Everyone knows that energy-saving double-glazed windows are the key to keeping your house or apartment warm. But few buyers know that the energy efficiency of double-glazed windows is not only glass, but also various technological innovations that make the window invulnerable to the cold. One such improvement that makes a window more energy efficient is a warm composite spacer. Let's figure out why it is needed and how it works in double-glazed windows of the X-ONE line from the Russian Glass Company.
Experts from the Russian Glass Company note that maximum energy saving parameters can be achieved through three main points:
- these are energy-saving glasses (we have already written about them - X-ONE - a new line of double-glazed windows with superpowers from the Russian Glass Company ),
- filling the glass unit with inert gas argon,
- use of a warm composite spacer frame in a double-glazed window.
Why a spacer frame in a plastic window?
Glass and inert gas make it possible to warm the entire structure of the double-glazed window as a whole, and the warm spacer frame is responsible for the edge zone of the double-glazed window. In professional terms, the edge zone is the most vulnerable - a “cold bridge” is formed here. But in fact, everyone knows what it is: in cold or frosty weather, the window freezes along the edge - condensation or ice forms, and, what is most unpleasant, they arise from the inside, in the room.
Photo: condensation around the perimeter of the double-glazed window confirms that the aluminum spacer frame is the weakest link in the double-glazed window. This is not only not aesthetically pleasing, but also indicates that your window is simply losing heat. To prevent this from happening, a “warm” frame is inserted into double-glazed windows of the best quality.
Sealant
Good thermal insulation properties cannot be achieved by the warmest double-glazed window without compliance with tightness conditions. After all, the presence of an excessive amount of moisture, exceeding the ability of it to be absorbed by the absorbent substance, increases the heat transfer of the glass, which negatively affects the overall warmth of the double-glazed window - it becomes colder.
The purpose of the sealant in this product is to eliminate the gaps between the glass and the spacer frame. In our case, the sealant is applied in two layers.
Regular or warm spacer?
However, the frames can also be different - their quality and the technologies used differ. Aluminum frames are the most common on the market, but they are not exactly “warm”. And in the double-glazed windows of the Russian Glass Company X-ONE, polypropylene frames are used. What is their difference?
Photo: aluminum spacer frame In cold weather, a decrease in the temperature of the inside of the glass leads to condensation around the perimeter of the window, profiles and window sills become wet. And at low air temperatures outside the window, condensate freezes with the formation of frost and ice, especially in the lower part of the window. We think almost everyone has seen this on a double-glazed window at home.
Photo: “cold bridge” with an aluminum spacer frame This happens because it is the metal aluminum frame that becomes the “cold bridge” - due to the high thermal conductivity of the metal, the temperature of the inner surface of the glass unit in the area of contact with the window frame profile is lower than in the central part of the glass unit.
The solution is to use a “warm” PVC spacer frame. The modern warm edge spacer is made of hard plastic and high quality stainless steel. Its special design and material give the frame high frame strength and a very low thermal conductivity coefficient - PVC has a thermal conductivity coefficient 100 times lower than aluminum.
A big plus is also that such a frame can bend. Thus, a solid structure is obtained along the entire perimeter of the glass unit. Other frames are often assembled at corners, i.e. First, the frame is cut, and then assembled into a double-glazed window using corners. The disadvantage of this method of assembling a double-glazed window is the risk of freezing at the junction of the cut frame and the corner, as well as increased production time, the appearance of dust and dirt inside the double-glazed window.
Photo: a warm spacer frame will make the window warmer
Only with us, new product of the year! Warm circuit - 3.
In 2014, a new modification of the warm circuit entered the market. “ Warm circuit 3 ” is a modified and improved design of the familiar warm circuit.
Previous versions of the warm contour had one small drawback - there was no insulating layer along the edges of the warm contour, where the glass unit and the frame touched. Because of this, in severe frosts the plastic frame narrowed slightly, which led to the formation of a gap.
In the Warm Contour 3 , the main plastic frame is insulated on all sides, and not just at the bottom. This insulation improves the contact of the frame with glass and butyl, providing amazing sealing at any external temperature. This is exactly the frame we use.
Colored spacers
In addition to preventing the glass unit from freezing, the polypropylene frame has another advantage: it can have different colors. This means you will have a more beautiful window. In the X-ONE window line, polypropylene frames are available in different colors: black, light gray, grey, light brown, dark brown, white.
Photo: a window with a warm white spacer frame will decorate any home. But if you want a really warm window, then you need to choose windows that meet several requirements at once.
Inert gas
To reduce the heat transfer coefficient in the best double-glazed models, the manufacturer provides the presence of inert gas in the chambers. The types of injected gaseous substances may vary, but the essence of their presence in the glass unit chamber comes down to one thing - slowing down the transition of air masses from the inner glass to the outer glass.
As we already wrote in one of the previous articles, entitled “What gas is pumped into a double-glazed window”, three types of gas are used today to fill the chambers: argon (the most popular), krypton and xenon (the most expensive and therefore the rarest). Their difference lies in the thermal conductivity provided by each of them. The lower its value, the better for the room - it retains more heat. Of course, the best gas for double-glazed windows is xenon, but the price/efficiency ratio does not fit into the bounds of decency - xenon intended for windows is very expensive.
Argon is the most common gas for filling glass chambers.
But don’t despair, because filling a double-glazed window with gas, let it be known, improves the thermal insulation parameters by only a small amount - about 5% . Therefore, for a conventional double-glazed window that does not use energy-saving glass in its design, the use of gas is not advisable. And vice versa. Double-glazed windows equipped with glass with energy-saving properties are recommended to be used in conjunction with gas injection into the space between the glasses. This combination shows a significant increase in the level of thermal insulation of the window structure.
So, in this article we looked at the main components of a warm double-glazed window, what they should be, their pros and cons. We hope that the information provided will help the buyer choose, among the many window models presented on the Russian market, exactly the one that would be warm and serve its owner faithfully for many years.
How to choose really warm windows?
- High-quality energy-saving glass with enhanced thermal insulation properties. Energy-saving glass has a special low-emission coating of silver ions, which reflects thermal radiation from batteries and radiators back into the room;
- The inert gas is argon. It allows you to slow down the air circulation inside the glass unit and reduces the cooling of the entire chamber. In X-ONE windows, which are produced on an automatic line, the glass chamber is completely sealed. Argon does not leave the chamber, its losses are no more than 1% per year;
- “Warm” spacer frame that prevents the edges of the glass unit from icing;
- The use of a one-piece bent frame in double-glazed windows ensures greater tightness and reliability of the double-glazed window.
Choose real warm windows with X-ONE double-glazed windows from the Russian Glass Company. Contact the company's partners, they will select for you an individual solution specifically tailored to your needs, and you will be sure that your windows fully meet the latest technologies.
Double-glazed window. General concepts
This element of the window system is a product that occupies about 90% of the window area and has several glasses in its design, between which a spacer frame is installed. The end part of the glass unit is treated with sealant.
This technological solution distinguishes double-glazed windows from Soviet-era windows. The advantage lies in the level of heat retention in a glazed room. The thermal insulation provided by a double-glazed window, due to the presence of dry air or inert gas in its chambers, is an order of magnitude greater than that of conventional old-style windows that contain only glass.
Important! You can read more about the characteristics of double-glazed windows here:.
Depending on the number of glasses forming the chambers, double-glazed windows are divided into one-, two- or three-chamber. To achieve better performance characteristics, the glass of an insulating glass unit can be coated with a coating consisting of various compositions, and the chambers can be filled with a certain gas (most often argon).
The thickness of the packages varies between 14-60 mm. The most popular options are those with a thickness of 24, 26, and 32 mm. It is worth noting that in some cases the weight of the glass unit affects the possibility of its installation. For example, a three-chamber double-glazed window, which has more mass than its “brothers” with fewer chambers, may not always be suitable for installation in the window opening of a country house built of wood.
