The Window Choice

If the windows in your home have seen better days, then replacing them with energy efficient, double pane windows will really reduce your heating and cooling energy costs while giving value and lots of curb appeal to your home. London Glazing are glass experts. Now, choosing the right windows for a home can be a mine field given all the styles, materials, and features that are available today. In addition, because this can be a considered investment with the new windows hopefully lasting up to 20 years, doing a little homework before you commit can save on disappointment and an empty wallet. Here are some options: Window Materials like Wood is still popular as it is quite versatile. If old windows let the drafts in, you can always fit a weather strip. Hardwood is quite costly, but is durable and can be protected by oil. London Glaziers only use skilled technicians. You can paint hardwood windows or give them a natural finish. Windows made from softwood need to be protected by paint or maybe a natural wood finish, with regular maintenance. Aluminum can be an excellent choice, as the strength of aluminum lets a thin frame support a large area of glass. However, aluminum will conduct heat away from the home and has condensation issues. Double-glazing might be a stipulation the building regulations to lessen the loss of heat. Old aluminum windows rust, but modern models are protected in the manufacturing process and are low maintenance. Vinyl Windows will give very good heat and sound insulation. The old windows are usually replaced in a home by new vinyl units. White and other finishes are available, like wood-grain. These types require little or no maintenance. Finally, modern windows are made from a mixture of different materials. For example, aluminum windows, often use a wooden core, with steel casements housed in wooden frames reducing the heat loss. There are frames with decorative real wood on the inside, and fiberglass or vinyl exteriors, also available.

Early Polyvinyl chloride or PVC was first made by a German chemist called Eugen Baumann back in1872. He foolishly did not apply for a patent. This Polyvinyl chloride or PVC was not patented until 1913 when a German called, Friedrich Klatte, discovered a new and innovative method of the polymerization of vinyl chloride with the help of sunlight. Herr Klatte was the first inventor to receive a patent for PVC. However, no really useful requirement for PVC was needed until Mr Waldo Semon came along and created PVC into a better kind of product. London Glazing know all about windows glass. Back to the present, UPVC windows as we now know them re constructed from vinyl polymer bound to chlorine atoms so they are not truly plastic and work with steel. This gives them great strength and versatility with very low maintenance costs which is a big attraction for a homeowner. You can purchase fixed windows, opening windows and sliding windows in many colours. They have many benefits like: Durability because they are made to be weatherproof and are used many times in marine work so their quality is really tested. London Glaziers are experts in glass. These windows are far more waterproof than other windows beacause they do not absorb moisture. They are not fireproof, but fire resistant and unlike wood, they will not accidentally catch fire. UPVC windows will not succumb to corrosion, or warp, so they are pretty much maintenance-free. They should not need to be repainted in their lifetime. But, if you want to change the colour of the frames, you can paint them. Using strong steel fittings and a double glass pane, these windows are a strong deterrent to burglars. Energy Efficiency is a benefit as they have a very low thermal conductivity due to the materials used in their construction. This means that heat wont escape nearly as easy as other materials. They are 30% more efficient than some other types of double pane windows like aluminum. Heat Loss is almost non existant due to their lack of thermal conductivity.This will show in energy bills.

The old classic box sash window has been a great piece of architecture in the UK for over 300 years. Thought to have originated in France, this timeless style was used in Britain as early as the 17th century, and is now a real part of UK heritage. London Glazing are professionals. Lots of buildings, diverse in style and stature, share this common feature. From traditional towns and cities, to rural villages and conservation areas, the sash window can be found all over, but they can fail. You can take this on yourself if you are confident or you can call a professional service. Here is a guide to repairing a sash window:

1). Take out the window from the sash box and remove any rotten sections. Wooden pieces should be slotted in where needed or any holes can be filled and worked to match the timber.
2). The window can then be upgraded by adding a bead around all the railings. This will prevent the window from rattling and keep the heat in. London Glaziers can supply and fit all types of glass.
3). Secondary glazing can also be installed inside the property. This will mean that the sash window will still look the same from the outside, but the look on the inside may be gone. Cover with a primer and wood preservative and then paint with a quality outdoor paint. To Fit New Sash Cords remove the beading at the bottom of the sash and cut the cord. The sash will come out in one piece. Remove the old cords from the sash and detach them from the weights. Drop the new cords through the sides of the sash and tie them to the weights. Ensure each cord is the same length and sits straight. Fit the sash back into place and replace the beading. Work on a sash window can be difficult, however, the great thing is that the window can be repaired in situ.

It is estimated that an estimated 4 million tons of glass each year is produced right across the British glass industry. The glass is divided into general categories like, container, flat, fibre and Domestic (Crystal and Special Glass). Containers for the food and drinks industry, glass for construction and the automotive industry make up about 90% of the glass made in the UK. Lets look at the types: Container is normally for bottles and jars, and makes up around 60% of all UK glass that is made. The majority of this style of glass made in the UK is a clear glass. The UK container industry consists of 6 manufacturers who in 2010 were responsible for a total of 2.3 million tons of this type of glass. London Glaziers are experts in glass. Flat is a part of the industry that is driven by demand for building and automotive glass, and is the second largest part of the UK glass manufacturing industry. At the present time, 3 companies make a flat glass in the UK and annual domestic output in 2010 was around 1.3 million tonnes, of which the lions share the went towards glass products for buildings including laminated, self-cleaning, coated low-emissivity, silvered and other types, with the rest used for automotive applications. Production of clear float glass is the single biggest product and unlike container glass, is usually used in longer-term applications. London Glazing only use skilled technicians. The Domestic and Special Glass Sector has no large producer of domestic glass but instead, several small manufacturers that produce either lead crystal or common soda-lime glass. They work smaller pot furnaces and melt a few tons per week. The Special Glass covers things like lighting, oven hobs, optical, medical and scientific. Fibreglass has over 40,000 uses, from building insulation products for energy savings and thermal protection, to reinforcement of plastics and rubber, electronics and wall coverings. Glass fibre is a versatile material. It is a continuous thread and can be woven into fabric yarn and is fire resistant

By the very nature of the its physical characteristics it is not surprising that the surface of most pieces of glass can be damaged in many different ways, ranging from physical scratching, graffiti, air pollution and other methods of contamination. London Glazing are professional glass people. These types of common occurances can very easily impair the visual quality, performance and appearance of glass as a piece of glazing. There is a wide belief that the only way to repair this kind of damage is by carrying out a full replacement of the damaged piece. In these modern times though and due to advancement in technology this in fact is now not always the only resolution. The GGF Glass Repair Group has produced some information and advice to help educate and illustrate that glass surfaces can be repaired and provide an effective alternative to replacement. The following points are considered to be the most common causes of the most commonly reported damage to the surface of glass. There are more of course: Scratches are most likely to be caused by hard or sharp objects that are either accidentally or intentionally applied and may result in failure if left damaged. Graffiti is quite often carved or even etched into the surface. It can also be applied with paint or indelible ink, which if not removed correctly would damage the surface of the glass. Air Pollution from organic or inorganic materials or a combination of the two can have an abrasive effect on the surface of glass that will cause a deteriation of the visual quality of the glass. London Glaziers can supply and fit all types of glass and glazing. Contamination might occur because of building run off or sealant leakage which may have an effect on the glass surface. if you have suffered glass damage and you are unsure what to do, contact your local glass specialist.

The glass know of as ‘Flat’ is the material that goes into the end products that we see, and also see through of course, each and every day. It is instumental in the ,manufactiure of car windscreens and windows for transport, the windows and facades for reidential and commercial buildings. It is also used for solar energy equipment like solar thermal panels and photovoltaic units. It can also be used, in smaller amounts, forlots of other applications such as interior fittings and decoration, furniture, or “street furniture” (bus stops), and electronics. Flat glass that is made by the float process is treated again to give it specific qualities. London Glaziers can supply and fit all types of glass.
Here are some examples: Annealed Glass is a basic flat glass that is the result of the float process. It is a common type of glass that breaks into large shards. It is used in some end products and quite often in double-glazed windows. It is also the material used to produce more advanced products through further treatments such as laminating, toughening, coating, etc. Toughened Glass is treated to make it more resistant to breaks than just annealed glass, in other words so it breaks in a more controlled way, giving a massive safety advantage in almost all of its uses. To make tough glass a sheet of annealed glass is heated to above 600°C, its surfaces are then quickly cooled while the inside of the glass remains hotter. London Glazing only use professional tradespeople. Different cooling rates between the two parts of the glass produces different physical properties. This provides the glass with a mechanical resistance to breakage, and also, when it does break, will cause it to produce small, regular, typically square fragments rather than long, dangerous shards. Toughened glass also has an larger resistance to breakage because of the stresses caused by different temperatures in a pane. Today there are many products that benefit us that are constructed fro this type of glass.

It is hard to believe but glass is 100% recyclable and more than that can be recycled forever with no loss in quality or purity, which is a claim that few few food and beverage packaging options can make. As glass can be downcycled it save it from the landfill, which means that container glass a very valuable and a great environmental friend for a packaging material. The term downcycle means something that can be recycled into something of a lesser quality. This is great news for a glass manufacturer, as cullet (recycled glass) is of an extreme benefit. Cullet is crushed (recycled) glass and is a really critical secondary raw material. London Glaziers can advise on recycling. About 2.5 – 3% of energy is saved for every 10% of cullet used instead of raw materials, as no energy is required to melt cullet. London Glazing are green glass merchants. In excess of 67% of all glass in the form of bottles and jars in Europe are taken for recycling. This adds up to 25 billion jars and bottles or 11 million tons being collected across europe. Glass is made from natural, sustainable and very abundant materials like sand, soda ash and limestone.  Glass is not made from scarce resources such as oil, and therefore it helps to prevent the exploitation of fossil fuels. The glass production actual needs energy to melt the raw materials and also the recycled glass but this energy is not obtained from fossil fuels such as oil.  Wherever possible, the part of fossil CO2 emissions arising from burning fossil fuels to melt glass could be greatly reduced by switching to renewable or low carbon energy sources. Glass can be made with practically any energy source. The use of fossil fuel is actually very recent in the many centuries of glass manufacture.

Day by Day, people are being encouraged to change from double to triple glazing. It may not be obvious yet but everyone is being encouraged to improve the energy performance of their windows and it has reached the stage it would seem where mere double glazing will no longer be the answer. London Glaziers supply and fit all types of glass. There are modern windows now being made with three panes of glass, which we all know now triple glazing. These triple glazed windows are even more energy saving than modern double glazing. The heat insulation benefit is clearly felt through the additional pane of glass and gas filled gap. There are 3 reasons why someone should consider installing tripleglazing: The First is these units use far less energy and can save even more on heating bills. This type of glazing gives a high level of solar heat gain, catching warmth from natural daylight and bringing it into your home. London Glazing can advise on energy efficiency. This is combined with high thermal insulation properties with triple glazed windows having a very low U-value to keep the heat in during night and day. The result is a window that achieves the maximum A+ rating. The Second is the comfort factor, meaning that the thermal efficient triple glazed windows guarantees that cold spots disappear. Triple glazed windows can also be fitted to provide a top class thermal acoustic performance. This reduces the noise levels from outside. The Third is the provision of increased security, as the extra pane of glass in triple glazing gives greater security. This glazing is now well established in many parts of Europe and is slowly appearing in the UK. A triple glazed window happens to make you a lot more comfortable, as it keeps the heat a lot better. However there are those that think a triple glazed window will not drastically affect your heating bills, but agree you will definately see and feel the difference inside your home.

Fitting the right windows will make a dramatic change to the overallenvironment of any home. London Glaziers onlt use qualified professionals. They will not only enhance your views, but they also play a part in the control of the interior temperature by venting but also insulating. New windows can be a costly investment, so a customer needs to be sure to do their research before they spend their hard earned money. Many years ago the choice was limited to side hinged or the sliding sash style of window, but today, the choice is huge. There has also been a revolution in the materials that our windows are made from and also the shapes and sizes are really quite considerable.London Glazing can supply and fit all glass needs. Usually, if a window is replaced, the materials and also the functionality and hardware mechanics are made in a sympathetic way in order to keep to the original design and promote an authentic representation. The frame in which the window sits is also very important, so it is important to always checkthat if the window being replaced hasa sill, then, the replacement needs to be the same. Here are some frames: Hardwood Frames are still very popular, with many choosing hardwood for its hard wearing qualities and looks. These frames can be painted or just oiled for protection, it is quite expensive but good value. Aluminium Framesare slim but very strong, durable and able to support large panes of glasswork. They have a big problem, however and that is they conduct heat and are also prone to massive condensation issues. The older of this type of frame used to rust, but the new ones are protected and require little or no maintenance.Vinyl Covered Frame is a replacement option for older windows and come in double glazed units, in white and various colour options.

When these windows were originally made, they were of a timber construction.
however this type of material can and does present lots of problems for homeowners if they are not maintained regularly. This includes, rotting, rattling, peeling and of course draughts.So we now know that the Sash windowis particularlysusceptable to the british weather and also burglars. This is in the design, as the bead holdingthe glass in place is usually only held with pins. LondonGlazing supply and fit all glass. The window can be made more secure, by screwing the bead in place, if wide enough. Although the ultimate update is to replace. The modern style is the ’tilt to clean’ sliding sash, not only sliding up and down but also tilting inwards to clean by unfastening two clips on top of each moving sash. These can be secured by fitting both sash stops and dual screws.The cord that sits in a deteriorated sash window can come loose and snap.This makes the locks on these windows redundant as the windows can open fully, or evenstick. A Mortise lock in wooden window frames work if the window frame is flush with the lock. In the UK, local councils in many conservation areas insist that Georgian, Victorian, or Edwardian houses keep pure wooden window frames.London Glaziers use the latest security glass. In these cases, the householder has to ensure that the wooden frame remains in good condition and that locks can fit into it above the sash top. More locks and bolts can be added to the central catch.The UPVC Windowis a good security idea and also a cost-effective material for window frames, particularly double glazed windows. The UPVC material looks like wood but at a reasonable cost. The best solution for UPVC windows is to check with the manufacturer about adding extra security bolts.Doors that are fitted with window panels, like French doors and patio doors are less secure than their solid counterparts. The security can be increased byusing laminated glass. This not only gives better protection from a burglar, but also provides protection for residents and homeowners from any shards of glass that might fly if an object breaks the glass during a storm.Aluminium Windowshave a locking handle and offers the best form of window security. Additional bolts may be fitted at the top or the base for extra security.