How to choose plastic windows: a detailed guide
Tips / / January 02, 2021
High-quality windows will last for several decades, they do not require complex maintenance and help to pay less for heating. If you are going to change windows in a country house, but do not understand this at all, our cards will help you choose the appropriate option.
And what is there to choose? The windows are all the same
Not really. Externally similar to each other plastic windows can differ in the level of resistance to wind load, air and water permeability. According to current regulationsGOST 23166-99 Window blocks. General specifications, the highest category for these parameters is class A. Such windows will suit even owners of apartments on the upper floors of high-rise buildings and will be able to hold back strong gusts of wind.
Another important parameter is sound insulation. Windows should protect both from the hum of cars on the road near the house, and from the sounds coming from the playground in the yard. Here, too, there is a division into classes depending on the ability of the window unit to reduce airborne noise. Class A products are best suited for this task. Before ordering, look in the passport of the window system and check which class the selected windows correspond to.
The most obvious parameters from the point of view of the consumer are the type of construction and the way of opening the window. By type of construction, windows can be single-leaf, double-leaf and triple-leaf. Double-leaf - the most common option, at such a window, both sashes can open, or only one, and the second remains deaf.
By the way of opening, the windows are divided into sliding, turning and tilt-and-turn. For sliding sashes, they move along guides to the left and right, this type of window is suitable for small rooms, where even the window sill has to be used as storage space. Tilt-and-turn windows are a universal option: they can be opened wide open or switched to slot ventilation mode. But windows with a rotary opening do not have ventilation mode, they can only be opened wide, so that for apartments and houses where children and pets live, this option, for obvious reasons, is not fits.
If I want the house to be warm, do I have to look at the number of cameras?
The number of chambers is, of course, an important parameter, but not only it affects the reduction of heat loss. For reference: the chamber of a double-glazed unit is a construction of glass, fastened along the contour by a frame. The combination of two glasses with one gap between them is called single-chamber, and in the two-chamber construction there are three glasses and two air chambers between them. Single-chamber double-glazed windows are suitable for a balcony, and it is better to choose options with at least two cameras for a room: they will help reduce heat loss in winter and provide decent sound insulation.
To reduce heat loss, window manufacturers can fill the space between glass panes with dry air or inert gases such as xenon, argon or krypton. They reduce the thermal conductivity coefficient and protect the windows from condensation, so that the glass unit does not fog up from the inside. There are also disadvantages: over time, the seals wear out, and gas begins to seep into the room. It does not threaten the health of the inhabitants of the house or apartment, but the insulating properties of the glass unit fall. Approximately 10 years after the installation of the window, the gas will have to be re-injected.
In addition, special spraying helps to reduce heat loss: a thin layer of a coating based on metal oxides is applied to the glass, reflecting infrared radiation. The light transmission capacity from such a coating does not decrease, but a sprayed glass unit solves two problems at once: in winter it helps to keep the room warm, and in summer it protects it from overheating.
If frosts are rare in your city, you can choose three-chamber window with a profile with a depth of 60 mm - for example, REHAU Blitz. Such options are also suitable for country houses if you live there only in the summer. Blitz protects not only from cold, but also from water and dust - for this, the window has two sealing circuits outside and inside.
For harsh areas with winds and frosts, it is better to choose a window with a profile depth of 70 mm, and there may be not three, but five or six cameras. REHAU Grazio five-chamber windows meet these requirements - they help keep warm even in extreme cold and high humidity conditions. Intelio 80 windows with six chambers and a profile depth of 80 mm will protect not only from frost, but also from noise. If you live overlooking a busy road, the Intelio 80 system will provide silence and restful sleep: windows delay up to 45 dB.
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It's always dark in my house. Maybe there are some windows with which it will be brighter?
For dark rooms, windows with a reduced profile height are suitable. If you simplify the explanation as much as possible, such windows will have lower frames, which means that the area of the glazed surface will increase. For obvious reasons, it will not work without frames at all - after all, the glasses need to be firmly fixed, but manufacturers find a compromise between reliability and an increased area of the transparent part constructions.
For rooms facing north windows based on REHAU Delight ‑ Design profile are suitable. Thanks to a 10% increase in the light opening compared to conventional windows, they let in more light even in winter. Delight-Design also reliably conserves heat thanks to a 70 mm deep profile and five chambers.
What if I want a full wall window?
No problem. In urban conditions, the possibilities of panoramic glazing are usually limited to finishing balconies and loggias, but in the country or in a country house, you can turn around to the full and make windows to the floor on the veranda or in room. If the room is small, such a solution will help to visually expand it and add light and air. True, it is better to experiment in this way on the first floor: the windows will need to be washed, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to cope with the panoramic structure on the second floor on your own.
You can even combine a window with a door - you get a wall-wide sliding structure that is easy to swing open to let in even more light into the room. The REHAU Panorama Swing-Design system is suitable for openings up to 4 m wide and up to 2.3 m high. multi-leaf doorswhere each leaf moves independently of the others. It is possible to install single-chamber or double-glazed windows in such windows-doors - an excellent option for a summer cottage where you visit only in summer. True, if you live outside the city all year round, this structure is unlikely to protect from frost, but it can be used inside the house, replacing the wall with a transparent partition.
Are there solutions for round windows too?
In fact, plastic windows can be of almost any shape: not only the usual rectangular, but also arched, round or triangular. Partners REHAU make such windows to order for specific dimensions of the window opening. There are some restrictions: for example, the diameter of a round window must be at least 60 cm - the profile does not allow for a sharper bend. The corners of a triangular window cannot be too sharp - an option of at least 30 degrees is allowed.
The rest of the windows of non-standard shape do not differ from the usual ones: for good thermal insulation, double-glazed windows can be installed, and the opening system can be swivel or swing-out. In arched windows, the combination of blind and opening sashes is allowed. Such windows will cost more than standard windows, but they will ideally fit into the design of a country house.
A white window is boring, I want a colored one. Do they even exist?
Of course there are. There are even solutions that imitate metal or wood. For example, window from the REHAU Woodec collection are covered with a matte film with a wood texture - you cannot distinguish from real wood, but it is much easier to care for them.
There are several ways to convert a standard white profile. The most obvious (but not the easiest) option is staining. In order for the paint to last longer and not fade, it is covered with a special protective layer. From the manufacturer, high-quality equipment is required: at the time of applying the paint to the profile, dust particles are not allowed to settle, and the coating should lie flat, without bumps and sagging.
You can use decorative overlays on the front surface of the profile, for example, aluminum. Such linings can be painted in any color, they are easy to clean, but there is also a minus. The structure becomes heavier, which means that the load on the hinges increases.
Finally, manufacturers offer laminated profiles: they are covered with a thin colored film, from under which air bubbles are expelled with special rollers. If the window needs to be laminated only from the inside or outside, a regular white profile will do. If you want windows coated on both sides at once, you can choose a colored base: the profile is made with the addition of pigments, and then a film of a suitable color is applied for additional protection. The coating is resistant, the film is not afraid of water or aggressive cleaning agents.
They say windows need to be changed every five years. Really?
This is a typical excuse for unscrupulous manufacturers and sellers. A window made of modern materials can serve up to 60 years, even if you don't blow every speck of dust off it.
Plastic frames can be washed with soapy water or a special window care product without acid and abrasive particles, and a melamine sponge will help overcome stubborn dirt. It is better not to scrape off the dirt with a knife - you will scratch the plastic, and if the window is laminated, the film will be damaged.
Window fittings should be checked at least a couple of times a year. Remove dirt from hinges and latches with soapy water, wipe dry and treat moving parts with silicone grease or sewing machine oil. The seals are cleaned in approximately the same way: first, wash off the dirt with a solution of soap, and then with a dry cloth spread a couple of drops of silicone grease over the seal. Without regular maintenance, the seal will dry out and lose its elasticity, the window will no longer fit snugly to the frame, and will blow from the cracks.
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