When the guys at Andersen windows first told me that they were working on a replacement window unit that would give you new double glazed sashes and a very low maintenance exterior without having to replace the box work or even the sill I was very sceptical. My immediate thought was that it would cut down on the glazed area to an unacceptable extent. Some months later they invited me to participate in the first UK installation of the units. I discovered that not only did the windows turn out to be incredibly easy to fit they also increased the glazed area compared to the ones we removed. The existing sliding sashes were only fifteen year’s old and though, on the face of it, the spiral hung double glazed sashes were a modern alternative to the old style weighted box sashes they had lasted only a fraction of the time of the old units. The reason that they had rotted like ripe pears was partly due to the quick grown timber but also due to the lack on any pressure applied preservative. Several of the sealed units were also misting up.
We had not envisaged any problems removing the old sashes but it turned out that the top sashes were not hung but screwed in and the screws were behind the sealed units. Our original target of replacing six windows in a day had to be revised as we hacked out the sealed units to get at the screws. If the top sashes had been rope hung we would have had them out in minutes and I am confident that we could have completed our target of six windows very easily. None of the exterior architrave or frame is disturbed during the fitting so it really is a very clean process. It is also not liable to Fensa certification because you haven't replaced the windows only the sashes. There is however no problem with energy conservation because these argon filled sealed units exceed the Regs and make a real contribution to thermal and sound insulation. |
