Thread: Enormous glass block window opening

Inspected high quality masonry with CMU bock-up SFR with single glass block opening approx 8' wide and 25' high with no partitions or separations on South elevation, middle of wall length. Yes, a veritable wall of glass block. Several blocks have cracked along the outer edges. My concern is over the structural strength of the entire unit. Could see some rusting wire mesh at the interior as well as typical condensation streaking.

Don't have pic that would do it justice. Overthinking? Is this size beyond the limits of glass block? Plans and permits pulled. No plans on site.

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Ross,
try this
reinforcement should not be exposed and corrosion is a sign of a failing wall/window system
ymmv

Good start Barry, thanks. Actually going to measure today since I didn't have service panel access.

A few points on this:
- depending on width you want to assess whether there is a lintel above the window or an I beam
- look at beam/lintel bearing, how much, are joints exposed or cracking, are there cracks running away from the support ends, what condition are adjacent wall areas in, what type of load is above the block assembly, etc. All of these questions will shed light on the overall situation
- large glass block assemblies are typically installed in two ways, lay individual blocks or set larger block panel assemblies in manageable sizes and weights;
- its usually not too hard to tell which method was used; look for joint consistency or inconsistency; panel installs usually aren't larger than 4x4 or so because the weight gets to be too much to handle
- the cracked blocks could be from general damage, insufficient lintel support (i.e. load above is compressing the assembly) or and this is common, lower blocks were not allowed to fully set prior to setting upper blocks
- you can't set an entire large assembly all at once even if you have the manpower, mortar on lower sections needs to fully set before the set assembly can handle the upper load
- large assemblies typically also require the wire H ladders (forget real name) or other steel at intermediary points. If there are Plans, definitely review that detail page
- How dare you not have pics