Can these glass panels be installed according with the code ?

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Ivan Turbinca

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I am having a problem with the way the three glass panels that have the diagonal cut at the top will be installed, I am not sure how well they will align as the the angle of the stairs is ~44 degrees while the angle of the cut will be ~56 degrees. Considering the geometry of my stairs, if I align them, the resulting distance distance between two panels must be 5.261". The code says no more than 4" between two spindles. How do they even sell this when they will fit a particular geometry only (or a small range) Here is how I calculated the above
h1DFH.png

Use this calculator to check the maths Calculation of the right triangle b=8 B=56.671 the 56.671 angle was calculated based on the panel drawing for a triangle of 152x127x83.516

Here is my design

58tMa.png


Here is the product I am planning to use Colonial Elegance Verona Glass Balustrade Panel - 40° Angle Stair Section - 39 3/8-in L x 6-in W x 3/8-in T
Here are the specs from the manufacturer
GoFS1.png
 
The only options I see is to have something structural between every panel of glass to take up some distance.
If it would meet code the glass could rest on a support parallel to the railing instead of resting on the steps themselves. This way the glass could be positioned closer together so the openings meet code. I would think if that's possible, you would need to make up a template to be sure the angles are correct.
 

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the manufacturer instructions recommend brackets and I want to install them in this application
If I had that kind of support I would not use brackets at all. See their pictures for how it is installed
I do not see how installing something at the bottom addresses the problem of space between two pannels

As per their pictures the solution is to alternate metal spindles with glass panels so you can space them properly as in their picture
nGPpAqL.png
 
In order for you to be able to center the panels on your treads and still meet code you will need wider panels if you don’t want to use their spindles.

I wonder how much it would cost to hit up a glass shop and have them make panels the size you need. You would still need all the hardware though. How about contacting the manufacturer to see if they have wider panels available.
 
That's probably the best choice. It's amazing a company would sell a product knowing that codes are fairly standard at least here in the United States.
 
That's probably the best choice. It's amazing a company would sell a product knowing that codes are fairly standard at least here in the United States.

They do have a solution, metal spindles to fill up the spaces between the panels. OP doesn’t like that option but you can’t really fault the manufacturer for that.
 
While my other answer works to install the above if the calculated distance between two panels would be 5", in fact the real distance between two panels was calculated wrong, the 8" distance is actually between the highest point of two consecutive panels

Here is what what the numbers look like. The manufacturer did not take a blind risk. Within a couple of degrees of angle difference between the stairs and the rail that will sit on top of the below glass panels you have a large numbers of stair geometries (sizes) that will be covered and and that will still be code compliant

5mQWK.png
 
no, my calculation was wrong -when I determined the angle and the required distance for the top ends to align I knew that there will be an 8" elevation difference between two consecutive steps and I wrongly translated that for calculation purposes (see where the 8" is in this picture at the top and see where it is in my previous post). That led to an error on my side
h1DFH.png
 

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