Sliding windows to the balcony: varieties, tips for choosing, installing and maintaining

The balcony is not classified as a living room, but its role in everyday life is quite significant. On it you can arrange a workshop, pantry, flowering garden or relaxation area with a small sofa and coffee table. In order for the balcony to function successfully, reliable glazing is necessary. Most often resort to sliding types of windows - in the work process they do not occupy space, as is the case with swing structures.

Sliding windows have recently entered our practice of glazing, but have already gained popularity among the population. This type of window has many more advantages than disadvantages. The pluses include the following criteria.

• Windows that do not swing open, but move to the sides, are convenient to use, no need to reach for handles and perform unnecessary actions. There is an opportunity to arrange furniture without looking at the opened frames. Ideal for small balconies and loggias.
• The glazing area of ​​the sliding windows is larger than that of traditional ones, which means that the penetration of light flux will be more intense.
• The pluses include the variety of such products. They vary structurally, differ in the types of materials, you can always choose the texture and color to taste.
• The glazed balcony plays the role of a buffer zone between the dwelling and the external environment, keeping the heat indoors.
• The sliding system has an increased density, which guarantees protection against ingress of precipitation, dust and dirt.
• High-quality glazing does not allow extraneous sounds to penetrate into the space of the apartment.
• Simple window mechanisms allow you to easily ventilate the room.
• A glazed loggia can be equipped at your discretion, it will always be functional and useful.
• The service life of double-glazed windows with a sliding mechanism is from 20 to 50 years.

Cons relate to unsuccessful installation of double-glazed windows, which is rare. For easy and durable operation of movable mechanisms, it is important to use a quality product, without factory marriage. And the installation itself must be professionally performed, the whole system is well regulated. The disadvantage can also be considered poor sound insulation of aluminum products. In some designs, moisture may accumulate in the lower profile.

There is nothing complicated about a sliding window device. To assemble the blocks, you should connect the frame profile with self-tapping screws:

• upper - G640-01;
• lower - G640-02;
• lateral - G640-03.

Place 8KT / 30 gaskets on both sides of the upper and lower profile. Place seal, secure mate 8CI / 105. All components are in the kit.

Sliding windows can have a different movement mechanism, consist of different materials, belong to a cold or warm type of structure. For your balcony, you can choose aluminum, wooden or PVC double-glazed windows.

If a warm type product is required, from materials plastic or wood should be preferred, and of the means of transportation - standard. Warm double-glazed windows are very tight. Cold windows still protect against rain, snow and wind, but in the winter season they do not retain heat too much, since they have insufficiently high tightness. Cold options are cheaper and most often they are made from aluminum.

Sliding balcony windows can have different configurations.

This type of design works on the principle of a sliding wardrobe and is a wide guide profile, on which the flaps are staggered. Gliding occurs freely, without effort, on various runners. In this case, the adjacent wings do not touch each other.

Unlike the previous design, the sash of a standard double-glazed window line up and touch each other, forming a solid impenetrable wall. This option is more tight and reliable. To open the window, the sash must be pulled slightly towards you, and then pushed to the side.

In Russia, this type of product has not yet gained wide popularity. To open the window, you need to make a movement not to the side, but up. The shutters located one above the other, while moving, seem to cling to a standing one.

The industry offers three types of materials for double-glazed windows installed on balconies: plastic, aluminum and wood. Taste, style and financial situation become the criterion of choice. To understand the types of materials, consider each of them in more detail.

This material is incredibly popular - 90% of modern balconies and windows are glazed in this way. PVC is represented by two types: a cheaper product from modern types of plastic and an expensive, reinforced steel frame. The second option is called metal-plastic, and its weight significantly exceeds the weight of the first. Due to the ease of the first option, plastic products can be manufactured with three or four cameras, such windows more reliably retain heat, prevent extraneous sounds and dust from penetrating.

The balcony, glazed with PVC packages, turns into a warm, cozy room that you can use as you wish.

The usual version of a double-glazed window and reinforced with metal is installed in different cases:

• metal-plastic is chosen in conditions complicated by winds - open space, upper floors;
• in regions with a temperate climate, low winds, ordinary types of PVC cope well;
• for glazing with large panoramic glasses, only metal plastic is used;
• if the limited budget leaves no choice, in such cases standard plastic blocks are purchased.

Aluminum sliding windows do not have much popularity. It is impossible to install double-glazed windows in such frames, only ordinary glasses, which does not guarantee good noise and heat insulation.

The flaps themselves are sealed with brush seals, endowed with comfortable handles and slow-moving rollers with a soft coating. Aluminum frames have good rigidity and durability.. They can be built over the railing and expand the balcony due to the frame extended towards the street - the lightness and reliability of the design allows this.

Wooden frames were used by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, It is a very beautiful and organic material for windows. It is much more effective than usual plastic and retains heat better than it, does not allow noise and dust to penetrate into the room. But with all the advantages, wooden frames on modern balconies are extremely rare, as they have several disadvantages that do not make them popular.

The main reason why tree is not preferred is high cost of material. In addition, wood reacts poorly to moisture, swells from a large amount of precipitation and, despite the protective impregnation, over time requires restoration.

Balcony with high-quality warm glazing can become a favorite vacation spot or work for the owners. In this case, the selection of curtains is of great importance. They protect from the annoying sun and from the eyes of passers-by. Design options for balcony windows can be very different.

• One of the most popular ways to hide a balcony from the sun is to install plastic horizontal blinds. They are mounted above the window or on each leaf. The second option is used if no obstacles are created for the movement mechanism. They are looked after in two ways: either they remove the structure and, holding it a little in water, wash it with a sponge with the addition of detergents, or wipe each plate directly on the window, which takes time and is quite tiring.

• No less popular and vertical blinds. Their area of ​​each strip is much larger than that of horizontal models, therefore, they can be washed faster. But it is preferable to nevertheless remove the structure in order to put it in order. By means of a rotary mechanism, the blinds control the amount of light supply. If desired, they can be closed completely.

• Roller blinds they justify their name: due to a simple mechanism they quickly collapse and take up almost no space above the window. They regulate the light supply less efficiently - only by raising them to the desired length. Roller blinds come in different densities, which significantly affects the cost of the product. Tight options are needed for balconies with access to the bedroom, they protect sleep from the oblique rays of the rising sun.

• Roman curtainsrising, they do not roll up like the previous product, but are beautifully stacked in folds. They can be raised to any height, close the window completely or halfway. For the manufacture of curtains, both synthetic and natural types of fabrics are used, so the product is washable.

• Pleated Curtains got their name for the use of pleated canvas, which looks amazing on the windows. A transparent and dense layer of the product makes it possible to carry out a day-night operation mode.

If there is a choice between sliding and hinged windows, you need to pay attention to the tasks that they have to perform. Hinged windows are required in the following cases:

• their installation does not require the ideal accuracy that is needed to move the shutters along the profile, therefore they are mounted in complicated situations, when the balcony has uneven walls or the dismantling of old windows left curved openings;
• in regions with frosty winters, the locks of sliding windows freeze, it is impossible to open them for ventilation, in such conditions, swing systems are suitable.

Sliding windows help solve the following problems:

• glass sliding to the sides does not interfere with drying the laundry;
• You can install furniture on any section of the balcony;
• sliding windows are easy to operate and do not cause problems with open frames.

If the choice is made in favor of a sliding system, you should find out in more detail under what conditions different types of windows are used.

• For the implementation of a warm balcony, wooden or metal-plastic products with triple glazing are chosen. It is necessary to pay attention to the weight of the balcony, it may be necessary to strengthen it to install double-glazed windows.

• Small weakly fortified balconies need light glazing. For installation, aluminum frames with single-row glass are suitable.

• Aluminum is suitable for expanding the balcony towards the street due to glazing, as it does not carry a lot of load.

• To create a panoramic view you need large glasses that only metal plastic can withstand.

• In areas prone to violent winds, plastic double-glazed windows with a high-quality sealant are chosen - this will help protect the balcony from drafts and dust.

• Wooden products are needed in the case of combining the loggia with the room, when there is a need to support a certain style or design plan. But we must not forget that wooden frames in a too humid climate will swell and rot over time, and in too hot, they will dry out and stick out.

There are other criteria to consider when choosing sliding systems. For instance, they are not placed on balconies above the eighth floor, since there is a risk of glass falling out during strong winds. On high floors, in order to avoid drafts, the width of the wings is no more than 70 cm, and the height is 1.5 m.

When choosing profiles, preference is given to a three-chamber double-glazed window.

As for the fittings, Austrian and German manufacturers have proven themselves well. Cheap Chinese locks and handles often fail.

Caring for sliding windows is no more difficult than for usual hinged windows. Before proceeding with cleaning, you should prepare alcohol-based glass cleaner, microfiber cloth and a dense sponge. Then carefully remove the movable removable leaves from the frame, transfer them to a convenient place and wash.

While they will dry up, work continues with the rigidly fixed part of the windows.

The outer part of the windows must be washed with extreme care, using the skiz on the long handle. As for the track in the guides, it is cleaned with a brush.Aluminum skids should be washed especially carefully, since the shutters on them begin to move worse over time. They are treated with silicone oil several times a year. After all window elements have dried, removable structures are installed back.

If the condition of the balcony allows you to install sliding windows on it, the owners will receive a beautiful and comfortable design that protects against drafts, dust and noise.

Next, watch a video review of the glazed balcony with a sliding window.