A Shocking Discovery
One day, Willie Mae Truesdale was startled by a loud explosion that seemed to emanate from her kitchen. As she hurried to investigate, she was met with a devastating sight – her oven’s glass door had shattered into countless pieces on the floor.
“It was truly shocking,” she recalled. “You had to see it to believe it. Glass scattered everywhere, and I couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.” What made the incident even more unnerving was the fact that Truesdale’s oven wasn’t even in use at the time. And she soon discovered that she was not alone.
A Startling Trend
Cheryl, a suburban mom, had a similar experience during the COVID-19 quarantine. While attempting to bake brownies, she noticed that they were turning out soggy in the middle. Upon investigation, she realized that her oven’s temperature was off by about 25 degrees. Determined to fix the issue, Cheryl decided to run a self-cleaning cycle. But as the cycle neared its end, a deafening explosion shook her kitchen, causing the inner glass of the oven door to shatter.
Michelle Wheat, another victim of this alarming phenomenon, also discovered her oven door shattered into pieces, leaving glass strewn across her kitchen. Much like Truesdale, Wheat’s three-year-old oven had not been in use when the incident occurred. Thankfully, none of her four young children were harmed by the glass. Although Truesdale’s oven was from Frigidaire and Cheryl’s was from Bosch, reports of exploding glass doors have been associated with other brands as well. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has received approximately 450 similar reports since 2019.
Struggles with Manufacturers
Unfortunately, all three women faced difficulties when dealing with the appliance manufacturers after the incidents. Truesdale’s oven was still under warranty, but the technician from Frigidaire blamed her family for the explosion, despite the oven being off. Consequently, Truesdale had to pay out of pocket to replace the door. Fortunately, Bosch replaced Cheryl’s oven after NBC reached out to them for comment.
On the other hand, Wheat’s oven was no longer covered by warranty, and she had to pay a technician $100 just to hear that the glass was broken and needed replacement. This cost the family an additional $314. Frigidaire suggested that Wheat purchase an extended warranty in case of a recurrence. Frustrated, Wheat expressed her exasperation, saying, “This should not have happened. That was the point I was trying to make to them.”
The Causes of Shattered Oven Doors
According to Mark Meshulam of Chicago Window Expert, there are two main scenarios that may explain why oven glass can break spontaneously. One type of oven glass is soda lime glass, which is similar to window glass and undergoes rapid heating and cooling to become tempered. The other type is borosilicate glass, commonly used in laboratory glassware and the older Pyrex glass. Borosilicate glass handles heat and cold more effectively. The shift towards soda lime glass in oven doors has led to an increase in these types of breakages because it is less tolerant of the thermal stress experienced during oven use.
Another possible cause of these explosions is the presence of a nickel sulfide inclusion, which is a minuscule flaw within the glass. Meshulam explains that this flaw, measuring only about a tenth of a millimeter in diameter, manifests its unique properties over time. It gradually exerts pressure to escape, and a high-temperature event like an oven cleaning cycle can trigger the final spontaneous failure.
However, Meshulam reassures the public that the self-cleaning feature of ovens is generally safe. He states, “The majority of people can use the self-cleaning feature for their entire lives without encountering this problem.” He suggests that microscopic chips and flaws in the glass are usually the culprits behind oven explosions when they are not in use. The most alarming aspect is that the door can shatter long after the initial damage occurs.
Tips for Prevention
While some instances of damage to the glass may occur during production, shipping, or installation, there are measures homeowners can take to minimize the risk of this phenomenon. Certain habits, such as employing aggressive cleaning techniques or subjecting the glass to excessive physical impact, can result in microscopic scratches or chips. Being mindful of these factors can help prevent potential damage to oven doors in our homes.
