Plastic balcony doors: description and tips for choosing

Nowadays, plastic doors are most often used to decorate the transition from a room to a balcony. They have quite significant advantages in comparison with the usual wooden ones, while they are quite inexpensive. It is noteworthy that such materials harmoniously fit into both classic and modern interiors.

Among the variety of materials, plastic is the most popular for the manufacture of balcony doors. This is not surprising, because such designs have the following advantages:

• as you know, wooden doors are susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity levels, while plastic does not absorb water, it is resistant to severe frosts and prolonged heat;
• the plastic structure is quite easy to adjust thanks to the built-in correction mechanisms; if you have some working skills, you can even adjust the mechanism yourself;
• plastic doors are lightweight and have low thermal conductivity - this property is achieved due to the presence of internal cavities;
• the design provides effective protection of living quarters from drafts; double-glazed windows do not allow cold air to enter the room, therefore, even in frosts in a living room, the air temperature does not drop below +20 degrees;
• plastic construction has a high soundproofing ability;
• the service life of plastic balcony doors reaches 40 years, while the structure is easy to assemble and quickly cleaned.

In accordance with current legislation, balcony doors made of PVC, must comply with the requirements of GOST adopted in 2002. This standard has been approved in several countries: the Russian Federation, Armenia, Moldova, as well as in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In our country, GOST has been in circulation since 2003. This document establishes the requirements for the dimensions of PVC balcony doors, the permissible error in the design parameters of the curtain, profiles, attachments and controls.

In accordance with the document, the threshold of the balcony door must securely fastened mechanically, not by glue... In this case, the contour of the opening must necessarily be solid - failure to comply with this requirement quickly leads to pushing through the threshold of the structure.

The standard sets requirements for door imposts - they must be fixed by means of a mechanical connection or welding. The standard establishes certain requirements in relation to the dimensions of the door. So, the area of ​​the opened canvas should not exceed 2.5 square meters. m, and the total size of the door, together with the vestibule, should be less than or equal to 6 sq. m. The maximum permissible weight of the structure is 120 kg. In accordance with GOST, the size of the door leaf is 2.4 x 1.0 m.

A separate type of plastic balcony doors are metal-plastic structures with double-glazed windows. As a rule, the glass in them completely fills the door, thanks to this, maximum illumination in the living space is created. The advantages of metal-plastic do not end there, the product is distinguished by the following advantages:

• increased strength due to the welded type of corner joints;
• high heat and noise insulation provided by double glazing;
• resistance to high humidity and temperature extremes.

A metal-plastic balcony door with glass is a huge window, while the width of the structure can be double that of a standard plasticalthough outwardly they may be similar. Doors made of metal-plastic are characterized by increased tightness, comfort and ease of use, and the working mechanism is easily adjustable. Such models do not deform under the influence of precipitation and ultraviolet rays, retain their operational properties for a long time, while they are quite cheap.

Installation of metal-plastic structures is in great demand in modern apartments and cottages, as well as in rooms with poor illumination - glazing looks unusual, but at the same time easy.

In terms of design features, there are several options for balcony doors.

• Typical houses use single-leaf swing structures, in which the sash is an independent element and is in no way connected with the window. At different times of the year, such doors perform different functions: in the summer they allow you to ventilate the room, and in the winter they keep the heat inside the house. Most often, the window located next to it is made deaf, which significantly reduces the cost of the entire unit and simplifies the care of the window.
• In wide openings they look spectacular double doors. Due to their size, such models look very stylish.
• In modern homes, as well as in hotels, are popular sliding compartment doors. They are manufactured as an independent structure and are not part of a common balcony opening. The main advantage of such solutions is space saving. It does not require loose constancy to open the door leaf. The main weight in the structure falls on the lower rails, due to which the load is evenly distributed.
• On terraces and summer kitchens, owners most often prefer folding panels and accordions... They are practical, ergonomic, easy to open and easy to close. However, such options have some installation restrictions, in particular, they are not installed in openings that are too long and too high.

The standard width of the balcony door is 61 cm - it is this value that is established in the current standard. The parameter was developed taking into account the climatic characteristics of the country and the principle of house-building of past years. Protracted cold winters prevail in most of Russia, and at the same time, in old multi-storey buildings, balconies were originally conceived as a place for storing things, but not for resting households, so a small opening was quite enough. Now the functionality of the additional room has expanded significantly, therefore the doors are wider - up to 80 cm and even more.

When planning to replace an old balcony door with a new PVC structure, you should take into account features of the opening, calculate the approximate cost of replacement. In addition, you should make sure that the manufacturer and dealer have all the necessary certificates of quality and conformity for manufactured / sold products - DIN, EN, ISO, RAL. When ordering, it will be useful to carefully examine the cut of the plastic product, as well as compare the finished options with different sets of equipment.

It is very important to make sure that proper quality of fittings, to do this, you need to close and open the sash several times, while the movement should be smooth and without squeaking. Special attention should be paid directly to the glass unit. It should be free of any defects: cracks, chips and condensation inside, otherwise it will not be able to perform its functions of heat and sound insulation.

The balcony mechanism is subjected to repeated opening and closing every day, so it is not surprising that even the most reliable fittings fail over time. In addition, under the mass of the glass unit, the structure sags sooner or later and, as a result, ceases to be hermetically closed, which creates a draft in the living room, while even the glazing of the balcony does not help to cope with it. Normally, the position of the door to the loggia is as follows:

• if the sash is slightly open, it does not move spontaneously;
• there is no displacement of the canvas;
• when closed, the sash is firmly pressed against the door frame.

If you plan to do the adjustment of the balcony door on your own, then first of all, you should determine the causes of the breakdown. Most often they boil down to the following:

• in most cases the reason - excess weight of the structure, which leads to its gradual downward displacement;
• loosening of the handle - this happens when the balcony door is opened too often;
• loose closure - a similar problem leads to a constant draft in the room; usually a consequence of the skew of the main canvas or a malfunction of the fittings itself;
• side shift of the sash - in this case, the door touches the middle of the frame, the problem is reduced to the breakage of the hinges; The most common cause of malfunction is temperature fluctuations, which have a negative effect on PVC hardware.

In the next video, you are waiting for the installation of a PVC plastic window with a balcony door and finishing the slopes.