Triple Glazed Alu-clad - Recommendations please

mrsWhippy

Hi there,

Currently pricing triple glazed Alu-clad for a new build. Will you please PM your recommendations & experiences please? We are looking at Rationel, Nordan, Vindr, FGM, Wright & Internorm

Also, I'd really appreciate any tips which will help compare and contrast quotes, its a minefield!

Thanks!

Calahonda52

There is evidence from studies done in Washington State, which has a similar climate to ours in terms of rain and humidity that european made Alu clad timber framed windows do not survive well because of the humidity.

They typically come with a 10 year g/tee and I was over there when large numbers of them failed over a period in an estate after year 11.

The kit you are looking at is top dollar so you need to get it right.

The other quick and dirty comparison is is do the window frame sizes go up as they move from DG to TG, some don't, they just deepen the rebate and hence weaken the window.
This begs the question whether good quality gas filled DG, with appropriate glass coatings as required for different orientations, is in fact a better buy.

mrsWhippy

Calahonda52 wrote: »

There is evidence from studies done in Washington State, which has a similar climate to ours in terms of rain and humidity that european made Alu clad timber framed windows do not survive well because of the humidity.

They typically come with a 10 year g/tee and I was over there when large numbers of them failed over a period in an estate after year 11.

The kit you are looking at is top dollar so you need to get it right.

The other quick and dirty comparison is is do the window frame sizes go up as they move from DG to TG, some don't, they just deepen the rebate and hence weaken the window.
This begs the question whether good quality gas filled DG, with appropriate glass coatings as required for different orientations, is in fact a better buy.

Very helpful Calahonda, thank you.

When you mention the difference in window frame sizes, are you referring to their depth or overall size & thickness?

Thanks!

Calahonda52

mrsWhippy wrote: »

Very helpful Calahonda, thank you.

When you mention the difference in window frame sizes, are you referring to their depth or overall size & thickness?

Thanks!

Glad to give you some ideas.

A good, well designed TG window will be proportionately bigger frame wise all round because of the extra weight of the glass: you can easily do the math if they tell you the glass thickness.

Glass is c. 2,500 kg/m cubed so lets take a TG with 6, 3 and 4 mm thick panes, am making them different just for the exercise
so for a 1.5m by 1 m pane
(0.006 + 0.003 +0.004) by 1.5 by 1.0 by 2500 = 48.75 kg which is 7.5 stone in old money

etc for different thicknesses.


Also needs better hinges.

So to do TG properly the maker needs to have a separate line for it, whereas what some do is simply adjust the frame rebate on the CNC machine and leave the rest the same.its not an issue on the fixed part but is for the opening pieces, especially if big, like in bedrooms for fire requirements