uPVC Windows Installation Guide – Importance of Plumb, Frame Diagonal & Water Level Checks

upvc windows installation guide for home buyers must read

January 24, 2018

There are some critical aspects to be checked during the uPVC windows Installation in your home. The below three checks are very important in nature and will help you avoid future issues with the performance of the windows/doors:

uPVC Window Frame check whether it’s in plumb
The uPVC window frame is in water level.
Diagonal measurements of the uPVC window frame are not altered or indifference while installing.

Let us analyze the aspects one by one & how it’s going to affect the life and operation of the installed uPVC Windows / uPVC Doors.

In the case of out of plumb windows, sliding and casement needs to be checked separately since the factor affects both in a separate manner due to the opening mechanisms.
1. Sliding shutters in most cases have wool piles at their top side and exert the whole load on the bottom track vertically in the direction of gravity. Now imagine a tilted frame, what it will do to performance? If window frame is not in plumb then the sliding shutter will put an unequal resting load on the top track based on where the gravity effect is more. This effect in long-term makes the uPVC windows to slide & move slightly tighter. In case of uPVC Doors, this reduces or causes the gap between shutters to be unequal, which causes flapping noise at the passing of the shutters and occasionally chipping off of the interlock locking fins.
2. In case of casement uPVC Windows, if butt hinges are used then the shutters are likely to bang either inside or outside due to the unbalanced gravity of the Shutter when opened or closed.
While the water level has its subtle effects, which may not be as observable as the effects of the out of the plumb frames. However, the tilted frame in a vertical plane in case of sliding windows causes the shutter to move easily in one direction and move a little heavy in the other direction. The severity of this effect may depend on how much it’s off from the accurate water level. In many cases, This also makes the alignment of the frame a bit difficult since the aperture dimensions and quality are not dependable as it is done manually. In case of Casement uPVC Windows Installation, sometimes it might behave as it’s not in the plumb and confuse the installation technician. So it’s very important to check plumb and water level both individually and make sure that both are in control.
After both the above-mentioned factors are in control, the installation technician has to make sure that the packers are fixed at appropriate positions and after fastening the fasteners the frame is not distorted. For the best performance and the long lasting life of the uPVC Windows & uPVC Doors, packers should be positioned exactly below the fasteners and the frame should be checked for diagonal & should be secured in place with packers even before fastening and the frame should be distorted after fastening.
In cases where the above factors are ignored during the uPVC Windows Installation, When there are problems with the performance then analyzing the problems from the perspective of installation might turn out to be complex since all the three factors cumulatively increase the complexity of the problem and make it harder to diagnose. It would be prudent to make sure all the above factors are taken care during the uPVC Windows installation to make sure such issues do not occur in the first place.
Other than the factors mentioned above, there are some aesthetical aspects as well for checking the cross dimension of the diagonal of the frame. If that’s not in control (normally shouldn’t be out by more than +/- 2.5 mm) then shutter corners won’t match and overlaps will be uneven or tapered. This happens because the frame is distorted and the shutters are not tied like a frame and free to rotate or slide, hence they are out of diagonals (unless glazing is not done properly and after glazing shutters are not checked for diagonals). So it’s very important to check this aspect of the installation.