11 accessories for plastic windows

They put plastic windows, and then found that they are not safe enough for a child or pets? Wanted to slightly change their appearance, or expand the functionality? It is not necessary to headlong to run to a window company and order new windows. If the existing ones are still tight and durable, you can try to upgrade them: with minimal investments you can make them completely perfect - all thanks to a variety of accessories for plastic windows. Let us dwell on the most useful and interesting.

No. 1. mosquito net

Usually, mosquito net (if absolutely precisely - then the mosquito) put immediately plastic windowsbut still some first refuse it. Awareness of error is coming soon. The mosquito net not only protects the house from the penetration of various kinds of insects, but also prevents the accidental loss of pets from the window.

There are several types of mosquito nets:

• framework - The standard and most popular option. A mesh is stretched on a PVC or aluminum frame, is inexpensive, serves for years, needs only periodic washing. Installation of the grid is done thanks to the side handles and at first it may require some skill. In winter, a mesh with a plastic frame is best removed and stored at home;
• Velcro mesh as simple as installed and removed, minimized takes up space when minimized. This is the most budget option, but its durability is low. In addition, one of the sticky parts will have to be glued to the profile;
• roll net in one movement can move to the top of the window, as roller blinds. It is convenient and practical, but expensive;
• extendable mesh suitable for very large windows, when opened, moves to the side, like doors in wardrobes;
• pleated net also retracts to the side, but at the same time it also folds into an accordion;
• hinged mesh opens like a normal sash. It is convenient if the window opening often needs to be completely open.

Choose a mesh with a mesh size of 1-1.2 mm. If the region has too many insects, then pay attention to products with smaller cells. There are nets with increased strength, which can withstand the weight of the animal - anti-cat nets.

No. 2. Air valve

A good plastic window is a reliable barrier between the street and the house, and so reliable that even air does not leak through it. Previously leaks, cracks in windows and slopes were parts apartment ventilation. If after installing plastic windows you notice that the air has become stale, stuffy and damp, then it's time to upgrade the window and install air valvethat lets in fresh air but keeps out dust and noise.

Valve can be fixed on the opening casement, it will not be conspicuous. The air flow is regulated either manually by moving the handle on the housing, or automatically due to the presence of complex control systems inside. Some valves are easy to install on their own, others require specialist involvement.

If space allows, the valve can be installed under the window or on the wall near the window, but then you will have to make a through hole in the wall.

No. 3. Films for window profile

It happens that after just a couple of years, the white window profile turns yellow. Or the interior of the apartment has changed, and the white color is no longer suitable. In this case, it is ideal to replace windows, but you can go the other way and purchase a film for lamination of a window profile. Something similar is done in production when a profile with imitation of wood is made, but there is pre-treatment with a primer, and the film is glued by machines at high temperature, after which rolling by rollers takes place. This is the most reliable way, but it is not suitable for an already installed window. To update the profile with your own hands, you can purchase a special self-adhesive film, which is available in different shades and textures. Some craftsmen adapt automobile film under this business. The service life of such a coating is not very large, but re-sticking the film is inexpensive and short-lived.

As an alternative to laminate film use special paints for PVCHowever, first you have to sand the surface and primer. The paint will last much longer than the film.

In order not to have problems with the yellowed profile, it is better not to engage in manic savings even at the stage of buying windows, hoping that all windows are the same, and high prices are all just someone's thirst for profit. Not the same! A reliable German profile is even foolish to compare with a little-known Turkish or Chinese, and responsible manufacturers of plastic windows use only high-quality materials. The Breathing Window Factory, for example, exclusively uses the Rehau profile. It was a professional approach that allowed the company to become a leader in the south of Russia with a wide network of branches, and the quality indicator is a 7-year warranty period for windows.

Number 4. Baby Safety Accessories

Statistics confirm that about 4,000 children fall out of the windows every year. Keeping the child out of the window is not an option - the children are curious. When the baby grows up and learns to climb the window sill himself, the window structure needs to be modernized, and now it's not about bars. There is something better:

• pen with key - the easiest option, installed instead ordinary pens, and using the key, you can lock the window in the closed state. If the key is well hidden, then the child is in no danger at all. Minus - to fold the sash does not work.
• lower casement lock blocks plowing, but allows the sash to recline;
• child restraint opening, as it were, stops the opening of the sash more than the set level, opens and closes with a key;
• child lock with cable. One part of the cable is attached to the fixed leaf, the second is thrown onto the movable leaf and fixed with a key. Fresh air enters the apartment, but the child cannot accidentally fall out of the window.

No. 5. Decorative layout

To bring a standard modern plastic window, for example, to french style, it is possible to decorate a double-glazed window with spros, or a decorative layout. Such elements are made, as a rule, of aluminum, they can have different widths, be of any color (the most popular options are white, brown and gold). The shape of the profile is generally rounded. With the help of a spros, you can divide a double-glazed window into several parts and give it a more interesting look. However, imitation of binding is not always needed - this is an option only for rooms decorated in a suitable style.

If desired, the layout can be ordered at the stage of manufacturing the window, and then it will be between the glasses in the glass. This option gives a more realistic effect, but if the window is already installed, then it remains to mount spros only on top of the glass, and always from the inside. Choosing the number and length of such decorative elements is extremely careful, from the principle of "do no harm."To achieve maximum realism, special connectors are used, thanks to which it is possible to arrange the layout elements at an angle of 90, 180 or 135 degrees. Particularly interesting is the layout of the sun on the arched windows.

No. 6. Limiter Comb

There are windows, the sashes of which can only swing open, and the folding mechanism and micro-ventilation are not provided in them. Such designs are cheaper, and many, trying to save money, choose them. Then it turns out that there are more problems with windows than it seemed initially, so you have to invent something in order to be able to ventilate by opening the sash and fixing it in this position.

The easiest way is to install a comb stop. A latch is mounted on a movable leaf, on a stationary - a comb with several clearances for fixation. When it will be necessary to open the window, it is necessary to hook the comb on the latch. Installation is most conveniently carried out at the level of the window handle.

Combs are usually made of white plastic, so they will not be striking. The longer the length, the greater the maximum permissible maximum fixed level for opening the sash. As a rule, combs are made 10-12 cm long, but can be found longer. The more gaps there are, the finer adjustment of the sash opening can be made. The standard option is 4 gaps, but combs with 10 gaps are on sale.

Number 7. Window thermometer

Yes, each of us has a smartphone at hand, which even broadcasts weather data outside the window to the main desktop. It would seem that in the morning it is enough to look at the screen and understand how to dress, but it wasn’t there. Many of us out of habit go to the window to evaluate all the parameters personally: temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, etc. You can’t get away from traditions, and often this method is more accurate than data in a smartphone. An elderly person without an ordinary thermometer will be completely uncomfortable.

With plastic windows, you can use all existing types of outdoor thermometers:

• familiar to all of us alcoholic, moderately accurate, cheap, but it should be borne in mind that over time it begins to lie, since the alcohol gradually evaporates and begins to condense in the upper part of the capillary;
• bimetallicwhose action is based on compressing the spring, the least accurate of all;
• electronic most accurate, looks good.

You can attach the thermometer to Velcro directly to the glass, only it is advisable to mount it on a fixed leaf (if any) and on the north side - so the readings will be more accurate. There is also an option for mounting on holders. The most practical and safe option would be a thermometer with a remote sensor, i.e. You will see the indicators on the display indoors, and the sensor itself will be located outside the apartment, but this is not quite a window thermometer.

Number 8. Stained glass film

Classical stained glass window - it is expensive and difficult, it must be created at the window production stage. But what if the windows already exist, they can cope with their functions, only the interior has been updated a bit, and now it would be the best way to decorate the stained glass window. The solution is simple - take a film stained glass window. On sale you can find a lot of ready-made drawings. The installation process is extremely simple. The glass is cleaned, degreased, and then a stained glass film is gently glued onto it. You do not have to use glue - the film is sold on a self-adhesive basis. For greater similarity to a real stained-glass window, you can use tin broaches, which are also available on a self-adhesive basis.

No. 9. Protective films

Protective films for plastic windows are glued in the same way as stained glass films, but their task is not to decorate, but to protect. If during the window selection you lost double-glazed window, and they took the simplest one, and then realized that it does not retain heat well enough or does not reflect sunlight well, then you can improve the design with a suitable film:

• heat saving films are made on the basis of polyethylene phthalate, a thin spraying of silver or an alloy of chromium with nickel is applied to the polymer layer. Such a coating allows you to reflect infrared rays inside the apartment and keep it warm. According to the manufacturers of such films, it is possible to achieve up to 30% savings in payments for heat. This is the main, but not the only advantage of such a film. If the glass is damaged, then all the pieces will remain on the coating. It is better to mount the film for the winter period, and with the onset of warm weather - remove. Self-adhesive and shrink films are on sale. Installation of the latter is carried out using warm air;
• reflective films - a necessity for apartments facing south. They allow you to reflect the sun's rays, make the room cooler and more comfortable in the summer heat. Such films are made on the basis of polyethylene terephthalate and are coated with a thin layer of rare earth metal oxides, which have the property of reflecting UV and IR rays. The coating may be colorless or may have color spraying or even a mirror surface. Films that reflect up to 15% of sunlight are suitable for an apartment. If you take a too tight option, you can get the opposite effect - the room will become too dark. Such films are good to use in the warm season, and then remove;
• shockproof film makes a double-glazed window more resistant to shock and other violent hacking attempts. No, such a film will not completely protect against a hammer blow, but it will increase the resistance of the structure, and there you look, and which of the neighbors of the attacker will see. Vandal-proof films are divided into classes. Class A2 films are capable of protecting a double-glazed window from abandoned bricks, and class A3 films can withstand even shooting from firearms. If the double-glazed window is still damaged, then all the fragments will remain on the film;
• hide the room from prying eyes is also possible thanks to matte film with pattern. A certain amount of light will leak out, but no one will see you from the street. Good option for the bathroom.

No. 10. Burglar fittings

If the area is more or less busy, then the thief will not break a double-glazed window - it is noisy and long. He will prefer to break the locking mechanism. An experienced housekeeper will need a few seconds and a simple screwdriver. It is better to install anti-burglar fittings on a new window, then the most protected system will turn out. You can re-equip the old window, but then there is a high probability that a major overhaul of the sash will be needed, but even in this case the security of the system will increase significantly.

Burglar fittings are a whole system, which consists of several components:

• the locking mechanism installed in the area of ​​the handle does not allow to drill or knock the lock from the outside;
• mushroom-shaped trunnions withstand a load of up to 1.5 tons, which is several times more than conventional trunnions;
• reciprocal strips and hinges are made of durable steel, and due to the fact that the trunnions enter the bar in different directions, an attacker will not be able to overcome the window by simply moving the accessories to the side;
• increased number of locking points. If in a regular window there is only one locking point, then in a protected window - at least 5;
• instead of aluminum hooks that go into the frame, use steel ones that are more resistant to breaking.

Safety fittings are divided into several classes. Hardware class Wk1 It will stand before hitting the leg and shoulder, with an extraction from four angles. The hardware class WK2 protects the window from being cracked by a screwdriver, pliers and other similar tools, and the class WK3 protects the window from being cracked with a mount. It will be difficult to establish everything correctly with your own hands, so it makes sense to use the help of a professional.

No. 11. Slopes, window sill and ebbs

Usually, window sills and the slopes get off during the installation of plastic windows, but if suddenly something happened to the original panels, you can always order new ones. Plastic windows are best suited for the same plastic windows and windowsill. They are easy to care for, relatively simple to install, aesthetically pleasing. If you chose a plastic profile with imitation wood, then slopes and the windowsill can be selected the appropriate shade.

The window sill can be selected from PVC, acrylic or stone, or it can be finished with wood or tile, but this is already beyond the scope of accessories for plastic windows.

Window tide also installed simultaneously with the installation of windows. In fact, this is the same window sill, but external, and it is necessary for the proper removal of snow, rain, and also to protect the mounting foam. Aluminum, plastic and polyester castings are used. Plastic ones are the cheapest, but at the same time quite durable, aluminum and steel with a polyester coating will be more durable, more expensive, but with a constant drop in rain cables, a sound is inevitable, which can lead some to be crazy.

Sometimes to accessories for plastic windows rank jalousie and pleated blinds. Of course, these are important elements for organizing a comfortable space, and so important and complete that it’s difficult to rank them as accessories.