More Aluminium Myth Busting
Myths About Aluminium Windows Installation, Performance and Security
In the UK, aluminium windows have been around since the 1970s and an awful lot has obviously changed since then – but some myths about installation, performance and security still persist.
Here, we look at a few of them – and explain why they’re long out of date:
- Aluminium windows have to be fitted into hardwood subframes
If you’ve already got wooden subframes in your house and want to keep them as a feature, then there’s no reason why aluminium windows can’t be fitted into these. But there’s nothing that says you have to keep them. Aluminium windows can just as easily be direct fixed now or fixed into stone frames or mullions, so the choice is yours.
- Aluminium windows suffer from condensation
In the days before aluminium window systems had polyamide thermal breaks within the profile sections to make them more thermally efficient, they were cold to the touch and there was always the risk of condensation. That’s no longer the case. Aluminium frames are now just as efficient as PVC-U and while no window will ever be able to completely eradicate condensation on the inside, it’s almost always down to poor ventilation when you’re cooking or doing laundry, rather than the windows themselves.
In fact, you’re much more likely to see condensation on the outside of aluminium windows these days. That’s actually a sign that the frame, the glass and the warm edge spacer bar are all doing a good job at keeping the heat in and the cold out and moisture is only forming where the glass is coldest.
- Aluminium windows aren’t secure
This myth stems from the fact that the glazing in aluminium windows is usually fitted from the outside, and it used to be possible for a determined burglar to remove the glass once they had removed the external glazing bead.
Nowadays though, those external glazing beads have been designed so that they lock securely into the frame, and it is all but impossible to take them out without taking out the bead on the inside first.
You can opt for internal glazing on your windows if you prefer but, as long as the product you choose has passed PAS24 security testing or has Secured by Design accreditation, you can be reassured that it will meet the very latest UK standards.
