Why Do Glass Pool Fences Explode? [Explained]

Glass pool fencing makes a great aesthetic option for keeping your swimming area aligned with swimming pool safety regulations. Although this luxury fencing option is becoming very popular, it may also be dangerous. Sometimes, glass pool fences can spontaneously explode.

In this article, we will discuss what causes glass pool fences to spontaneously explode and what to do if this happens to your fencing.

Why Do Glass Pool Fences Explode?

The reason that glass pool fences can explode is due to features of the manufacturing process.

Toughened glass, like the kind used to construct pool fencing, contains microscopic impurities known as nickel sulphide inclusions. These sometimes get trapped inside the sheet of glass as it is being formed.

As your glass pool fence sits in the sun, the heat from the sunlight causes the glass and these inclusions to grow in size. As expansion occurs due to the heat, pressure builds up, which can cause your glass pool fence to explode.

Glass pool fences that explode are not necessarily of low quality production. Nickel sulphide inclusions exist in many types of manufactured glass and are usually invisible to the naked eye, making them difficult to spot or remove during quality control inspections.

Temperatures that change rapidly from cool to hot can also increase the likelihood of your glass pool fence exploding because the materials are placed under even more thermal strain.

Glass Pool Fence Explosions: Are They Dangerous?

Glass pool fences explode due to a build-up of pressure, however, this pressure build-up is much lower than what we think of when we typically picture explosions.

In reality, it is unlikely that your glass pool fence will explode with a large blast, causing shards of glass to fly across your backyard.

More likely, your glass pool fence will suddenly shatter and then fall to the ground in pieces. While this is bound to be startling, especially if you are nearby, it’s very unlikely for anyone to be injured when a glass pool fence explodes.

Be sure to keep children away from broken glass and wear protective gloves and footwear when cleaning up glass shards.

The biggest safety issues related to glass pool fences exploding involve the glass shards left behind and having an incomplete pool fence. If your fence explodes, clean up all glass shards carefully and contact your pool’s fencing company for repairs as soon as possible.

You may also want to use something as a temporary barricade so that your pool remains inaccessible to unaccompanied children.

Conclusion

Glass pool fences can explode, but probably not in the way that you are picturing. Sometimes, glass panels shatter when they fail to expand evenly as they are exposed to the sun’s heat.

Although having to replace a fencing panel and cleaning up glass shards can be a nuisance, having a glass fence explode is typically not dangerous.

Do you have any questions related to why glass pool fences explode? Leave us a comment down below, we’d love to help answer any remaining queries you may have.