Sliding windows to the balcony: varieties, tips for choosing, installing and maintaining

The balcony is not classified as a living space, but its role in everyday life is quite significant. On it you can arrange a workshop, a pantry, a blooming garden or a relaxation area with a small sofa and a coffee table. For the balcony to function successfully, reliable glazing is necessary. Most often, they resort to sliding types of windows - in the working process they do not take up space, as happens with swing structures.

Sliding windows have recently entered our practice of glazing, but have already gained popularity among the population. This type of windows has many more advantages than disadvantages. The pluses include the following criteria.

• Windows that do not swing open, but move to the sides, are easy to use, there is no need to reach for the handles and perform unnecessary actions. It becomes possible to arrange pieces of furniture without looking at the open frames. Ideal for small balconies and loggias.
• The glazing area of ​​sliding windows is larger than that of traditional ones, which means that the penetration of the light flux will be more intense.
• The pluses include the variety of such products. They differ structurally, differ in the types of materials, you can always choose the texture and color to taste.
• The glazed balcony acts as a buffer zone between the home and the outside, keeping the room warm.
• The sliding system has a high density, which guarantees protection against rain, dust and dirt.
• High-quality glazing does not allow extraneous sounds to penetrate into the space of the apartment.
• Simple window mechanisms allow you to easily ventilate the room.
• The glazed loggia can be arranged at your own discretion, it will always be functional and useful.
• The service life of insulating glass units with a sliding mechanism is from 20 to 50 years.

Disadvantages refer to the unsuccessful installation of double-glazed windows, which happens infrequently. For easy and durable operation of movable mechanisms, it is important to use a quality product, without factory defects. And the installation itself must be done professionally, the whole system is well regulated. The disadvantage can also be considered poor sound insulation of aluminum products. In some designs, moisture may accumulate in the lower profile.

There is nothing complicated in the arrangement of sliding windows. To assemble the blocks, connect the frame profile with self-tapping screws:

• upper - G640-01;
• lower - G640-02;
• lateral - G640-03.

Place gaskets 8KT / 30 on both sides of the upper and lower profile. Place the seal, fix the counterpart 8CI / 105. All components are included in the kit.

Sliding windows can have a different mechanism of movement, consist of different materials, refer to a cold or warm type of construction. For your balcony, you can choose aluminum, wood or PVC double-glazed windows.

If you need a warm type product, made of materials plastic or wood should be preferred, and from the modes of movement - standard. Warm double-glazed windows are highly airtight. Cold windows still protect from rain, snow and wind, but in the winter season they do not retain too much heat, since they have insufficient tightness. Cold options are cheaper and are most often made from aluminum.

Sliding balcony windows can have different configurations.

This type of design works on the principle of a wardrobe and is a wide guide profile on which the doors are installed in a checkerboard pattern. Sliding occurs freely, without effort, on different runners. In this case, adjacent flaps do not touch each other.

Unlike the previous design, the sash of a standard glass unit line up and touch each other, forming a solid impenetrable wall. This option is more airtight and reliable. To open the window, the sash must be pulled slightly towards you, and then moved to the side.

In Russia, this type of product has not yet gained wide popularity. To open the window, you need to make a movement not to the sides, but up. The leaves, located one above the other, during movement, as it were, cling to the one standing next to it.

The industry offers three types of materials for insulating glass units installed on balconies: plastic, aluminum and wood... Taste, style and financial position become the selection criterion. To understand the types of materials, we will consider each of them in more detail.

This stuff is incredibly popular - 90% of modern balconies and windows are glazed in this way... PVC is presented in two types: a cheaper product made from modern types of plastic and an expensive, reinforced steel frame. The second option is called metal-plastic, and its weight significantly exceeds the weight of the first. Due to the lightness of the first option, plastic products can be produced with three or four chambers, such windows more reliably retain heat, do not allow extraneous sounds and dust to penetrate.

The balcony glazed with PVC bags turns into a warm cozy room that you can use at your own discretion.

The usual version of a glass unit and reinforced with metal is installed in different cases:

• metal-plastic is chosen in conditions complicated by winds - open space, upper floors;
• in regions with a temperate climate, low winds, ordinary types of PVC do well;
• for glazing with large panoramic glasses, only metal-plastic is used;
• if a limited budget leaves no choice, in such cases they purchase standard plastic blocks.

Aluminum sliding windows are not very popular. It is impossible to install double-glazed windows in such frames, only ordinary glass, which does not guarantee good noise and heat insulation.

The doors themselves are sealed with brush seals, equipped with comfortable handles and low-speed rollers with a soft coating. Aluminum frames have good rigidity and strength... They can be built over the railing and the balcony can be expanded with the frame extended towards the street - the lightness and reliability of the structure allows this to be done.

Wooden frames were used by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, it is a very beautiful and organic material for windows. It is much more effective than the usual plastic and retains heat better than it, does not allow noise and dust to enter the room. But with all the advantages, wooden frames on modern balconies are extremely rare, as they have several disadvantages that do not make them popular.

The main reason for not giving preference to wood is high material cost. In addition, wood reacts poorly to moisture, swells from a large amount of precipitation and, despite the protective impregnation, over time requires restoration.

A balcony with high-quality warm glazing can become a favorite place for rest or work for the owners. In this case, the selection of curtains is of great importance. They protect from the annoying sun and from the glances of passers-by. The design options for balcony windows can be very different.

• One of the most popular ways to hide your balcony from the sun is to install plastic horizontal blinds. They are mounted above the window or on each sash. The second option is used if there is no obstacle to the movement mechanism. They take care of them in two ways: either they remove the structure and, after holding it in water for a while, wash it with a sponge with the addition of detergents, or wipe each plate right on the window, which takes time and is rather tedious.

• Vertical blinds are no less popular. Their area of ​​each strip is much larger than that of horizontal models, so they can be washed faster. But it is still preferable to remove the structure in order to put it in order. By means of a pivoting mechanism, the blinds regulate the amount of light supplied. If you wish, you can close them completely.

• Roller blinds justify their name: due to a simple mechanism, they quickly fold up and almost do not take up space above the window. They are less effective at regulating the supply of light - only by raising them to the desired length. Roller blinds come in different densities, which significantly affects the cost of the product. Dense options are needed for balconies with access to the bedroom; they protect sleep from the slanting rays of the rising sun.

• Roman curtains, rising, do not roll up into a roll, like the previous product, but fold beautifully. They can be raised to any height, the window can be closed completely or half. For the manufacture of curtains, both synthetic and natural types of fabrics are used, so the product is washable.

• Pleated curtains got their name for the use of pleated canvas, which looks amazing on the windows. The transparent and dense layer of the product makes it possible to carry out the "day-night" mode of operation.

If there is a choice between sliding and swing windows, you need to pay attention to the tasks that they have to perform. Swing windows are required in the following cases:

• their installation does not require perfect accuracy, which is needed to move the shutters along the profile, therefore they are mounted in complicated situations when the balcony has uneven walls or the dismantling of old windows left crooked openings;
• in regions with frosty winters, the locks of sliding windows freeze, it is impossible to open them for ventilation, in such conditions swing systems are suitable.

Sliding windows help to solve the following tasks:

• glasses sliding to the sides do not interfere with drying laundry;
• you can install furniture on any part of the balcony;
• sliding windows are easy to operate and do not create problems with open frames.

If the choice is made in favor of a sliding system, you should find out in more detail in what conditions different types of windows are used.

• For the implementation of a warm balcony, wooden or metal-plastic products with a triple glass unit are chosen. You need to pay attention to the weight of the balcony, it may have to be strengthened to install double-glazed windows.

• Small, weakly reinforced balconies need light glazing. Suitable for installation are aluminum frames with single-row panes.

• Aluminum is suitable for expanding the balcony towards the street due to glazing, since it does not carry a large load.

• To create a panoramic view, large glasses are needed that only metal-plastic can withstand.

• In areas prone to a riot of winds, they choose plastic double-glazed windows with a high-quality seal - this will help protect the balcony from drafts and dust.

• Wooden products are needed in the case of combining a loggia with a room, when there is a need to support a certain style or design idea. But do not forget that in a too humid climate, over time, wooden frames will swell and rot, and in too hot, they will dry out and unstick.

There are other criteria to consider when choosing a sliding system. For example, they are not placed on balconies above the eighth floor, as there is a risk of glass falling out in strong winds. On high floors, in order to avoid drafts, the width of the shutters is no more than 70 cm, and the height is 1.5 m.

When choosing profiles, preference is given to a three-chamber double-glazed window.

As for the fittings, Austrian and German manufacturers have proven themselves well. Cheap Chinese locks and handles often fail.

Caring for sliding windows is no more difficult than for the usual hinged ones. Before you start cleaning, you should prepare an alcohol-based glass cleaner, a microfiber cloth and a thick sponge. Then carefully remove the movable removable sashes from the frame, transfer them to a convenient place and wash.

While they dry, work continues with a rigidly fixed part of the windows.

The outside of the windows must be washed with extreme care using a long-handled slip. As for the track in the guides, it is cleaned with a brush.The aluminum runners should be washed especially carefully, as the sashes along them begin to move worse over time. They are treated with silicone oil several times a year. After all the elements of the window have dried, the removable structures are installed back.

If the condition of the balcony allows installing sliding windows on it, the owners will receive a beautiful and comfortable structure that protects against drafts, dust and noise.

Next, see the video review of a glazed balcony with a sliding window.