What Is Double Glazing Maintenance?

Now you have purchased and have a brand new window, door or conservatory, you may be questioning how to maintain your new double-glazing products. Double glazing maintenance is essential to ensure your new products work efficiently for longer and to prevent complicated issues in the future. Each of our products requires a minimal amount of care, so you can enjoy stunning-looking products for years to come. 

At 1st Homes, we are here to help you effectively maintain your double-glazing products so you can enjoy new products without it being too much of a hassle. 

Standard PVCu Frames

For standard PVCu frames, it is straightforward to keep them looking stunning without having to do much maintenance. These frames require just soap and water solution, but dilute washing-up liquid will be fine. These solutions help prevent the build-up of atmospheric deposits and keep them looking clean. For stubborn stains, you can use a non-abrasive PVCu liquid cleaner. Use them sparingly and buff the areas for the frames to shine. We recommend you avoid solvent-based cleaners and take care not to disturb any sealants.

Foiled PVCu Frames

Foiled PVCu frames are also easy to maintain. You only have to use soap and water solution to clean the woodgrain or foiled windows. If you come across minor scratches throughout the years, then you can use a matched RAL touch-up pen to repair this. We also recommend not using cleaning fluid or solvent-based cleaners on foiled PVCu frames. 

Glazed Units

For maintaining glazed units, there are some more steps to follow, but it still won’t take too much time out of your day to keep clean. Before you start cleaning your glazed units, ensure to remove all hand jewellery to avoid scratching the unit. Heavy external grime can be removed with regular soap and water solution. To restore the look of the units, use a typical household cleaner with a soft cloth and buff to shine. If you have glass fitted with external Georgian bars, you can use this method to clean the bars, but take extra care. You should also take extra care when applying excessive pressure to leaded strips that are bonded to the glazed unit, as you may accidentally dislodge the lead. The external lead will oxidise if this happens. 

Hardware and Furniture

For any hardware and furniture on your double glazing, you can use soap and water solution to keep them clean. Again, don’t use abrasive cleaners so you don’t damage them.

Conservatories

When maintaining your conservatory, please only access the conservatory roof using a scaffold or platform. We also recommend never leaning ladders against the PVCu frames, guttering or glass, as this may damage the products.

Self Cleaning Glass

To clean the glass of your conservatory, use a soft cloth with a warm, soapy warmer to buff and shine. Do not use abrasive or solvent-based cleaners on the external glazing surfaces, as the self-cleaning properties may be affected. You can use typical household cleaning products on the inside of the glass. 

Polycarbonate

You can clean the polycarbonate areas of your conservatory in a similar way to PVCu frames by removing the grime and atmospheric deposits. 

General Maintenance

To look after your double-glazing products, occasionally take the following steps to maintain the seals, locking systems, and mechanisms.

Lubrication

Lubricate all the locking systems on your windows and doors so that they can work with ease. For the hardware and opening mechanism,  use light oil (for example, 3-in-1) or silicone spray. 

Drainage

All our glazing products are designed with an in-built drainage system, which has slots within the lower threshold that allow any water ingress to follow to the outside. These slots must remain blocked so these systems can work effectively. Periodically, remove any dirt that occurs, clean the drain holes and check the drainage operation by flushing through water. All these steps help ensure the drainage system is all in order and working correctly. 

Mastic Seal

The mastic seal is the waterproof seal that is located around windows and doors. Periodically check that the seal is still intact between the frame and brickwork to ensure there are no signs of damage. We remind our customers that some discolouration of the seal is natural and can’t be avoided, so please don’t worry when you see these signs. 

Double Glazing Prices

We provide a wide range of double-glazing products to upgrade your home. Each of our products is low maintenance, so you only have to do the small steps we mentioned above to keep them clean. If you need any more help, then feel free to contact us through our online contact form or give us a call. 

Read our maintenance and operation brochure for more tips on maintaining your products.

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