How to put windows in winter mode?

One of the important stages of preparation for winter is window insulation. Adjusting plastic frames is quicker and easier than pasting wooden ones, however, and this requires some time and some preparation. How to switch windows to winter mode and is it always necessary to do this? You will learn about this from our article.

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Is adjustment necessary?

Setting up plastic windows in winter mode is by no means mandatory. The design of most double-glazed windows provides such an opportunity, however, as a rule, high-quality and properly installed windows are already sealed. But there are situations when the shutters from long operation cease to provide reliable thermal insulation. Such frames protect against wind and street dust no better than their wooden counterparts. Then it becomes necessary to adjust them.

It also happens that when the window is opened, the sash moves. In summer, this is not particularly important, but with the onset of cold weather you will certainly begin to feel that the room is colder than it should be. This is also an occasion to see if everything is in order with your frames.

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Why do they diverge?

When the windows were installed, the masters carefully checked all the gaps, as well as the position of the wings in different modes. But even if the installation was carried out perfectly, after a while the sashes will begin to diverge. The main reason for this phenomenon is the different coefficients of thermal expansion. If the windows were installed in winter or early spring, something like this happens:

1. The temperature outside rises.
2. Plastic expands.
3. The temperature goes down.
4. Plastic is reduced in volume, but it does not always take the same shape as it was originally.

Important! The same thing happens if double-glazed windows were installed in the summer, only when the temperature decreases the material is compressed. But in any case, the technical characteristics of the product change slightly, resulting in gaps. Adjusting the windows for winter mode also serves to press the loose sash against each other again.

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Seasonal setting

In fact, high-quality double-glazed windows have three modes:

• standard;
• winter;
• summer.

Manufacturers are advised to set the standard adjustment or use the summer all year round. If the windows are installed correctly and neatly operated, the standard adjustment equally well provides an influx of fresh air in the warm season and reliable thermal protection in winter. Additionally, it is not necessary to seal the frames.

Important! For the marine and temperate continental climate, such a regime is quite sufficient, since in regions with similar conditions the summer is usually not too hot, and severe frosts rarely occur in winter.

The window can lose its tightness at any time of the year, and it is necessary to put it in order. It is especially important to choose the correct adjustment of the plastic window for the winter, if the climate is sharply continental, with a large difference in summer and winter temperatures:

1. In this case, in the summer it is necessary to ensure constant air circulation, and also to prevent intensive abrasion of the coating when opening and closing. In addition, you need to protect the hardware from unnecessary loads.
2. In winter, the sashes should fit snugly together to preserve as much heat as possible.

Important! The need for adjustment also arises if the flaps sagged or moved horizontally.

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Is there a possibility?

Before you adjust the plastic windows for winter mode, make sure that such an opportunity really exists. You can reconfigure the fittings if you have windows from companies:

• Maco
• Roto;
• Siegenia Aubi;
• GU.

Important! Cheap glass units may not have such a function, although now all manufacturers are trying to produce models for which it is provided.

To run a test:

1. Inspect the sides of the wings.
2. Try to find the trunnions and study their markings.
3. If there is nothing similar, it means that it is impossible to adjust the frames, you will have to deal with them differently - for example, change the seal.

A trunnion is a bar with an eccentric attached to its end. It serves to press the seal. But you do not need it yourself, but its outputs, that is, a key hole. They can be in the form of:

• stars
• hexagon;
• in the form of a conventional screwdriver;
• oval.

These elements will tell you how to configure windows for winter mode.

Important! If the sealant is of high quality and is in good condition, changing the mode to winter is not necessary.

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How to determine the setting?

Before you set up plastic windows for winter mode, you need to determine in what position the hardware is at the moment. There are several ways to check - they depend on the shape of the eccentric.

Option 1

You need to evaluate how strongly the window sash is pressed against the frame:

1. Take a piece of paper.
2. Place it between the frame and the sash, leaving the tip from the side of the room.
3. Close the window.
4. Pull the sheet: if it comes out easily - the window is set for summer, in winter mode the paper will most likely tear.

Option 2

You can also determine the mode visually by carefully examining the eccentrics:

1. Find a mark on a round eccentric - a point, an asterisk or a dash.
2. Look where it is directed: if it’s in the room, then the windows are in summer mode, if it’s outside in the winter mode.

Option 3

If the eccentric is oval, the mode is determined by its position:

• vertical position indicates summer setting,
• horizontal position gives a more intense clamping of the sash to the frame, which indicates a winter setting.

Important! During the installation of double-glazed windows, do not forget to ask the masters in which mode the accessories are set and whether it can be adjusted.

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Make a decision

Before you put double-glazed windows in winter mode, decide whether you will do it yourself or call the craftsmen from the company that installed the windows for you. The second option is convenient, because you entrust your window to the hands of experienced people. Of course, they will have to pay, but it is not so expensive.

But if you want to adjust the fittings, a home master can also, who has the necessary tools and knows what he will have to deal with.

Important! All work will have to be done carefully, since the slightest negligence can lead to damage to the fittings, and then setting up or even replacing will cost much more than calling the wizard to adjust.

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We begin preparation

First you need to determine the scope of work, that is, find all the eccentrics. Usually there are three, but in general the number depends on the size of the window sash. Of course, everything will have to be regulated.

We clean the windows

The first thing to do is clean up. For this you need:

• a mop with a telescopic handle;
• glass cleaner;
• hardware detergent;
• paper towels;
• Silicone Grease;
• hard brush or brush.

If you regularly look after your double-glazed windows, glass and accessories cannot be very dirty. To prepare them for the winter, the detergent that you always use is enough:

1. Wash or at least wipe the glass.
2. Wipe the frames.
3. Clean joints and joints.
4. Clean the hardware well - a hard brush or brush is suitable for this.
5. Thoroughly wipe off all items, especially those that have been lubricated.
6. Lubricate the fittings with silicone grease - you need only a few drops.
7. Determine what position the trunnions should be placed in - this can be found out by marking in the same way as you did when determining the current adjustment.
8. Put the pin in the desired position.
9. Reapply grease.
10. Lubricate the hinges as well.
11. Check how you accomplished your task with a piece of paper.

What to twist?

Before you adjust the windows to winter mode, it is very useful to get the necessary tool. It could be:

• Allen key
• screwdriver;
• pliers.

Tools are best bought immediately as soon as you put the windows, as the need for adjustment can arise at any time.

If the eccentric “drowned”

Eccentrics do not always stick out. Now it’s very fashionable to put them so that they completely hide in the sash. In this case, before turning, they must be pulled out, and then give the desired position. After you turn the eccentrics, drown them again. If you have ever worn a mechanical watch, easily cope with this task.

Important! Do not forget that the label should be from the side of the street, if you install the accessories for winter mode, and towards the room, if for summer.

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Some rules

You figured out how to set up a double-glazed window for winter mode, but that doesn’t mean that you have to grab onto a screwdriver right now, even if winter is on your nose and the mark is directed towards the room. Several considerations should be considered:

1. Do not change the modes if your windows are the first year - double-glazed windows have just been installed. The sealant did not have time to wear out, so you should not expose the fittings to mechanical stress once again.
2. Regimes should be changed no more than twice a year, while the winter period lasts less than the summer.
3. If the winter is not very frosty, you can leave double-glazed windows in the summer mode. But leave the winter adjustment for the summer is not worth it - the seal will wear out faster.

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How to adjust the position of the wings?

Regardless of the mode in which the fittings are in, the wings should not be skewed. Sometimes they have to correct their situation, otherwise - adjusting the plastic windows for winter mode will not work. Due to skewing or sagging, the seal will deteriorate very quickly.

You need:

• ruler;
• soft pencil.

Training

All work must be done carefully and effortlessly so as not to damage the plastic:

1. Close the window.
2. Circle the sash around the perimeter (you need to draw on the frame).
3. Open the window.
4. Measure the distance from the lines to the frame opening around the entire perimeter.

Important! Distances should be the same on all sides, the difference should not be more than 7 mm.

Adjust the sash vertically

If it seems to you that the right edge of the sash is higher than the left, or vice versa, align it:

1. Remove the decorative insert.
2. Tighten the screws at the bottom.

Sometimes it is necessary to raise the sash - if the distance from the upper side is greater than from the lower:

1. Unscrew the top screw halfway.
2. Check the position of the sash - if it is higher than it should be, tighten the screw a quarter of a turn, if lower - unscrew, also a quarter.

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Adjustable horizontally

For horizontal adjustment, the screws located on the hinges are responsible. They need to be tightened up:

1. Open the window.
2. Find the hole for the Allen key.
3. Gently turn the screw until the leaf is in the desired position.
4. Check how the sash enters the frame - just close the window to do this. If the sash needs to be brought closer to the hinge, you need to rotate it clockwise, if you move it, it should be counterclockwise.

Important! You can shift the window horizontally no more than 3 mm in one direction or another.

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Checking the setting

A plastic window, of course, is not a musical instrument, but even with it you need to check the settings, and including by ear. How does a perfectly adjusted window behave?

1. Sashes open and close freely without obstacles.
2. The window does not make a rattle or squeak.
3. All screws on which the leaf position depends are in approximately the same position.
4. The sealant around the entire perimeter has approximately the same shape and thickness, returns to its original position easily and without obstacles.

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Stock footage

In this article, we told you in detail about why you need to configure the frames, when it needs to be done, and how to put the windows in winter mode. Use this information so that your home is always warm and comfortable, even during the most severe frost.