The short answer to the question in the title is “no”; glass cooktops are not easy to break. They can crack or break, but many people live with them for years without a problem. In today’s blog we’re going to talk about glass cooktops and how they can break.
Glass cooktops are made of either ceramic glass or tempered glass. Ceramic glass is not even really glass. It’s a ceramic that happens to be transparent so it’s called glass. Tempered glass is glass that has been specially treated to withstand more shock than regular glass. Your vehicle windshield is made of tempered glass.
There are three reasons why glass cooktops break: temperature shock, impact, and micro-abrasions. Temperature shock is a rapid change between something cold and hot. So, for example, taking a pot out of the freezer and then putting it on the stove on high heat, can create enough of a temperature shock to crack the glass.
Impact would be if you drop something heavy on the glass cooktop like cast-iron, enamel pots which are notoriously heavy. Micro-abrasions occur when there are repeated small abrasions to the glass that weaken it. For example, if you clean your glass cooktop with something too abrasive and not recommended, repeated small scratches will weaken the glass.
All in all, glass cooktops are not easily breakable, but under special circumstances, they can break. If you clean it something non-abrasive, don’t drop heavy items on it, and are careful to avoid thermal shock, then it is unlikely that you will have a problem.
Han Appliances are trusted appliance installation experts on the Lower Mainland, who work closely with many of the appliance dealers. If you need some appliances installed in the Vancouver area or you have any questions about this article, please call us at (604) 233-9216.
