Forums

All new and older adjusters this myth was exposed about 12-13 years ago by State Farm who hired experts to test these windows for the cause of the "fog and the black specks" between the glass. It was seal failure 100%( defective seals) and had nothing to do with wind pressure. The fog and black specks are "mold". Please do not ever pay or recommend payment or you may be drummed out of town.Many glass repair men now replace the seal's after a good cleaning and "its good as new", and thats deferred  maintenace.

Chuck, what would the adjuster do if the insured told the adsjuster who have never been to the house before the hurricane that the storm blew one of the bedrooms away.. take his word. or say proper documentation is required... come on......just say you boss needs proof.

I think this is why the american courts have a jury, let the jury hear all the experts and get to the truth.If BP did not demand documation and sworn proof the claims would exceed the 20 billion.Ask for a sworn proof of loss, next time this fairy tale comes up.

This was a big flap in the middle 90,s, I worked for Allstate/Pilot on brach assist in Atlanta for 2 years a total of 17 months. Thousands of  6 x6,8 double pane sliding doors had "fogged" panes from seal failure the glass repair folks would clean and install a new seal for $125.00 if it was out of warranty.

On a real hot fire alum. windows will pit and many vinyl windows will melt.Many of the concrete tilt wall commercial building will warp in a very hot fire also.Just remember the twin towers.

Hi Ray, and A Very Merry Christmas to you and your family. How do you handle these claims ?do you look for dents in the window frame and anything else that could cause the damage to the seal or do you just deny them right from the git go? I want to know as you have been around the block and know what the carriers have told you to look for before you include these in your estimate. Whether it be a repair or a denial. You have worked the southern states long enough you must have a rule of thumb you go by. lets pass your knowledge on to the newbies and us other ol' farts who want to do it right.

  i want to handle these and every other claims the same if they had damage from the event they should be made whole but if the insured bought the home and every window is fogged since they bought it that isn't fair to the carrier either. lets disect this question and see if we can arrive at a common decision on the way to handle this window claim.

I have to ask, what does the "twin towers" have to do with a fire damaged, concrete, tilt wall?

I thought it was simple, the tilt wall and these two buildings were destroyed by fire.

What a waste of a nice Saturday morning in Florida to be posting about an almost dead thread.

In my capacity as an adjuster, with more than a few years experience, I am qualified to comment on claim subjects that interest me.  Why would a window manufacturer provide a warranty of X years guaranteeing that the seals would protect a thermopane window from fogging?  I can only assume that they have tested the threshold limits of performance assurance that, absent issues of regular wear and tear, the window seal  will last X years.  I am sure that their calculations make allowances for a few days over the minimum standards of their warranty.  I hope all experience adjusters willl agree so far, I am sure.  The space between the glass panels are sealed at the edges all the way around and then Argon gas ( I think) is injected in the cavity under pressure placing a positive strain on the new seal.  As the warranted time period expires due to normal ageing process the life expectancy of the seal is then dependent on the next harmful event to cause it's demise.  Recall that the warranty was for X years and we are now X years plus X months and although weakened by age and weathering the seals are hanging in there keeping a positive pressure with Argon gas to avoid the intrusion of any H2O gas.  For my scenario to have validity I will say that the windows were installed in an oceanfront high-end home to provide an expansive view of the ocean. ( a wall of windows) a week prior to an approaching hurricane one of the window's seals gives up the ghost and clouds over from the intrusions of H2O gas.  This is an indication that the out of warranty seals, although fully functional, are approaching the end of their useful life.  The harmful event of an extreme low pressure, constant high winds and high wind gust of winds associated with a hurricane passes within a proximity to cause a harmful event and  the final demise of the nearly worn-out seals and the property owner awakens to find that his magnificent ocean view is now obscured by out of warranty fogged windows.  He calls his agent immediately and.......

We can all write the final chapter of my little Saturday morning vignette depending on the expertise and agenda one brings to our victims claim.

William S Cook

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Colorado Licensed  Public Adjuster

Formerly, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, West Virginia, New York and Virgin Island Licensed Public Adjuster

Sometimes I wonder if our job is to determine what isn't covered or what is covered.

Randy

Ask your brother-in-law if windows buffeted by hurricane force winds could cause deflection enough to blow out the seal on a window that is beyond his lifetime gurantee to the original owner.  Deflection of glass is relative to the area of the glass to the exposure, a slider more likely to fail than a small bathroom window when subjected to the same harmful event.  If the defletion caused by sudden pressure change or force of wind is enough to blow an aged and  weakend seal, a hasty uninformed fact finder will likely surmise after inspection that there is no physical damage.  Yet the insured is claming that it was not fogged prior to the harmful event.  I am also curious if his warranty is simlar to some roof warranties that expire if the property has been exposed to a hurricane during the warranty period.  IE no damage during the hurricane but now roof is having failure problems unrelated to the wind event.

Bill Cook