep enough. I still don't know what wind rating you need, but I think you will need up to 15mm toughened for both pieces of glass in your DGU. Now it will weight almost 700kgs and will need a crane to install.

Send details if you need - or see your window supplier.

Hmm...now I'm confused!

We certainly want to maximise the view to the North and having a single pane of glass would be fantastic, aesthetically.....but 700kg??? Sounds like trouble....and also sounds like it would be extremely expensive??

I don't have the tables here but in my experience you are looking at two 10mm panes (approx. 432 Kg) or two 12mm panes (approx 518 Kg's )
for the big one.
The biggest we have ever done was 2.8x 2.5 (2x10mm)
If you don't have very easy access it could be difficult and expensive to transport and install. Personally I would put one post in the centre. Yes it is a compromise but much better than silicone joints and 1.8m width is still providing a great view.

Yes & yes... I agree with windowexpert.

If you divide the big one into two you can use 2x8mm which is about 170 Kg's for each panel.

Thanks guys!

Once we decide on a window/door supplier, I think we'll need to sit down and discuss all the options...if we can maintain the double glazing without having to sacrafice too much of the 'view', that'll be the way we go.

Thanks again!