But wooden windows are not that simple: we live in Russia, not in Europe. Climate, construction of walls, architecture, building technologies differ greatly from European. That’s why wooden Euro windows in Russia suffer “child diseases” that can spoil the customer’s life.
1. The width of window casing of Euro window is less than that of joinery (100-140mm). When the old window is dismantled a wide cavity with jagged parts appears on the surface of the wall slopes. Usually, new Euro window, which is much narrower, is installed into the same place, and the joint gap is sealed with the foam. Later this leads to unwanted results: carefully made window with high heat proofing characteristics gets misted, condensation and fungus appear on the slopes. Here people usually exclaim:
“What nonsense! Old windows are 20 years old and nothing has happened to them. Slopes are o’key and there’s no condensation!”
They are right, but we are fair. Do you remember the draughts? Even plastering didn’t help much. Remember the frosty patterns on outside window? Remember cotton wool between the glass panes? Frosty patterns are the condensation, cotton wool absorbed moisture, and the slopes were evenly blown through and cooled down together with chink windows. Old window was not a window – it was a system of blowing out of warm air.
Euro window, being a hermetic barrier for outside air, requires hermetic slopes. As it is narrower than old joinery Euro window must be moved inside during installation. In this case the “dew spot” moves from inside surface of the double glass pane and the risk of condensation reduces.
“Dew spot” is a conventional line of passing of cold through the wall with the passage inside the double glass pane. There’s nothing to worry about: dry clean air inside the double glass pane and silicate gel will eliminate the dew – that is the reason why we “move” the window inside the room.
This is essential not only for old windows dismantling: even in new buildings window rabbets don’t exceed typical depth of 50-70 mm, which is not enough for Euro windows.
A question arises: what can we use to fill the outer joint if we move the window block inside? Here we come to the second “child disease” of an Euro window.
2. It is not enough just to fill in the gaps between the wall and the window block with the building foam. It is necessary to insulate the gaps through the whole perimeter with the sealing tape and steam- and waterproof seatings (see picture 1). This prevents the infiltration of moisture through the wall, protects the foam, makes the joint dry, warm and long lasting. PVC windows require extra sealing of the gap with vilatern, lists of structurisative expanded polystyrene and so on to increase heat-proofing characteristics of the joint.
Neglect of sealing materials leads to dramatic consequence: in several years the form starts deteriorating because of light and moisture, which concentrates inside the slope.
3. Euro window has high permeability to heat resistance. There are no draughts, but there’s no fresh air either. Condensation appears, and stuffy air makes no good. Even wooden window doesn’t “breathe” as much as needed to provide necessary air exchange.
Winter, “chink" airing provides necessary air exchange, but if the wind is strong air losses are excessive
Besides, sound insulation drops, dust and dirt gets in. There is one solution to this problem: installation of ventilation valve. They provide regulated air exchange and rather high sound proofing index. I guess, in several years an Euro window without ventilation valve will look as anachronism.
4. Easy constructing is another problem for Euro windows. Customer (or unqualified manager) creates a new construction, which works differently from the old one. When designing and working out the window construction, the specialist must adapt it to the used material, heat conductivity of the wall, sound-proofing system, heating and air exchange systems. If the manufacture neglects the GOSTs and the Construction Norms and Regulations the results may be dramatic: it’s impossible to wash too wide permanent sash, absence of transom bar makes the construction fragile, installation of too many special glasses lessens light capacity and so on.
Construction features of an Euro window, heat and sound proofing characteristics must be considered and calculated for every customer. For example, highly insulated double glass panes must be installed in the houses near the highways, special finishing of outer gaps is required in the houses overlooking the water. One more essential aspect is the following: does the chosen color fit the architectural design of the facade? Who is responsible for the violation of the design – the Customer or the Executor? But this problem has nothing to do with the construction of the window; it’s a juridical aspect of window firms work.
So, now we see that a real wooden window is a window block with double case glass pane and two sealing agents, with ventilation valve; it must be installed so that the “dew spot” wouldn’t be on the inside glass. Installation of an Euro wooden window must be also Euro: steam- and waterproof materials must provide dry warm “bed” for the window frame and the slope. An Euro window must be well designed (according to GOSTs and Construction Norms and Regulations), amateur constructing and dimensions are not allowed.
Only if all these requirements are kept the Euro window will answer all modern standards.
