Replacement of Frames: Useful Tips

Prepare for the Delivery of the Frames

Prepare Your Home Properly

The installation technicians will need space to work, but accidents happen. To reduce the likelihood of an accident, move:

• any objects that can fall over, such as floor lamps, away from the work area. 
• The installation process of a window or door can shake the walls, so remove fragile items from nearby shelves. 
• furniture located directly in front of or near the windows and doors that will be replaced. This may include moving patio furniture, lawn ornaments, etc.

If large windows or doors need to be moved through the house to reach their installation point, make sure they don't encounter obstacles near corners or along narrow hallways.

What You Need to Check During Installation

During installation, frames must not come into contact with the masonry or the floor, otherwise the thermal insulation is negated. Plastic plugs or special elastic gaskets should be placed around the perimeter between the frame and the masonry or the floor, to maintain the thermal insulation properties of the frame and all joints should be sealed with foam insulation material and then with silicone.

Sealing materials should be used at the bottom of the frame, at the time of installation and then at the joints. All frames must have special holes in the casing for the drainage of water collected from rain and moisture. These holes are covered with special plugs. The glass sheets should also have drain channels on the bottom and on the top.

Checks to be made upon delivery

Hinged Frames

• When installing a hinged window frame, open your window. It should stand in any position and not close or open on its own, and open almost completely silently.
• In double sash doors or windows, when they are shut, there is a gap between the sashes in the interior that needs to be uniform from bottom to top.
• The technician will also show you the correct way to open and close the doors and windows, which you must follow carefully if you have tilt & turn windows or doors. If you notice that movement is blocked, don’t try to resolve the problem by yourself, as you might make it worse. The technicians of the fabricator you selected will resolve it.

Sliding frames

• You should not be able to lift the sash of a sliding window or door.
• Make sure sliding window or door sashes are of the same width by sliding them open and standing them parallel to each other. Sliding window or door sashes must be of exactly the same height.
• In pocket window frames, the gap between the aluminium and the wall must be covered with a profile so that moisture from rainwater does not penetrate. When sliding pocket windows fully into the wall, they should not come into any contact with the wall.

Entrance Doors

• All entrance doors should have a threshold, even if it is just a low one at just 1 centimeter high. otherwise gaskets cannot be installed and most probably there will be drafts.
• Entrance doors should present no difficulty when being locked and should not move when you apply pressure or pull them when locked.

Rolling Shutters

We should also check the operation of rolling shutters. If the electric motor is blocked, call the technician to resolve the problem for you, as rolling shutter mechanisms are complex and any careless intervention on our behalf may cause the opposite result from what is expected.

Accessories

The accessories which are to be used in the construction of your windows or doors are an important factor for correct operation and long lifespan. This category includes gaskets, mechanisms, corners, handles, hinges, rollers, etc. Fabricators must use all the accessories proposed and approved by the designer and producer of the aluminium system.

Required Documentation

Warranty

The fabricator must provide the customer with a Warranty for all the products installed. The minimum warranty period is two (2) years and to be valid, the customer must comply with periodic maintenance and cleaning instructions provided by the fabricator so that the frames maintain their high standards of durability and resistance to weather conditions. With proper use, maintenance and cleaning, the customer can contribute to both their proper functioning and their impeccable appearance.

CE marking

You should also obtain the special CE marking form from the fabricator, which is mandatory according to European Union (EU) standards, for every frame of domestic use. CE stands for the French words "Conformité Européenne" which means European Conformity. CE does not in any way certify the product’s quality, but its safety for the end user. Such product comply with the requirements of the European Standards, which set out the minimum specifications required for the product to be safe for consumer use. Products that do not bear the CE Marking cannot be marketed in the European Union, i.e. they are illegal!