Calling an Emergency Glazier: What to Do and What They Will Do

An emergency glazier's job is to make a broken window or door safe and secure as fast as possible, then replace the glass properly. On the night that usually means clearing dangerous glass and either boarding the opening or fitting temporary glazing, because most replacement glass is made to measure. Before you call, keep people and pets away from the glass and note what has broken.

First, make the area safe

Keep children and animals out of the room. Do not try to pull large pieces of glass out of a frame by hand, as they can drop suddenly. If a pane is cracked but still in place, a few strips of wide tape across it will help hold it together. Wear shoes and use a dustpan rather than your hands for fragments on the floor.

If the break was caused by an intruder, call the police first and ask whether they need to see the scene before anything is touched.

What to tell the glazier

A good emergency glazier will ask about the location, what type of window or door it is, the rough size of the opening, which floor it is on and whether the property can currently be locked. A photo sent by WhatsApp answers most of those at once. Mark answers the phone himself, so you speak to the person who will do the work.

Can the glass be replaced on the night?

Sometimes, but often not. Sealed double glazed units, toughened glass for doors and laminated glass for shopfronts are all made to size, so they cannot be cut from stock on a van. Simple single glazed panes in plain float glass are the main exception.

Where the permanent glass has to be made, the opening is made safe with timber boarding or, where it suits, temporary glazing. The glazier measures while on site so the new glass can be ordered straight away.

• Plain single glazing: sometimes replaceable on the same visit
• Sealed double glazed units: made to measure, fitted later
• Door glass: usually needs toughened or laminated safety glass
• Shopfronts: often laminated, made to size

Doors and locks after a break in

Forced doors often have more than broken glass. The cylinder may be snapped, the keeps pulled from the frame or the multipoint mechanism bent. An emergency visit should check that the door can still be locked. If it cannot, the options are a replacement cylinder, a temporary fix or securing the door from inside until parts are available.

After the emergency

You should be given a fixed price for the permanent repair before it goes ahead. Keep the emergency invoice and your photos for your insurer. When the glass arrives, a second visit removes the boards or temporary pane and fits the permanent glass.

Temporary glazing or boards?

Timber boarding is strong, quick and suits most broken ground floor openings, especially after a break in. Its downside is that it blocks light and looks obviously damaged from the street. Temporary glazing, using a cut sheet of glass or clear polycarbonate held in the frame, keeps a room usable and is often preferred for a living space, a kitchen or a shop that needs to keep trading.

The right choice depends on the size of the opening, how exposed it is and how long the permanent glass is likely to take. Mark will explain which he recommends on the night and why. In either case the arrangement is short term and is removed when the made to measure glass is fitted.

Call Mark on 07535 916982 or request a callback.