Advantages and disadvantages of aluminum windowsWe are building a house

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Only a dozen or so years ago, aluminum windows did not enjoy a good reputation.They were considered cold, in which there was a lot of truth.To the office, store - yes, but in single -family housing they were unlikely to be used.

Today the situation is different.Yes, aluminum, like any metal, is cooler to the touch than e.g..wood.At the same ambient temperature, the frame made of it will seem colder than pine.Simply put, when he contact with a warm hand, the material seems cool because it has a great ability to take over heat.Wood, which is more difficult to take over, receive it as warmer to the touch, although in fact its temperature can be identical.

Which absolutely does not mean that the modern aluminum profile insulates thermally worse than a wooden one or the one with PVC.On the contrary, modern metal profiles can have such good thermal parameters that they are successfully used in passive construction.An allegation that an aluminum frame means heat losses today is completely untrue.

Aluminum windows have one more feature that is difficult not to notice - they are more expensive than the others.More expensive, therefore less available, which may also become more desirable.

Infografika: Okna aluminiowe - zalety i wady

The most important window parameter

The contemporary window is to be above all "warm", i.e. it does not allow warmth to escape from home.Its thermal insulation is described by the heat transfer coefficient of the University of Warsaw, which shows how much heat escapes through the window due to the temperature difference inside and outside the room.According to the regulations, from the beginning of 2021 the value of the UW, the vertical window may not exceed 0.9 W/(m² · K).Quite recently, energy -saving was talked about such a carpentry, today it is a standard.

Dziś okna aluminiowe muszą być ciepłe - coraz częściej ściana to tylko okno. (fot. Aliplast)

It is worth noting that each of the two basic elements, which consists of a window - that is, frame and glazing - has a different thermal permeability.Ugly glazing permeability is lower than the permeability of the UF profile.Glazing is therefore a warmer window element.The resultant UG and UF is the University of Warsaw, i.e. the heat transfer coefficient of the entire window.And it is this parameter, calculated regarding a ready, specific product (and not e.g..reference windows), should be interested in the investor.Importantly, the same glazing can reach a frame made of any material, so the differences between the windows result primarily from the properties of the profile.

Profile, or frame

Profile okienne wykonuje się w zasadzie z trzech materiałów: tworzywa (PVC),wood i aluminium.The most popular and cheapest are plastic. Ramy z klejonego warstwowowood są cenione za naturalność i sztywność, co ma znaczenie szczególnie w przypadku dużych okien tarasowych.However, they are more expensive, heavier and require maintenance.

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Aluminum profiles cost the most, but they are the most comfortable, the most durable and you do not need to preserve them.Their market share is growing, but it does not exceed a few percent.Warm aluminum profiles are intended for housing.Such a profile is made of two metal shapes, connected by a plastic thermal insert (e.g..glass fiber reinforced polyamide).It has a three- or four-chamber structure, the middle chamber is additionally filled with polymer foam.

Aluminum profiles are characterized by the highest (among the materials from which the windows are produced) stability.They are light and durable, which makes them the best material for filling large and heavy glazing.In a typical frame you can mount anti-burglary glass packages weighing 50-60 kg/m2.Aluminum is also very susceptible to forming, so the windows made of it can have various shapes - rectangular, round, arc.Thanks to the mentioned stability and strength, the profile can be extremely narrow - looking at the window, we will see mainly large glazing, almost without the frame.

Na profilu aluminiowym można zbudować przesuwne tarasowe drzwi o wadze do 400 kg. (fot. Saint-Gobain Glass)Z aluminium produkuje się okna dowolnej wielkości i kształtu. (fot. Aliplast)To przeszklenie ma lepszą ciepłochronność, a ramy z aluminium mogą być tak wąskie, że prawie ich nie widać. (fot. Krispol)

Let's go back to the glazing

Glazing is a complex glass, consisting of at least two glass panes, several mm away from each other.The space between them is tightly closed and filled with gas, usually with argon.

In the warmer carpentry, two -packed packages are replaced with three -wing, glass panes cover low -emission coatings, and the chambers between them are filled with, for example.more expensive codenide.Which allows you to obtain a UG (i.e. glazing thermal permeability) at 0.5 W/(m² · K).If such glazing is embedded in a profile whose UF heat transfer coefficient is around 0.85 (such as good aluminum profiles), then we will achieve the entire window between 0.7 and 0.8 W/(m² · K).

However, by increasing the number of chambers and the thickness of the glazing (in order to improve thermal protective), the transparency of the window decreases and limits the access of light into the interior.That is why it is worth paying attention to two more glazing parameters.

The first is LT light permeability.It shows what part of the sunlight reaching the glass will be allowed through it.Its value is given in percent or as a decimal fraction, and the higher it is, the brighter in the room.Good when the LT factor is over 70% (0.70).Another parameter is the solar energy permeability coefficient G.This describes what part of the solar energy window will penetrate into the room.Usually G. oscillates around 60%.

Dlaczego architekci lubią okna aluminiowe? Bo przeszklenia tej wielkości otwierają wnętrza domu na widok, zacierają granicę między tym, co w środku i tym, co na zewnątrz (fot. z lewej: Awilux, fot. z prawej: Schüco).

Advantages and disadvantages of aluminum windows

Aluminum windows are resistant to weather conditions and intensive solar radiation.Their mold is not overgrown and they are not moisted.Their care is very simple - just wipe them from time to time with water with a mild cleaning agent (it cannot contain vinegar and other acids, chlorine, highly alkaline agents).

The appearance, as well as the durability of the profile also depends on its finish.Aluminum frames can be anodized or varnished.The former are resistant to corrosion, temperature changes, weather conditions.May have the color of natural aluminum, gold or brown.

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Powder varnished profiles are more resistant to corrosion and scratches than anodized.They are painted basically for any shade, you can also order two -color versions - painted inside differently than outside.Their surface can be matte, shiny, metallized, veneered (e.g..so that it resembles wood).

So many about the advantages, it's time for disadvantages.Seriously damaged aluminum windows cannot be repaired.If the profiles are grown, bent, heavily scratched, they will need to be replaced.Just like PVC profiles and differently than wooden - these can be sanded and painted again in case of scratch.

Undami aluminum does not corrode, but scratched, in contact with lime and cement mortar can.It should not be in contact with brass, copper and steel because it will become contact corrosion.Which means that it is better not to mount window sills from a steel sheet under the aluminum window.

However, the biggest disadvantage of aluminum windows is a high price - they are more expensive not only than those with PVC (and a lot), but also from wooden.This is also due to the fact that they are mainly produced on individual orders.

Dla inwestorów przyzwyczajonych do typowej stolarki pewną niespodzianką może być montaż dużych okien aluminiowych. Tu najpierw montuje się same ramy, a potem obsadza w nich szyby zespolone. (fot. J. Werner)

Prices of aluminum windows

As we have already mentioned, aluminum windows are not cheap.A small window measuring 55 × 110 cm costs up to PLN 2,000.The window is large (170 × 220 cm) is two or three more expensive.In both we have glazing with UG = 0.5 W/(m² · K) and a warm profile painted in any color from the RAL palette.

A glass wall (7 × 2.8 m) with a lifted and sliding door is 30-40 thousand expenses.zloty.It is worth noting that the price of a wooden window in this size will be very similar.The PVC product is cheaper - but the difference is not large, and all glazing instead of 4 divisions must have them, for example.8.

Entrance doors made of the same material match the aluminum windows.These, depending on the size, on whether they are, and how large, additional lighting (side, upper), depending on the class of resistance to burglary and the method of opening (handle or handling, with a soletrozamamam/without) cost 10-20 thousand.zloty.

A set of aluminum joinery to a medium -sized house can therefore cost up to 100,000.zloty.

Editor: Janusz Wernerfot.Opening: Krispol