Manufactured glass is a mixture of silica, soda, and lime. Other materials are sometimes added to the mixture to frost or cloud the glass or to add color. The elements of glass are heated to 1800° Fahrenheit (982° Celsius). The resulting fused liquid can be poured into molds or blown into various shapes, and when cooled, glass is a strong, minimally conducting substance that will not interact with materials stored inside. As a result, glass is frequently used in scientific laboratories to minimize inadvertent chemical reactions and to insulate power lines.

Tempered glass a kind of safety glass used in applications in which regular glass could be dangerous. Tempered glass is four to five times stronger than regular glass and does not break into sharp pieces when broken. Tempered glass is manufactured through a process of super heating and cooling, making it harder than regular glass.

Because tempered glass is brittle, when broken it to shatters into small rounded pieces. This eliminates the danger of sharp edges. Due to this property, along with its strength, tempered glass is often referred to as safety glass.

The "E" in low-e stands for "Emissivity" which is defined as "the relative power of a surface to emit heat by radiation." Low-E glass works by reflecting heat back to its source. It does this using a coating of thin, transparent layers of silver sandwiched between layers of anti-reflective metal oxide coatings. These "smart" coatings provide optimal year-round energy savings by filtering the suns energy in summer and reducing heat loss in winter. In the summer low-E products let in visible sunlight while blocking infrared and ultraviolet solar energy that drives up cooling costs and damages curtains, window treatments, carpeting, furnishings and art work. In winter low-E glass reflects room-side heat back into the room.

What does this really mean? If the outside temperature is 0 degrees and a stiff sustained wind of 15 mph is blowing against the window. The inside surface temperatures of the glass would be as follows:

Single pane: -3° C
Regular double pane insulated glass: 1.6° C
Soft coat Low-E: 16.6° C

Obviously, the closer the glass temperature is to the actual room temperature the less convection there will be near the window. Low-E glass simply works.

Yes we do. Centennial Glass Depot will come to your home or office to quote pricing on your glass needs. We also make house calls in order to install and replace or repair. That means windows, doors, screens and all the other products that we service and sell.

Centennial Glass Depot is located at 8-855 Industrial Ave. in the central, east part of Ottawa.

From east,
From south,
From north,
From west,