Those who decide to replace old wooden window frames with plastic windows should know: this product is not a monolith, but a structure of several elements.
Profile, double-glazed unit, fittings – the main parts of the mechanism
There are many companies that produce profiles. Practice shows that European manufacturers monitor the quality of materials and the manufacturing process more carefully than producers from Turkey, and a window profile from Europe will last 40 years, its quality is noticeably higher than Chinese and Turkish counterparts. At the same time, the price of products is almost the same. Therefore, we advise paying attention to Rehau windows from a German developer, which are recognized by buyers as a true symbol of compliance with standards.
Choosing a profile
Important fact: today on the market you can often find so-called object profiles intended for installation in non-residential premises (on construction sites, warehouses). They are made from recycled plastic, so the walls of such a frame are much thinner, it poorly protects against frost and wind, and also smells unpleasant.
Although an object profile cannot be installed in a residential building, some unscrupulous manufacturers use it in window construction to reduce costs, but forget to notify the buyer about this. Therefore, when choosing plastic windows, be careful: if you see a film on the frame without inscriptions or with the words 'объект', 'object' or 'энджин', know that such a profile cannot be purchased.
Frame: what to pay attention to?
An important part of the window frame is the internal reinforced layer; without it, the window loses rigidity, resistance to temperature changes and mechanical damage. Naturally, a frame made of simple PVC, not reinforced in any way, will last you only a few months.
Reinforcement is a mandatory process, but some unreliable manufacturers prefer to do without it. It is very easy to identify a non-reinforced profile: run a magnet along the frame, if you feel attraction – feel free to buy the windows, if not – refuse the services of the ill-fated manufacturer.
The role of the double-glazed unit and glass
Another crucial element of the window structure is the double-glazed unit. How many panes it should have depends on the installation location: for office or non-residential buildings, a single one is sufficient, but in an apartment or private house, install at least a double-glazed unit.
Also, when choosing a window, pay attention to the thickness of the glass. The standard value is 4 mm, they are also called 'четверка'. But due to the rapid increase in import duties, many manufacturers, counting on the gullibility of the customer, install 'тройку' (3 mm) in the structure, which is not only considered unacceptable by standards, but also violates all safety norms.
Window fittings
Fittings are no less important. During operation, an apartment window can be opened and closed up to 50,000 times. The service life of the entire window directly depends on the quality of hinges, rods, brackets, drip caps and connecting elements.
Today, many companies are engaged in the sale of metal-plastic structures. In any city of Ukraine there are stores where you can buy windows: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnepropetrovsk and other localities have such commercial enterprises in their infrastructure. And rapid technological progress allows any Internet user to order a plastic window structure without leaving home.
Therefore, when choosing, follow all the advice given. And as a result, get high-quality, durable PVC windows.
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