Windows Plus Online has spent many years working closely with national UK hardware suppliers to achieve a finish that gave the quality and consistency across the hardware range. The attention to the finer details such as colour, style and finish is vital for creating a unified aesthetic.
The Fab & Fix range supplied by ERA hardware ticked all the boxes, not only for the hardware being pleasing to the eye with consistent features, but the Hardex coating which is a anti scratch on the Fab & Fix range is a process that takes meticulous preparation of the surface of the material, followed by a complex series of chemical baths with each submersion calculated to the second once the item is ready for the final Hardex finish to be applied. After this there is a curing period in high temperatures.
The process from start to finish takes over 24hrs per item. Windows Plus Online understands there is a lot of effort for the manufacture of hardware but the end result is well worth it.
For more information, please see mechanical parts.
Using the finish described makes a large range of colours available. Not only will the window handle and door handles match, the letter box and all accessories also match perfectly. This means your door knockers will also be a perfect match throughout the whole of your home. You will find on the designer white, black, bright chrome, satin chrome, graphite, gold and bronze.
There has been much discussion in regards to trickle vents. A trickle vent is a product that was designed to accommodate the movement of air flow within a property and will remove polluted air using positive and negative air pressure. The vent when fully open removes the moist air which causes damp, this is due to it being lighter than dry air, allowing it to escape from the property and be replaced with dry air which is not only good for the property but also humans.
When used correctly trickle vents do not contribute to heat loss, if anything they make the atmosphere more appealing. Windows Plus Online uses the 2500mm2 as BS13414-1:2004 as standard, which has an overall length of 400mm. Sometimes due the vent size a different variation is used still producing the same 2500mm2 air flow as BS13414-1:2004 but is only 300mm in length. If the window frame without frame packers is 530mm or bigger then a 400mm trickle vent will be used, between 530mm and 430mm a 300mm trickle vent is used, below 430mm frame width a trickle vent can’t be added.
Windows Plus Online can offer acoustic trickle vents but does not recommend them as they are not only very expensive but are also very bulky in size, and take away from the sleek design of the window. Windows Plus Online recommends an Acoustic controllable wall vent available at most electrical suppliers.
Below you will find the technical documentation which relates to the uPVC trickle vents.
As the mechanical parts varies based on the product, we have given each product their own dedicated page detailing the different parts for each products.
Restrictors are required in HMO buildings on the second floor windows.
Standard windows
A standard hook and eye can be used to achieve this which are set with in the gap between the outer frame and vent. In certain circumstances a cable restrictor BS EN 14351-1:2006 is required these are mainly used for residential accommodation, hospitals, schools and universities and offices because of the locking key point and can’t be overridden and an additional security as the window can only be forced open if the cable is physically cut.
Below you will find the technical documentation which relates to the uPVC restrictors.
Bay windows
Windows Plus Online supplies aluminium bay poles direct from the Profile 22. Part of the building regulations of installing bay windows which are load bearing is they are to be installed with a load bearing jack. The process is straight forward, a hole is drilled in the cill, the jack is placed under the cill, and then adjusted to suit the required height.
Below you will find the technical documentation which relates to the uPVC ancillaries.
Bow windows
Unlike bay windows, bow windows generally do not require poles unless it is load bearing. If this is the case then bay jacks would be required.
Fixing straps are used mainly in new build properties for ease of installation. The fixing strap is a galvanised metal bracket, supplied to suit the type of product. It is screwed to the side of the window and then protrudes into the building with holes for the fixing position to be made.