The conversation of two friends:
- Set myself a new “breathable” double-glazed windows.
- Well, how?
- Yesterday, in a 20-degree frost, they inhaled and exhaled so much that my cat froze to the battery.
A life joke, isn't it? With a problem when going through the slopes or blowing from under the windowsill of a plastic window, many consumers are faced. The causes of the defect must be clarified and unequivocally corrected, otherwise the street, and not the living room, will be heated in the cold season.
Causes of drafts
You won’t have to figure out why it’s blowing, if after installing the double-glazed window the warranty period has not yet expired. You only need to contact the company, whose specialists will fix everything for free.
If the warranty is over, then you will have to solve the problem yourself. It is possible to follow the path of least resistance: block the flow of cold air with some kind of barrier (blanket, books).
However, this is a temporary measure. It is not the consequences that need to be eliminated, but the causes. They are different:
- Marriage due to a violation of the technology for the production of plastic windows.
- Poor quality materials, as well as materials that do not correspond to our climate. Thus, a profile under the influence of low temperatures loses its strength. Moreover, even a small crack leads to blowing.
- Seal wear.
- Incorrect installation of window construction.
- Sagging foam or using low-quality adhesive sealant.
- Skewed glass due to shrinkage of the house.
Having discovered one or more reasons for blowing, you need to start acting depending on the nature of the defect. There are several ways to fix it:
- Remove the gap with sealant;
- Close the slots with a profile;
- Insulate the windowsill.
Coat with sealant
This method is suitable if the gap between the window sill and the window frame is not very large.. In addition, compared to other methods of dealing with drafts, this one is the cheapest.
Defects are repaired with a transparent sealant. Before using it, the gap should be cleaned of dust and dirt, degrease and dry.
Then the nozzle of the tube is applied the maximum possible amount of substance until completely filled.
To get a beautiful seam, swipe it with the edge of a 10-ruble coin. Do this in a continuous motion to avoid the curvature of the seam.
The advantage of this method is that all the work takes a matter of minutes. The disadvantage is fragility. Two years later, the sealant begins to peel off, darken.
Close the gap with the profile
This method is based on creating additional protection for the sealed seam with the help of a plastic profile.
For work you will need the following materials:
- Transparent silicone sealant;
- Stationery knife, sharp scissors;
- Plastic profile in the configuration of the inner corner.
Armed with everything you need, get to work.
Action algorithm
- First, measure and cut the profile along the length of the window frame with a margin of 2-3 cm.
- Then cut off its perforated part so that a distance of about 1 cm remains from the curved plate, and 2 mm from the bend of the right angle.
- Using a clerical knife, sharpen the cut line by combing the corners on both sides. This is done so that this part of the profile easily enters the crevice, thereby creating a barrier to air entering the room.
- Make holes in the lower corners of the window from one to one and a half centimeters deep.
- Clean the joint between the frame and the windowsill from debris, wash, degrease, wipe dry.
- Seal the gap by filling it with sealant.
- In the holes made and on the joint, distribute the sealant evenly.
- Apply a thin layer of sealant to the profile, insert one end into the hole, and insert the pointed edge of the cut line into the slot.
- Thus, the entire profile is adjusted. The opposite edge is inserted into the second hole.
- Press the corner firmly, hold for several minutes for better fixation.
- The sealant that has been squeezed out can be carefully removed after solidification.
The disadvantage of this method is the complexity and time costs. However, the result is impressive: a beautiful, durable corner in place of the black gap.
Now you know exactly what to do when it blows between the window sill and the plastic window. But sometimes this knowledge is not enough, since the source of the draft can be under the windowsill. Here a completely different method will be applied.
Getting to warming
Insulation of the windowsill of plastic windows will provide additional thermal insulation, save from blowing. The materials used are mounting foam, acrylic sealant. If you find a gap between the windowsill and the wall, you can not do without dismantling.
Dismantling
Arm yourself with a hammer, puncher, chisel, hacksaw, knife. There are two ways to dismantle.
Method number 1
First, take off the wallpaper. Then, using a chisel and a hammer, beat off the plaster under the window and in places where there is a junction of the side parts of the window sill and slopes.
Cut the mounting foam and gently pull the canvas towards you, tilting it slightly down.
Method number 2
Using this method, it is not necessary to repel the plaster. Pass a long-blade knife under the windowsill and cut the mounting foam and sealant near the slopes. The blade should not be in contact with plastic. After removing the fastening elements, pull out the web.
After dismantling, clean the work surface from debris with a broom or vacuum cleaner. This will allow you to see all the cracks through which cold air entered.
Fill all slots with foam. And in the presence of significant deformations, use silicone sealant.
Installation
Having completed all the necessary procedures, you can install the windowsill. To do this, apply mounting foam along its perimeter of the front side, as well as along the product’s diagonals. Lay the canvas on the work surface.
To grip the canvas with the base, gently press on it and hold for a few minutes. Attach the building level to make sure everything is installed smoothly.
For better fixation, put something heavy on the windowsill (for example, books), as it may warp as a result of the expansion of the foam.
More reliable insulation is performed through the use of sealant. It is applied to each area where there is a joint.
The final step in the installation is the plaster of the slopes. It is made both from cement mortar, and from ordinary dry mix.
Having thus insulated the plastic window, you will forever forget about the cold window sill and drafts in the house.
No drafts - cause condensation
Entering the struggle with the blowing of double-glazed windows, everything turns out as in medicine: one heals - the second cripples. So it is here: as soon as it stops blowing, condensation appears on the glass.
The reasons for this are as follows:
- Lack of air circulation;
- High humidity in the house;
- A wide window sill, which prevents warm air from entering the glass from the radiator;
- Low indoor temperatures;
- Poor installation.
To avoid this trouble, you need to ventilate the rooms more often, free the window from everything superfluous, change the radiator.
Useful Tips
- Responsibly approach the choice of a company engaged in the installation of double-glazed windows.
- Contact professionals for annual preventive maintenance.
- Do not break operating rules.
By following these simple rules, you may never run into a problem when the wind blows from under the windowsill of a plastic window.