Care & Maintenance

It is important to maintain and care for your windows and doors.
Proper maintenance is not just good for you and the environment, it pays for itself many times over.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Some windows in your house may be fitted with a restrictor which limits the initial opening of the window to 100mm. This provides protection from falling to small children.

It is important that the householder makes sure all occupants are familiar with these
restrictors and can release them in case of fire.

To release the restrictor :
1. Open the sash out as far as the restrictor will allow
2. Pull the sash back in slightly – (10 – 12mm, )
3. Push down on the restrictor arm and pull inwards.

This releases the restrictor and allows you to open the sash fully. The restrictor will automatically engage when you close the sash again.

Maintenace

Wooden Windows and Doors - Care and Maintenance

During the Build Process

Keep the coating intact at all times.
Protect surfaces from plaster, render or concrete damage. Clean off any spatters while wet, with clean water – do not use any acid based cleaners. Plaster damage will cause damage to coating and timber staining.
Use any brick or stonework wash with extreme caution. These products are usually acidic. Spatters will cause paint, timber and hardware damage.
Pay particular attention to the protection of window cills and door thresholds from damage by plaster, render or cleaning products.
Keep moisture content of timber at acceptable levels. Dry and ventilate the building. Excessive moisture levels will cause expansion of timbers, jamming of doors and growth of mould and algae on the timber surface.
When the house is completed, heat and ventilate.

Maintenance

This product has a factory applied coating. Where any damage or marking of the product has occurred during the build process, brush coating with a single coat of paint on the outer face will restore a good decorative finish and prolong the coating life. In a location which is exposed to severe weather conditions this treatment will also give added protection against moisture damage. For translucent finishes Sikkens Filter 7 or Saldolin are suitable products. For opaque finishes Sikkens Satura will provide good cover.
Inspect windows at least annually. Pay particular attention to lower areas, glazing beads and cill. Repair any small patches of coating damage promptly.
Wash surfaces with a solution of warm water and liquid detergent – change water frequently. Rinse thoroughly with clean water. The build up of dirt on joinery surfaces encourages mould growth.
Check joinery for signs of algae or mould growth. Treat affected areas with a solution of one part household bleach to two parts water. Allow 20minutes to act and wash off with cold water and a stiff nylon brush. This is very important on building facades which are exposed to cold and damp. Unchecked mould growth may damage the coating and penetrate the timber to cause permanent damage.
Redecorate when the lower parts of the joinery show general signs of wear. The time taken for this to happen will depend on the climate and level of shelter. Redecoration time must be based on physical inspection of the windows.
Remember that timber is a natural product – it expands and contracts with varying climatic conditions. With a panelled door this may give rise to lines on the paintwork around the panel. Sand down any unevenness and touch up the coating in this area.
Keep moving parts – hinges, locks, handles etc. clean and free of grit, dirt or mortar. Clean regularly. Apply an acid free oil, Vaseline or a silicone lubricant to all moving parts at least once a year.
Do not paint over rubber gaskets or ironmongery
Important When closing door always lift handle up to engage multi point locking, to ensure security and protect door against warping.

uPVC and Ecotherm Windows and Doors - Care and Maintenance

uPVC Windows and Doors

Protect window from , plaster or render spatters
If using an acid brick wash or other aggressive cleaner make sure this does not damage the window or leave any residue on hardware or weatherstripping
Warranty does not cover damage caused by wet trades or aggressive cleaning.
Clean uPVC parts using water and a mild household detergent annually
Wipe off any glass cleaning product which gets on the uPVC or on the gaskets.
Never allow contact between paint stripper or a blow lamp and the uPVC
Keep moving parts – hinges, locks, handles etc. clean and free of grit, dirt or mortar.
Apply an acid free oil, Vaseline or a silicone lubricant to the moving parts annually.
Do not paint uPVC windows

EcoTherm Windows and Doors

Protect window from spattering with cement based products such as plaster or render
If using an acid brick wash or other aggressive cleaner make sure this does not damage the window or leave any residue on hardware or weatherstripping
Damage caused by wet trades or aggressive cleaning is not covered under warranty
Clean frames using water and a mild household detergent annually
Wipe off any glass cleaning product which gets on the frame or on the gaskets
Never allow contact between paint stripper or blow lamp and window or door
Keep moving parts – hinges, handles etc. clean and free of grit, dirt or mortar.
Apply an acid free oil, Vaseline or a silicone lubricant to hardware annually

Glass

Protect glass from all alkali materials and fluoride bearing compounds
Never use scrapers, razor blades, steel wool or other metal tool on glass – the window supplier is not responsible for scratches occurring during construction or cleaning.
Water used to wash the face of the building may contain contamination taken from mortar, cement, organic coatings etc. – it will damage the glass surface.
Remove glass labels promptly after installation – prolonged exposure to the sun can make the adhesive very difficult to remove.
Protect glass from splatter during welding/cutting – will cause permanent damage.
Protect glass from concrete splatter – dried on concrete is impossible to remove without glass damage
Organic solvents, oils and plasticisers must not come in contact with the glass.
Protect glass during surface treatment of masonry – acid washing, sand blasting, grouting and waterproofing.
Prolonged exposure to sprinkling or spraying with hard water can lead to the minerals in the water precipitating out on the glass and becoming chemically bonded to the glass causing permanent damage.

Standard Glass Cleaning Procedures

Clean glass from top of building to bottom
Never clean glass in direct sunlight – the cleaning solution will dry on the glass – the dry surface will allow scratching to occur
Use a solution of water and mild detergent – e.g. wash up liquid
Use clean grit free cloths or a clean grit free sponge
Rinse the glass immediately with plenty clean water to remove all detergents
Use a clean, lint free cloth or squeegee to dry the glass

CONDENSATION AND WINDOWS AND DOORS

Internal

Nowadays because of improved airtightness of buildings coupled with changing lifestyles more people are experiencing difficulties with condensation. Because this problem frequently
manifests itself on windows and doors, there is a tendency to regard windows and doors as being in some way responsible. This is a totally erroneous viewpoint.

Condensation is water vapour from the atmosphere in the building and cannot possibly under any circumstances be generated by windows or doors. It is introduced into the air inside the building by the users of the building carrying out such activities as breathing, cooking, washing, showering, bathing, drying clothes etc. In the case of a new house the amount of water vapour generated by the users is significantly added to by the materials used in the construction of the house itself drying out.   When the house is warm the air accepts this water vapour until it reaches saturation point. As the house cools down the saturation point of the air drops and it can no longer hold the amount of water vapour, which it accepted, when warmer. This excess has to be deposited on the various surfaces in the room and the cold glass surface provides an ideal surface for this.

The formation of condensation on a surface does not indicate any problem with that surface – it merely indicates the presence of excessive levels of water vapour in the air. Any surface will condensate given the right combination of two factors - difference between indoor and outdoor temperature and relative humidity of the environment. For example a particular glazed element will not condensate for an outdoor temperature of –2°C and an indoor temperature of 20°C at a relative humidity of 50%. If however the relative humidity is increased by a mere 2% (eg. boiling kettle, unloading dishwasher or similar) condensation occurs.

Windows and doors can help recognise and dealing with a condensation problem. Initially the formation of condensation on windows and doors provides an early warning that there are
excessive amounts of water vapour at large in the building. They provide a clean wipeable surface on which condensation may form without causing a lot of damage unlike more porous surfaces such as paintwork, presses, clothes, furniture etc. Condensation forming on a window or door surface will cause a lot less structural damage than elsewhere in the building. The presence of heavy condensation on a window or door is a symptom of a problem with moisture control in the building - heed the warning but do not shoot the messenger!

The solution to condensation lies in maintaining the correct balance between heating and ventilation in a building and limiting activities which give rise to the build up of excess water
vapour. Heating creates a situation where the air in the building can absorb a lot of water vapour and ventilation ensures that as the air cools down the excess water vapour can escape instead of condensing on cold surfaces within the building.

A particular problem with moisture control may arise in a new building as the materials in the building itself go through a drying out process which may take a year or two. If this proves too difficult to manage by normal means a dehumidifier will help to control the problem.

Remember these points:
•   Windows and doors do not cause condensation
•   Windows and doors are safe clean surfaces on which condensation may form.
•   Condensation on windows and doors provides an early warning of a moisture control problem
•   Windows and doors can be used to provide adequate ventilation to solve a condensation problem

CONDENSATION AND WINDOWS AND DOORS
External

External Condensation

With improvements in the thermal performance of glass the phenomenon of condensation on the exterior surface of glazing has become more prevalent. External condensation occurs in particular climatic conditions with high humidity levels and/or particularly cold weather. It is not a defect in the glass or the windows but it does demonstrate that the item is doing the job it’s supposed to do – keeping heat in.

The low emissivity inner pane reflects heat back into the building preventing the outer pane from warming up. The outer pane presents a cool surface and, given the right temperature and humidity conditions, water vapour from the air will condense on it.

This was not an issue with traditional double glazing when there was much more heat loss through the inner pane so that the outer pane was warmed up by this wasted energy. Today, because of energy prices, global warming, the need to comply with building regulations and reduce carbon emissions, it is no longer possible to install inefficient glazing. In Northern European countries which have much colder winters than we do, glazing with very low U-values has been used for some time and the phenomenon of external condensation is understood and accepted. It is considered much more important to conserve energy and have a warm comfortable indoor environment.

Customers are sometimes perplexed by the fact that condensation may occur on one house but not on another, on one window but not on another, indeed even on one pane but not on another. This happens because the surface temperature of the glass is affected by the degree of shading from a roof overhang, a projecting reveal or lintel, a tree, another house or by a very minor difference in orientation.

There is nothing that can be done to predict where external condensation will occur or to avoid it. It does however indicate that the glazing is very energy efficient and is saving money by conserving heat. In most cases the condensation will disappear as soon as the window is exposed to a little sunshine or a breeze.

Further information on this topic can be found on major glass manufacturers websites
eg. www.pilkington.co.uk or www.saint-gobain.com