Window casement: all the secrets of how opening structures work and a few more useful little things

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mark_kr October 13, 2016Specialization: professional in the field of construction and repair (full cycle of finishing work, both internal and external, from sewerage to electrical and finishing work), installation of window structures. Hobbies: see the column “SPECIALIZATION AND SKILLS”

Windows can be opened in a variety of ways

One of the functions that a plastic window must perform is room ventilation. And the easiest way to ensure fresh air access to the room is to open the sash, freeing up part of the window opening.

It’s just that this is only at first glance: the design of the opening part of a modern window is quite complex, so not everyone can figure it out on their own. However, you have me, and I have significant experience working with window structures, so to obtain basic knowledge about window sashes, it will be enough to read this article.

About window sashes

Types of designs

The sash is a movable part of the window, which is fixed on hinges mounted on the frame, and, if necessary, can either close, completely blocking the window opening, or open, providing access to fresh air. The doors can open in different ways, and it is by the method of opening that they are most often classified.

Varieties by type of opening

Let's look at the most popular options:

1. Rotating - fastened on two hinges located vertically (on the right or left), respectively, it opens by turning on the hinges in a horizontal plane. The oldest design, which, however, has not lost its relevance today: most of the windows open in one way or another using the rotary method.
2. Reclining - functions on the same principle as a rotating one, but its hinges are located horizontally on the bottom of the frame, so the sash itself tilts in a vertical plane. To ensure that the structure does not fall, special elements are included in the fittings system - the so-called scissors. Folding opening “in its pure form” is quite rare - most often this mechanism is implemented in the manufacture of transoms.

Sometimes hanging doors are installed in rooms - “reverse hinged”. Their main difference is that the hinges are placed on the top of the frame, and to fix the structure in the open position, not scissors are used, but a special stop that prevents the window from slamming shut.

1. Tilt and turn is the most popular design for standard metal-plastic windows. The possibility of combining these functions appeared only after manufacturers began to produce modern fittings that make it possible to control the operation of hinges by turning the handle. That is why you need to think in advance about how to make a folding window sash: here you won’t just install fixing scissors, but you will have to completely change the fittings. This, as you understand, is a) difficult and b) expensive.
2. Rotary-axial - an exotic option that is used in the manufacture of small structures. The sash is fixed on two axial hinges, and when opened it simply turns on them. Depending on the configuration, horizontal and vertical options are distinguished.

If you want to embed the sash into the attic roof slope, then you should pay attention to rotary-axial structures

1. Sliding - the sash moves to the right or left along a guide profile. Can be moved either freely or with the help of hinges. In the second case, the design ensures both the complete opening of the window opening due to the displacement of the sash, and the tight pressing of the sash to the frame due to the functioning of the fittings.

Sliding window based on aluminum profile

1. Lifting - the sash moves up and down along the guide elements of the frame, while it can be fixed in both the upper and lower positions. British and American windows with lifting sashes are not so popular here: the system does not provide maximum tightness, which leads to increased heat loss. In general, it’s suitable for a dacha, but it’s better not to experiment in a living room - the climate is not the same.
2. Folding is the most complex design, especially if it is necessary to ensure not only opening, but also clamping with proper tightness. Most hardware manufacturers produce folding accordion systems (I installed models from Siegenia and WinkHaus), but in addition to the complexity of installation, they also have another drawback - a completely indecent price.

Construction – “accordion”

As you can see, the variety of designs according to the type of opening allows you to choose a window sash to suit almost any requirements. Moreover, the possibilities of modern fittings systems are almost limitless, therefore there are no design restrictions (within reasonable limits, of course).

Sash device

Now that you have assessed what the doors can be like, let’s pay attention to their design. To install the opening part of the window with your own hands and effectively care for it, you need to understand how it works.

By and large, everything is simple:

1. The basis of the sash is its frame, which is made either from a profile (PVC, aluminum, aluminum + plastic) or from laminated timber (pine, ash, oak). In any case, the configuration of modern sashes most often approaches the letter “Z”: the lower protrusion is responsible for pressing against the frame, the upper one is for fixing the glazing.

Casement profile option

1. Infill is installed inside the sash. Most often it is either glass or a double-glazed window, but sometimes there is a need to make an opaque product. In this case, a sandwich panel, a sheet of plastic, etc. is placed in the sash.
2. In 99% of cases, the filling is fixed with a bead. A bead is a flat or shaped profile that presses a double-glazed window or sandwich to the overlap (protrusion) of the sash. In modern profile systems, the bead is fixed by snapping it into special grooves, while a traditional wooden product is fixed with thin nails.

Bead for fixing glazing

In very old windows, the glass in the sash was held in place with putty, but today you are unlikely to find such an option.

1. On the outside, a fittings complex is installed on the sash profile or beam: a system of mechanisms responsible for pressing the sash to the frame, fixing it in the closed position and opening it at different angles for ventilation with the intensity we need. The set of accessories is called the harness.
2. Finally, an important element of the sash design is the seal. It is a hollow polymer cord of a special configuration, which is installed in a special sealing groove. The main function of the sash seal is to seal the place where the sash is pressed against the frame and ensure a tight fit of the overlap to the glass unit or other filling.

Sealing contour

The sizes of the sashes can be very different, but still, during their production (especially if it concerns plastic or timber windows), certain restrictions apply:

• the maximum width of a plastic window sash is 1000 mm with a height of up to 1500 mm;
• maximum height – 2200 mm with a width of up to 700 mm.

There are also restrictions related to double-glazed windows (glazing cannot be made larger or smaller than a certain size) and fittings. However, these restrictions are different for different manufacturers of window components, so you should check them directly when ordering the product.

Additional accessories

Both a regular swing sash, a tilting design, and other versions of similar products must provide the possibility of controlled opening. At the same time, the functionality of sash hinges is limited due to the heavy load on them, which is why many hardware manufacturers equip the sash with additional devices.

Microlift combined with an erroneous opening blocker

I will describe the most useful, from my point of view, devices in the table below:

Child safety lock (window nanny)

The range of additional accessories is not limited to this list, so if you don’t want to think about how to lift a skewed sash, how to ventilate as efficiently as possible, etc. – carefully study the list of similar offers for the fittings system you have chosen.

Photo of a tire limiting the opening width

The top sash of a window or door.

At the same time, the strings got mixed up, and the window continued to remain closed. Pulling the laces several times, Egriegert waved his hand and pressed the button on the remote control. After that, the transom moved away from the frame, and the window opened exactly as much as the Head of the Space Flight Control Center wanted. “So much for progress,” said Egriegert, looking at the remote control with which he controlled the movement of the transom. “Soon his hands will be able to work.” “Progress,” Riol smiled, looking at Egriegert’s unsuccessful attempts to cope with the locking of the transom, “No matter what.” there has been progress, with constipation, all the same, you need to handle it forcefully, but with knowledge of the matter. “However, is it only with constipation,” he thought up the thought, “With women, for example, it’s the same.” - And then, progress is an increase in that , what is done without our participation.

From the dark openings of empty boxes came the crackling and rustling of crumbling concrete chips, drafts hummed faintly, and somewhere high up, from time to time, the surviving transom slammed.

Thus, in outlying pubs and teahouses, the so-called transom, that is, the upper strip of the window divided into a number of squares by wooden frames, is usually used for signboard inscription: a letter fits inside each square: thus, the number of glass squares determines the length of the word.

Above the door, however, there remained a high, slot-like transom, made in the brick facade of the crypt, which inspired certain hopes for its expansion, but only as a result of hard work.

But the fallen transom was completely forgotten, the Quincy Jones Orchestra was playing from the cassette player and there was a heated discussion of his music.

I remember at night, you used to get up - at half past five, the darkness outside the transom window was completely frozen, you had breakfast with empty tea and went to the station and there unloaded bags of coal at twelve, lunch in the kitchen, you went into the kitchen and there was steam, like in a bathhouse, the cooks stood near the vats, it was gurgling, bubbling, boiling the heads of the prisoners chopped off in flour in flour there in the paste and the rich smell comes so you'll be drooling all over the cook there was a friend

Figured lead glass was inserted into each door, and above the door there was a transom made of the same glass.

The window of the Ushakovo kitchen, which faced this wall, also bent, skewed like a diamond, and the upper transom hung obliquely over them, protruding forward by a good half meter.

According to the latest data of Soviet science, the path to it lies through the air basin, and the only “transom” accessible to the physical objects of our continuum is located at an altitude of seven and a half thousand meters above the North Magnetic Pole.

Its transom opened into a concrete pit, and allowed one to crawl into the passage between the end of the house and the stone wall of the front garden.

Technology for working with opening structures

How to dismantle and how to install

Modern hardware systems are good, first of all, because they make working with sashes extremely easy. When installing and performing a number of other works, we may only need to remove the opening part, so below are instructions for independent work.

1. Before removing the sash from its hinges, it is worth removing all additional fixing parts such as the opening limiter.

It is also better to raise roller shutters, curtains and blinds - they will interfere.

1. We remove the plastic protective covers from the hinges - upper and lower, providing access to the mechanism.

Removing the pin

1. Then use a flat-head screwdriver to pry up the lower base of the upper hinge pin and pull it out a few millimeters.
2. Holding the structure with your hand, take pliers, grab the pin and remove it from the loop, pulling it down. Turn the handle to a horizontal position, opening the window.
3. Carefully tilt the sash towards you, removing the sash part of the hinge from the frame part.
4. To remove the structure from the bottom hinge, just lift it up - the vertical pin will tilt and come out of the groove.

Before removing the window sash from a plastic window, be sure to hold the structure in place!

We carry out hanging in the reverse order:

1. Set the lower hinge pin to an inclined position.
2. We put the sash on the bottom hinge and press it to the frame.
3. Close the window by turning the handle down.
4. We combine the frame and sash parts of the upper hinge.
5. We fix them by inserting a pin from below until it snaps into place.

Many manufacturers make the pins not round, but with a flat edge, so you will have to find the correct position of the rod in the grooves.

1. We close the hinges with plastic covers.

It is on this pin that we put the sash on

Window care

In order for the window sash to work without malfunctions and press tightly against the frame, it needs to be looked after. The maintenance process includes such procedures as adjusting the sash, lubricating the fittings and lubricating the seal:

1. If the sash opens poorly, closes with difficulty, or does not press tightly against the frame, then most likely it has sagged under its own weight. This can be corrected by adjustment: we need to adjust the position of the upper and lower hinges by rotating special screws with a hex key. The method for adjusting the position depends on the type of fittings system, but the diagram below will give a general idea of ​​how to adjust the position of the opening part of the window.

Scheme of actions for eliminating distortion/rubbing of the sash

1. To ensure smooth operation of the fittings, periodic lubrication is necessary. To do this, all metal parts are cleaned of dust and dirt, after which silicone-based oil is applied to the hinges and special lubrication holes.
2. The rubber seals also need to be lubricated. They should be wiped with a damp cloth to remove dirt, then wiped dry with a napkin and then either sprayed from an aerosol can or applied with a special lubricant from an oil can, which helps maintain the elasticity of the materials. Thanks to this, we will be able to get rid of drafts in the area where the sash meets the frame.

Places for lubrication of the fittings complex