Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: Good morning.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: We are here on the Clear Impact.
[00:00:27] Speaker C: Podcast and we are doing a series called Windows and Doors 101. And today we are talking about laminated and insulated glass. And with me in studio is Francisco Feliz.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: Good morning, Sherry. How are you?
[00:00:42] Speaker C: I'm doing well. Good morning.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: I'm glad to be here today.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Yeah, it's nice to step away from our computer screens for a minute and have a little conversation. So this is going to be really helpful for anybody that's new to the industry or, or even for people that are shopping for windows and doors and trying to understand the differences between the kinds of products that we offer. So before we get into that, Francisco, tell us a little bit about you.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Okay. I've been with the company for 10 years. I started off in production. After that I was in quality for almost five years, holding different positions between production and quality. So 14 months ago I joined the university PGT university customer education Department. Now Mitre Branch University.
[00:01:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:01:30] Speaker A: Yes. And pretty much I'm training our customer how to service and install windows. Also we have a lot of other content about glass best practices CEU courses too. It's interesting what we do here, what we can do for our customers.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: Yeah. Not a lot of other window and door manufacturers provide the kind of education that we do. And I know this was really helpful for me to understand more about the industry. I had no idea how complicated everything was. So coming from production and quality, you have a really good perspective of what goes on to make the product and so it's probably easier to talk about.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I've been through different department, like I mentioned before, I have a good grasp of what it takes to put a window and a door together.
[00:02:20] Speaker C: Nice. Okay, so let's talk about.
So there's this misconception out there and we want to kill that like right off the bat. So let's talk about hurricane proof glass.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: There is no such thing as hurricane proof glass. We have hurricane resistant, impact resistant glass.
[00:02:43] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:02:43] Speaker A: Remember, it's glass and it can break.
[00:02:46] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:02:47] Speaker C: So what makes it hurricane resistant or impact resistant?
[00:02:50] Speaker A: When you have two panes of glass united by a polybuty inner layer which is named pbb abbreviation, you can have some sort of like a non edible grilled cheese because you have two panes of glass in that inner layer. You put it into an oven, that inner layer is gonna melt and that's gonna fusion those panes of glass together, forming pretty much like a way thicker piece of glass that is going to be way stronger than a single pane of glass. And that's going to make that glass impact resistant.
[00:03:28] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:03:29] Speaker C: So the glass will still crack, but it won't puncture through. It won't create a big hole in your house.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: If a missile hits the glass, the glass might crack, but it's not going to pierce the glass. It's going to keep your house sealed during the storm.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Ah, okay.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: It's gonna keep your house sealed and it's gonna keep your house secure because you don't know in the middle of storm how long the storm is gonna stay in your area. And after that, how long is it gonna take you to replace your window and your door?
[00:04:03] Speaker C: All right, so that's laminated glass.
[00:04:05] Speaker A: That's laminated glass.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: And we also sometimes call it lamy.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Lamy.
[00:04:09] Speaker C: Right.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:04:10] Speaker C: But it's not hurricane proof.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: It is not hurricane proof.
[00:04:13] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:04:14] Speaker C: So that's two pieces of PVB or some sort of inner layer that goes in between it.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: The name is polybuty Vinyl inner layer.
[00:04:25] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:04:26] Speaker C: And isn't there a second one too that we use sometimes?
[00:04:29] Speaker A: Sgp. This is another type of inner layer that is made for to meet higher design pressures, but it pretty much have the same functionality of the other pvb.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: Okay, so there's different kinds according to what is required by the location.
[00:04:45] Speaker A: It depends on the municipality.
[00:04:47] Speaker C: Yeah, Right. A homeowner. You don't really have to worry too much about that. We will make the product according to what is required.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:04:56] Speaker C: All right, so what's insulated glass?
[00:04:58] Speaker A: Insulated glass is two panes of glass divided by a seal with a airspace in between.
[00:05:05] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:05:06] Speaker C: And so that is different than laminated glass.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: Yeah, different than laminated glass. Insulated glass is also known as a double glaze or triple glazed Glass is a type of glass designed to improve energy efficiency and enhance thermal performance.
[00:05:23] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:05:24] Speaker A: This make it. When you have two panes of glass, we divide it up by an airspace, make it more difficult for the UV radiation to travel to your glass. Usually that airspace is filled with inert gas like argon. That gas acts as an air foam that make it more difficult for the outside temperature to travel through that glass and affect the desired temperature inside your house.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:06:11] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:06:12] Speaker C: So in Florida though, I mean, obviously we're a national company, so in Florida, insulating glass isn't such a big deal. Right. Because we're not trying to overcome a minus 5 degrees outside and keeping our homes comfortable, but it is helpful in terms of keeping our air conditioning in. Right?
[00:06:31] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, because insulated glass also reduce the solar heat gain coefficient, which is very important for us in Florida where the temperatures in the summer can reach up to 110 degrees.
[00:06:44] Speaker C: Right.
[00:06:44] Speaker A: So it's very important for us to keep our house cool at the lowest price possible.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Right. So can you do a laminated unit and an insulated unit? Can you do both?
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Of course. Lami ie or laminated. Insulated is like the creme de la creme of the glass makeups.
[00:07:02] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: Because you have hurricane resistant properties. You have the laminate glass and you have the insulation. So basically you have three panes of glass together.
[00:07:12] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:07:13] Speaker C: So two of them are sandwiched together with that inner layer.
[00:07:17] Speaker A: Exactly. And the sacrificial glass in the outside is divided by the seal and the air space.
[00:07:23] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:07:23] Speaker C: And why would the single pane be on the outside?
[00:07:26] Speaker A: The single pane is named the sacrificial glass. It's going to be in the outside because now the venom of the storm is a missile of an object hit your window or your door, that glass can break, is going to break, but those pieces of glass are gonna be in the exterior of your house.
Whereas if that glass would be in the inside, the kinetic force is gonna hit the laminate glass because the lamic glass will be facing outside. But the kinetic force produced by that heat is gonna break the sacrificial glass, posing a threat for you and whoever is inside your house by the time that event occurs.
[00:08:10] Speaker C: So it makes sense to have it on the outside.
[00:08:12] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:08:13] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:08:13] Speaker C: If you have a laminated and insulated glass package in your window or door, that's three panes of glass, right?
[00:08:21] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:08:22] Speaker C: So that's going to get pretty heavy.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:08:24] Speaker C: And can you talk about what we've been doing to help alleviate some of that weight?
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Well, we are coming up with a new technology, glass, which is diamond glass. Diamond glass is thinner and it have the same string float glass, the regular glass that we use. And it's going to be a game changer because it's going to reduce the weight of the doors and the windows enormously. It's going to be way easier for the installers and the service provider to.
[00:08:53] Speaker C: Deal with the products and Easier, probably for the homeowners to operate, Right?
[00:08:57] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:08:58] Speaker C: So is it a different kind of glass?
[00:09:00] Speaker A: Yes. It's not float glass. It's fusion drown glass. That's a new way to make glass from zero.
[00:09:06] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: That's amazing. I think people are gonna really be excited about that.
[00:09:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:09:11] Speaker C: Yeah, I know. We're excited about it.
Okay, so what other things can people expect to benefit from having these kinds of products besides just storm protection? Like, what if I live in Tennessee and, you know, I'm not gonna have any hurricanes? Is there a reason I would want laminated glass in my house?
[00:09:29] Speaker A: You might want to have laminated glass if you can, because laminated glass, besides offering protection for hurricanes and storms, can be added as a safety glass. Laminate glass is really strong.
[00:09:41] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:09:42] Speaker A: There's many cases that we even have videos of people trying to break into homes, trying to break the glass, and they're not able to pierce the glass. They might crack it. They might use baseball bats, they might throw stones, rocks to them, and it's going to be way hard for them to pierce that glass. So that glass can protect you from intruders.
[00:10:05] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:10:05] Speaker C: So security. Anything else?
[00:10:08] Speaker A: Yeah, sound reduction.
[00:10:09] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: Substantially like lamin glass. And laminated glass can reduce the sound transmissions at your house remarkably.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: So if you have a neighbor that likes to mow their lawn at 7:30 in the morning on Saturday and you.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Want to sleep in, that might help.
[00:10:25] Speaker C: It might help.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:26] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:10:27] Speaker A: That might help a lot.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: Won't have to worry about the neighbor's dog or the neighbor mowing or the neighbor's kids or whatever. Whatever's going on.
[00:10:33] Speaker A: Neighbor having a party at nighttime, you want to sleep.
[00:10:37] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:10:37] Speaker A: If you don't want to call the police on them. Yeah.
[00:10:40] Speaker C: If you invite your neighbors, they won't call the police.
Just a little tip.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: We used to do that back in the day.
[00:10:46] Speaker C: Yeah, exactly. Any stories around this topic?
[00:10:50] Speaker A: Yes. One time we have a customer, we were giving a class and we were talking about insulated glass. You know, we put argon gas in insulated glass. Argon glass is not flammable. It's an inert gas. And the lady was very concerned because she has IG glass all over her house. When her husband was a smoker and he liked to smoke inside the house, and she was concerned that the argon gas was going to explode because she thought that argon gas was flammable. Oh, yeah, she brought it up in the class. Oh. I'm concerned because sometimes my husband likes to smoke inside the house, and then I'm afraid that one day those windows and doors are going to explode. And we explain her that argon gas is not flammable.
[00:11:36] Speaker D: No.
[00:11:36] Speaker A: So there's no worries about that.
[00:11:38] Speaker C: Yeah, but she could tell him it is so he smokes outside.
[00:11:41] Speaker A: Yeah, that would be a great idea.
We forgot to do that. Next time she bring it back up, we're gonna tell her.
[00:11:48] Speaker C: Yeah, smoke outside or don't smoke. Well, Francesco, I really appreciate your time. Thank you for shedding some light on this confusing topic, especially for those that are new to the.
I appreciate your time. Thank you.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Thank you for having me. I'm glad to be here.
[00:12:03] Speaker C: All right. Have a great day.
[00:12:04] Speaker A: You too.
[00:12:04] Speaker C: All right.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: The Clear Impact Podcast is brought to you by Mitre Brands University. We are a part of Mitre Brands, a family of leading window and door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. At Mitre Brands, our common purpose is to deliver value by manufacturing the finest products, services and customer experience every day, everywhere. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise, products and services, all backed by a national company. Mitre Brands University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
