Nowadays, a lot of people dream of a home with a spacious, bright living room and large panoramic windows. In order for panoramic glazing to be efficient and durable, it is often designed using aluminum profiles.
Compared to other materials, aluminum profiles perfectly withstand wind loads with large window sizes. They also do not bend under the influence of sunlight, unlike PVC profiles. Polymer coating of the profile provides a wide range of colors and shades, and the coating itself serves for decades.
How Much Do Aluminum Windows Cost?
The price of aluminum windows is higher than that of PVC windows, which over the past thirty years we have been accustomed to consider the pinnacle of perfection in glazing. The cost of aluminum windows is usually three or more times higher than the cost of plastic ones.
When to Buy Aluminum Windows?
Aluminum profiles allow you to create sliding doors with a size of 3×3 m and a weight of 400 kg or more. The sliding door system itself can have a length of up to 12 m, which provides the widest possible opening. Aluminum stained glass can be made without additional visible profiles with a glazing area of 12-15 sq.m, which is impossible with PVC profiles or wood.
Windows without thermal insulation are cheaper than energy-saving structures, but they can not be used everywhere. They are often used in warm regions or for glazing terraces in temperate latitudes.
Which Aluminum Windows are Cheap?
Manufacturers of aluminum systems or window manufacturers themselves strive to reduce the cost of their products in a bid for customers, but for what price?
- Reducing thickness of the profile walls, which worsens the load-bearing capacity of the profile. The thickness of aluminum should be 1.6 to 1.8 mm, not 1.2 mm.
- Using types of seals other than EPDM. EPDM seals do not dry out or harden over time and can last up to 20 years with continuous maintenance. But to reduce the cost, seals from other polymeric materials are used, which is why it starts to blow very quickly through the window.
- Using thermal breaks made of cheap materials that do not withstand the temperature required for painting the profile, as a result of which the profile loses its geometry. Today, a high-quality thermal break has a cellular structure or a foamed filler.
- Visible loops are used on the window sashes instead of hidden ones, which leads to the rupture of the sealing circuit on the sash and can allow cold air to pass through this gap over time.
- Brush seals instead of rubber ones are used on sliding aluminum doors. The use of brush seals is also allowed, but not for glazing buildings with higher heat preservation standards.
- Thinner glass than required by standards is used in double-glazed windows. This results in a ‘twisted mirror’ effect, as well as significant glass vibration in high winds.
- Tempered glass is recommended for large-format double-glazed windows. This is done to strengthen the glass and ensure safety in the event of its breaking. To make double-glazed windows cheaper, the service of hardening may not be considered.
- Profile and double-glazed windows are not properly selected according to the characteristics for the climatic zone where they will be installed.
How long will the pleasure of using such windows last?
Where to Buy Cheap Aluminum Windows?
Any window company can offer you both expensive and cheap windows. The main thing is to correctly communicate your specifications to the manager, indicating all the requirements that you have for windows. Feel free to ask the manager about what they offer and why it should suit you.
Conclusion
When choosing aluminum windows, do not try to catch up with your neighbors! Ask for the cost calculation of each of your projects separately, and do not hesitate to specify the characteristics of the windows. After all, your heating system will be installed taking into account heat loss from your windows. Why heat the street?