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Damaged patio doors

One pane of glass on my Andersen patio door was shot out by Black Bart with his Red Ryder. The grid is between the two panes of glass, and the damaged one is just a window (doesn't swing).

Rep at the hardware store states his only solution is to replace the entire panel for a mere $1500. We can speculate with the best of them, so my question is: does anyone have experience replacing glass (only) on this door and how was it done?

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    Have you contacted Andersen?
    – Barry
    Jan 3, 2022 at 23:21
  • No I haven't because their published solution is to replace the panel and they have no info posted on how to replace glass. helpcenter.andersenwindows.com/aw/s/article/Broken-Glass
    – Tony Hinkle
    Jan 4, 2022 at 1:05
  • Are either of the panes actually damaged or cracked? If not, you could do what we did and drill a small hole top and bottom then draw dried air through until the moisture has been removed and seal.
    – Solar Mike
    Jan 4, 2022 at 13:13
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    Typically there is argon gas between the glass panes to help insulate as well as prevent condensation from developing between the panes, especially in colder climates. I'm sure it's possible to DIY, the trick is making sure it's fully sealed when you are done.
    – rtaft
    Jan 4, 2022 at 14:06
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    I'd speak directly to Andersen. We dropped a shower door when adjusting it (it had been in place for 10 years). It was another of the brands that mainly are available through Home Depot. Home Depot said our only option was to replace the whole shower, which was about $1,200. I Rang the company direct and they sent out a full new glass enclosure as ours was out of production. They even covered freight!
    – DWGKNZ
    Jan 4, 2022 at 14:16

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You might find a local glass company that can make a sealed pane unit like that for you and include the faux-divided light grid. They might even be able to include the one from your original window.

By the time they're done building the window unit, disassembling the stationary door, installing the glass, replacing the trim and any trim that may have broken, repainting, etc, you may find that you're pretty close to the $1500 to get a unit from Andersen and that it probably won't come with the same warranty your original unit had or that a replacement would come with. It probably wouldn't be built to quite the same standard you're expecting, either.

Speaking of warranty, you may want to contact Andersen about it. Our windows (not Andersen) come with a lifetime warranty that includes damage to the glass (from any source, so they claim). If that were to have happened to me, in theory, all I have to do is call the manufacturer and they'll build me a replacement sash and send it out with a tech to install it. Andersen may have something similar.

No, you can't have the name of my window mfgr. They did such a terrible job with the original install, that I'm not certain I'd actually call them for a warranty issue, but that's a totally different question.

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  • Some "lifetime" warranties extend only to the original purchaser. A subsequent owner of the house may not be covered.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Jan 4, 2022 at 16:52
  • That's true, @DavidSupportsMonica. Based on OPs information we don't know if he's the original purchaser or not.
    – FreeMan
    Jan 4, 2022 at 17:05
  • Did anybody bother to read the OP’s link? The Andersen warranty is transferable but very specifically excludes this broken glass situation: “Broken glass in your Andersen® window or patio door is not covered under the Andersen® Owner-2-Owner® Limited Warranty.”
    – nobody
    Jan 5, 2022 at 3:20
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    "Andersen may have something similar." (emphasis added), so no, it seems @nobody read the warranty page.
    – FreeMan
    Jan 5, 2022 at 12:20
  • Thanks--I have two nephews that work with glass, but they are young and haven't run into anything like this. We will probably try to take it apart and see what happens. Hoping to find a junk one at the retailer to practice on first.
    – Tony Hinkle
    Jan 5, 2022 at 23:40

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