Below we provide you with a downloadable manual we have developed for PVC window installation, which contains basic guidelines in this regard: w tym zakresie:
uPVC Window Installation Guide
Window installation – what to pay attention to
The proper course of joinery installation consists of many aspects: the technical solutions used, the skills of the assemblers, but also the entire process preceding the final installation. A detailed assessment of the site situation in terms of, for example, the type of erection materials, correct measurement (taking into account both the required expansion clearances and any additional materials used), preparation of window openings (who is to do it and how), access to the site itself and to individual openings, allow the selection of optimal solutions and their proper pricing.
Proper window installation – three basic steps
In terms of the assembly process itself, the following three steps appear to be key:
1. Stable and even support of the structure to ensure proper transmission of loads (of course, the joinery must also be properly sized so that the correct expansion gap is maintained on each side, allowing the window structure to move freely under the influence of temperature differences affecting it)
- In situations where window installation occurs when the threshold part of the window reveal is in an unfinished state or the floor has not yet reached the target level, it is necessary to use widening profiles.
- Support blocks are used to transfer loads on the building structure from forces acting parallel to the plane of the window. They are pressure-loaded. Their task is primarily to compensate for the loads resulting from the weight of the window structure itself, as well as any operational loads caused by the window user. In order for the support blocks to do their job properly, they should be properly positioned around the perimeter of the window. They should be placed in the area of the corners of the frame, mullions and struts depending on the method of opening, and should be secured against slipping. At the same time, the placement of the blocks must be done in such a way as to prevent stress on the window frame.
2. Proper fixing of windows in mechanical terms
- Fixing the window in the reveal is one of the basic elements of the installation, determining to a large extent how the window will function when subjected to external loads, such as wind pressure and suction, temperature differences, dead weight of the structure, as well as operational loads from the user. The installation of the window, and in fact its mechanical fixing using specialized fasteners, should be done in such a way as to effectively absorb the forces acting perpendicular to the plane of the window. First of all, coming from the push and suction of the wind. The quantity and quality of the fasteners used should ensure that all loads are transmitted through them to the building structure with unchanged functionality of the product. An issue no less important than the selection of fasteners is the correct way to place them around the perimeter of the window.
3. Sealing the windows (through the use of insulating materials and their proper protection)
- Eliminating most of the causes that result in slow but inevitable degradation of window-frame joints requires three independent sealing layers of varying functionality during installation:
- Outer layer – waterproof, vapor-permeable
- Middle layer – thermal insulation
- Internal layer - vapor barrier
All three layers together and each individually should also form a barrier to restrict air flow through the joint. They can be made using either multiple individual materials or a combination of sealing materials.