Throughout the Midlands
10 Year Guarantee
Energy Efficienct Products
Helpful Info
Scroll below to find some helpful tips and advice to keep your glazing looking and working in perfect order
Common issues & Top Tips
Keep 'em oiled
We recommend using a lubricating oil on all moving parts on windows & doors including hinges, mechanisms, locks & handles every 6 months. This can help ensure smooth operation of vital components, slow degradation and prevent damage and more costly repairs in the long run.
You can pick up lubricating oil from most DIY stores. WD-40 is a great choice for light-duty lubrication and freeing up sticking or partially rusted hinges and latches, however a graphite lubricant is our personal favourite for locks as it won’t attract dirt to intricate parts of locking mechanisms like an oil would.
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Top Tip : if using lubricant that's not sprayable, adding some to a key and inserting a few times in a sticking or tough key barrel can help transfer lubricant to the pins and components inside the barrel itself
Dealing with condensation
Condensation forms on the coldest surface in a room, often the glazing, particularly with older non-energy rated sealed units.
Many of our household appliances add moisture to the air such as ovens, kettles, tumble dryers, showers and drying clothes indoors. Ideally your windows will have trickle vents fitted (long thin vents usually at the top of the casement or the frame) that you can toggle open or closed, its generally advised to leave these open so they provide background ventilation however if you don't have these check the locking keeps on your frame, a lot of window keeps have different locking points so your windows can be open an inch or so and still lock closed, often referred to as night ventilation, this is an ideal solution for bedrooms prone to internal condensation (in bedrooms alone 1 sleeping person adds 1/2 pint of moisture to the air overnight). If you feel your glazing could benefit from upgrading your old sealed units for more efficient energy rated ones, give us a call for a free quote.
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Top Tip : Ventilation and airflow is key, opening your windows in the mornings for half an hour can make a real difference.
Cleaning uPVC
One attractive feature of uPVC windows is the fact they're relatively maintenance free for years compared to other materials.
To keep it looking fresh and prevent dirt build up, it does need a quick clean down every now and then, especially white.
Removing dust and dirt with a soft brush then a scrub with warm soapy water and some elbow grease with a microfibre cloth is usually all that is needed. If you can, hoover out any dirt or debris that collects in the casement or hinges. Squeegee soapy water off your glass for a streak free finish.
There are specific uPVC solvent cleaners on the market, in our experience these work well with white frames however NEVER use any chemical product on coloured upvc or aluminium. This will damage the colour and potentially ruin your frame.
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Top tip : That old household cleaning favourite white vinegar! Mixing ½ cup of vinegar with 2 cups of water (a drop of washing up liquid is optional) will clean the glass shiny brand new.
Drainage
Most uPVC & aluminium windows and doors contain internal drainage. This means that any water that makes it past the seal or casement is diverted out where the frame sits on the sill (base drainage) or from the external face of the frame if your frame is face drained.
(you should see some caps to the bottom external face of your frame if this is your case)
These can become blocked with debris or moss over time, causing the water to back up and leak inside. If you have noticed water ingress at the bottom of your window or door, or along the internal bead line, check for blockages in the drainage holes, and clean out where necessary with a long flat head screwdriver . Sometimes the space between frame and sill can be mistakenly sealed over, make sure this is clear to allow any water to exit.
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Top Tip : To test you can pour a small amount of water in the drainage holes and check its escaping between the frame and sill or drainage caps if you have them
Pet Flaps
Don't trust your pets with their own house key? We have a solution for that.
We swap out your old sealed unit for a shiny new one (with a 10 Year guarantee) with the hole already pre cut for your pet flap, fit your chosen product and its done in hardly any time at all. Its even easier in a upvc door, as we can usually fit it in existing door panels. It's important to only clean down pet flaps with a cloth soaked in warm soapy water. Using a chemical cleaner can interfere with the seal and cause premature break down of your unit. A firm favourite for our customers is the SureFlap range (www.surepetcare.com)
which has a number of different models available dependant on budget and requirements.
Top Tip : If you can, keep your old sealed unit somewhere safe and if you move house it can be refitted, your pet flap can then be removed and taken to your new home to save buying a new one.
The lawnmower -
glazing nemesis