Halloween Week at the Front Door: Tape, Chips, and Broken Glass in Metro Vancouver
Late October in Metro Vancouver is the week before Halloween, and on November 1 the clocks fall back. Across Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam, and the Fraser Valley, the front door sees more people than it has all month. Evenings are already dark, and after Sunday they get dark an hour sooner by the clock. The porch is wet, and decorations go on the glass.
A chip at handle height, a crack in a sidelight, or tape left from last year is easy to walk past until the porch light is on.
Low basement windows are in our [basement and ground-floor fall check](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/basement-ground-floor-window-glass-check-fall-vancouver). Shop fronts are in our [storefront glass before the holidays](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/storefront-glass-before-holiday-shopping-vancouver) post. Balcony railings are in our [glass railing windstorm check](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/glass-railing-windstorm-damage-check-before-winter-vancouver). This one stays on the house or condo entry: the door lite, the sidelights, the transom, and the patio door onto the porch.
## Why this week is the practical time to look
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31. The clocks fall back the next morning. Rain is already the normal weather, and the entry is simply used harder.
- **More people at the door.** A chip at hand height gets touched. A loose stop gets bumped.
- **Decorations go on the glass.** Tape, suction cups, and lights sit on the pane for a week.
- **Evenings are dark.** A crack that vanishes in daylight shows against interior light.
- **The porch is wet.** Wind-driven rain finds a tired gasket or a door that no longer sits square.
[Broken window repair](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/broken-window-repair) covers a pane that is already chipped, cracked, or out.
## A short look at the glass people will stand in front of
Do this in daylight, then again with the porch light on. Rain hides a fine crack.
- **Stand on the walk** and take in the door, both sidelights, and the transom.
- **Open and close the door.** Note a scrape, a drop, or a lock that needs a lift.
- **Wipe a small patch.** Haze that stays is between the panes. Rain film wipes off.
- **Check handle height and the bottom corners,** where a ring or a hook usually hits.
- **Try the patio door** if that is the porch entry. A slider that will not latch is a gap.
If the glass is missing, or the door will not lock, call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency). A stable crack can usually wait. The shop at 1289 Hornby St is open 24 hours for an opening that cannot wait.
## Tape, lights, and suction cups on the glass
Most decorations leave a sound pane alone. A few leave a film. A few hide a mark that was already there.
- **Tape** usually comes off. Duct tape left through a wet week can look like a scratch until you wash it with mild soap, then a standard glass cleaner. Skip a razor on coated or tempered glass. A blade can scratch the face, and it will not take a chip out.
- **Suction cups** can let go on a cold, wet pane. A new chip where the cup sat is damage in the glass.
- **String lights** are fine when the cord does not pull a loose stop and the plug stays out of sill water.
- **Keep weight off the glass.** Screw hooks belong in the trim. Note a chip from last year before you decorate again.
A faint scratch is often cosmetic. A chip you can catch with a fingernail should be looked at before Saturday. That choice is in our [scratched and chipped window glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/scratched-chipped-window-glass-repair-or-replace-vancouver) guide.
## A chip, a crack, and fog are different jobs
They show up together. They are different repairs.
**A chip** is a small break in the face or at the edge. On ordinary glass, an edge chip can run in a temperature swing. On tempered door glass it is a weak point, and the pane cannot be cut smaller later. Our [tempered glass after a crack](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/tempered-glass-cracks-after-fall-storms-vancouver) post is why a spidered lite is replaced.
**A crack** goes through the pane. Tape can slow a draft for a night. It does not hold tempered glass once the pane lets go. Book a long crack, or one that grew after the last rain, before Saturday. A door that still locks can usually wait for that visit.
**Fog between the panes** will not wipe off. Dirt and room-side moisture will. The test is in our [room-side condensation](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/room-side-condensation-vs-fogged-igu-vancouver-fall) post. One milky sidelight is that unit. Waiting on it through the wet season can worsen the cavity, as our [etching and mold](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/fogged-window-etching-mold-risk-waiting-wet-season-vancouver) post explains.
**A door that drags** is often the hinge, the lock, or a shifted frame. New glass will not close a door that still will not close.
## Door lites, sidelights, and the slider you actually use
A door lite and the sidelight beside it are common spots for tempered safety glass. A transom is sometimes ordinary sealed glass. Which one you have is confirmed on site. This is not a code ruling or legal advice.
Glass in the existing door often fits when most of these are true:
- One lite is chipped, cracked, or fogged.
- The door still locks, and the frame does not rock.
- The stops are there, or only the gasket is tired.
- Water stays on the glass, rather than on the floor.
A bowed frame, a broken rail, or rain past the sill is a wider repair. A new lite will not straighten a bent jamb. Wood rails are common on older Vancouver houses. Vinyl and aluminium sealed lites are common in Surrey, Coquitlam, and the Fraser Valley.
A patio slider at the porch is the same idea. One bad lite in a firm door is often glass-only. A wet, stuck track is often the door, which our [sticky patio door](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/sticky-patio-door-fall-track-vs-glass-vancouver) post separates from the glass. [Patio door glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/patio-door-glass) and [window glass replacement](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/window-replacement) cover the lite. If the pane should stay together after an impact, see [laminated or tempered](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/laminated-vs-tempered-glass-security-storm-vancouver).
## If a pane breaks on Halloween night
Wind, a falling decoration, or a bump on a crowded step can still open the glass. Keep people off it, and do not push a hanging lite.
If you cannot lock the door, call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency). Board-up is available 24 hours, and the new lite goes in once size and thickness are confirmed. The first hour is in our [fall storm guide](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/fall-storm-broken-window-first-hour-vancouver). How long a board should stay is in our [board-up duration](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/emergency-board-up-how-long-before-permanent-glass-vancouver) note. Call police first if it looks like a forced entry.
We can help with insurance documentation after a break-in, accident, or storm. Coverage depends on your policy. Our [storm window insurance](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/storm-window-insurance-documentation-vancouver) post is the paper trail.
## Strata lobbies, rentals, and what to send
Lobby doors and common-area sidelights are often strata property. A unit door may be the owner's or limited common property. That varies. Tell the manager before glass is ordered if you are unsure. This is not legal advice. A door that will not lock is the urgent call. Councils can use our [strata glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/strata) page, and the longer list is in our [strata winter checklist](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/blog/strata-glass-winter-checklist-property-managers-vancouver). Renters should close a missing pane tonight, then check who the lease says pays.
For a planned visit, send the address, house or lobby, photos of the door and the bad lite, and one line: will not lock, scrapes, or only the glass. Note any decorations still on the pane.
With over 15 years here as a licensed and insured shop, the quote should separate a glass-only lite from the frame. Measurements are a free, no-obligation visit through [Get A Quote](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/quote). Same-day service is offered when possible. Nothing here promises a date.
## Which entry problem usually fits which fix
The middle column is the usual path, not a promise from a photo.
| What you notice | Often means | Usual next step |
|---|---|---|
| Sticky film where tape was | Adhesive on the surface | Wash it; look again in daylight |
| Chip you can feel on a door lite | Damage in that pane | Book a look before Saturday |
| Long crack; door still locks | That lite is done | Measured glass this week |
| Fog in one sidelight | That sealed unit failed | Glass-only on the fogged lite |
| Door scrapes; glass is intact | Hinge, lock, or a shifted frame | Fix the close before new glass |
| Pane out, or the door will not lock | The opening is not secure | Board-up tonight, then measured glass |
## FAQ
### Can I tape a cracked door lite until after Halloween?
Tape can slow a draft for a night. It does not hold tempered glass once the pane lets go. A stable crack in a door that still locks can be booked this week. A loose pane is [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency).
### Will Halloween decorations crack the glass?
Usually no. Tape on a sound pane is a cleanup job. Look first at an edge chip, or at anything heavy hung from the glass, and wash the film off before you cover it again.
### Do you have to replace the whole door if one lite is cracked?
Often no. One bad lite in a straight door that still locks is often glass in the same door. A broken rail, or a door that will not close, is its own line on the quote.
### What if the glass breaks after dark on Halloween?
Keep people off the opening. Call police if it looks like a break-in, then [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency). Board-up is available 24 hours. Same-day glass is offered when possible, and timing can vary.
## Ready to check the entry before Saturday night?
A chip you can live with on Tuesday is the one people stand beside on Halloween. One damaged lite in a door that still locks is often glass-only. Fog in a sidelight is often that unit. Tape film washes off. A door that will not lock is the after-hours call.
[Get A Quote](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/quote) · Call [emergency glass](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/emergency) · See [broken window repair](https://www.vancityglassltd.com/services/broken-window-repair) · Call or text **778-239-6052** · Email **info@vancityglassltd.com**
*VanCity Glass Team*
