Ironically the center tension zone engineered into tempered glass through the quenching process is also what makes it so vulnerable to catastrophic breakage.
Why would glass patio door shatter.
Most often shattering will occur as a result of fluctuations in temperature.
That inclusion a tiny ball of metal made of nickel and sulfer growing over time.
Inadequate glass thickness to resist wind load.
You can tell if the frame is shifting by checking the top of the sliding door.
Why are homeowners reporting that their glass door suddenly shattered.
The same article says that nicked glass edges caused by a screw or bolt can cause the entire panel to shatter and that framed doors may be less apt to shatter than frameless doors.
Is the patio door leaving scrape marks on the top frame when you open and close it.
We woke to find the outer pane in one of the patio doors in our living room shattered looked up some stuff on the internet and several websites say that this is a known problem with toughened glass and that they can shatter all by themselves at anytime.
Other times it so bad the glass actually breaks.
Safety glazings are commonly required for sliding glass doors shower doors and patio furniture.
Thermal stresses in the glass.
Many patio doors wont open properly because this warping of the frame distorts the patio door frame and pushes down on the panels.
Sometimes it just makes the rollers wear out.
For example if it s cold outside and a heat vent is located very close to the glass door pane itself the sudden heating of the glass could cause the pane to expand quickly resulting in a crack that leads to shattering.
The other reason is occasionally there s an impurity in the glass when it was melted from sand.
Binding of the glass in the frame causing stresses to develop as the glass expands and contracts due to thermal changes or deflects due to wind.
Internal defects within the glass such as nickel sulfide inclusions.
These are designed to protect the consumer from being injured.
The reason tempered glass spontaneously shatters it might have a flaw in the edge or a scratch in the surface.