Plastic windows: main malfunctions, recommendations for elimination

Recommendation points

• Condensate
• Patterns in the cold
• The wind is walking
• Damaged glass unit

Plastic windows are a salvation for most people who are tired of the constant torment with wooden structures. The advantages of plastic products include availability, low cost, long service life, reliability and high quality. For more than fifty years, plastic windows have been successfully installed all over the world, and there are no particular complaints about this type of product from users..

Despite all the advantages, plastic windows can also fail. At the same time, any person who does not have any specific experience in servicing these products can diagnose a breakdown. Moreover, it is possible to determine the cause of most faults. How? We will talk about this in this article..

Condensate

Many owners of plastic windows have witnessed the manifestation of condensation. The reason may not be a defect in the windows (as many people think), but high humidity in the room. At the same time, the condensate “looks for” the coldest places in the room, which are most often the windows and balcony slopes.

Plastic windows owe their popularity to such a property as tightness. It is thanks to this option that we can confidently speak of excellent thermal protection of products and sound insulation, which is especially needed in big cities. Thus, after installing new plastic windows, air circulation in the room decreases, which leads to an increase in humidity. As a result, droplets appear on the glass.

Excessive moisture can lead to mold growth on slopes. What to do in such cases? It is necessary to pay more attention to the ventilation of the room. This procedure should be performed at least three times a day for half an hour. It will not be superfluous to check the performance of ventilation in an apartment or house. If drops appear between the glass, and not on the inside of the window, then such glass units must be changed by the manufacturer during the entire warranty period. This is definitely about marriage..

Sometimes the appearance of condensation is caused by improper installation of plastic windows. Often, installers violate the technology, therefore, even with good ventilation, condensation can form. In this case, the only way out is only a high-quality re-assembly of the product by more experienced craftsmen..

Patterns in the cold

What can cause the appearance of patterns on the windows in the cold? In general, the appearance of condensation on slopes and glass in the cold season leads to freezing – this is quite logical. If the apartment is warm enough, and you see ice or frost on the slopes, then this is evidence of the wizard’s mistakes in the process of installing the window. In particular, the assembly seam may be incorrectly sealed or a special protrusion is missing. Thus, the slopes may be strongly shifted outward, which means that in the frost they will freeze very much.

This defect can also be caused by the wrong window selection. If a product is purchased that is not suitable for a specific area with its temperature regimes, then in severe frost on the inner surface of the frame there will be a temperature below zero, which is an unacceptable phenomenon.

The wind is walking

The task of any plastic window is to preserve heat in the house, so it is doubly offensive if the product is blown by the wind. There are several reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon. First of all, people forget to switch the latches on the fittings to winter mode and the sashes do not adhere enough to the base. In this case, the window will be blown around the entire perimeter. You can fix this problem yourself. To do this, the trunnions must be transferred to the winter position (you can read more in the instructions for the product). Do not forget that the fittings must be periodically cleaned and lubricated, because only in this case it can last a long time.

But what if the adjustment doesn’t work? In this case, you can blame the assembly seam, which is often damaged already in 1-3 years after the installation work. This drawback can be eliminated by filling the seams with polyurethane foam..

Another reason for blowing out is an obsolete seal, which is usually made of special material. After the incident of ten to fifteen years, the elasticity of such an elastic band may deteriorate, which will lead to air entering the room through the window. In this case, you can solve the problem with silicone grease..

Damaged glass unit

Sometimes the glass unit itself is damaged in the windows, or it is initially installed with a defect. For example, a crack may appear in it, and in some cases it completely crumbles. We are not talking about obvious reasons (physical impact), because the glass can break by itself if any hidden problems arise.

If the factory made serious mistakes during assembly or the transportation was carried out in violation of the manufacturer, then one microcrack will be enough to turn it into a large crack..

Uneven heating of the glass can also damage the product. A sharp temperature drop or a change in pressure can also lead to destruction..

In the above cases, the only way out is to replace the glass unit, because it is already useless to use glass with a crack.

A long service life of plastic windows is possible if several basic rules are followed: choosing a product from a trusted manufacturer, attracting experienced installers to work and proper maintenance.