Double Glazing On The Web

Ok so the weather’s been glorious and we are set for a fabulous summer on the South Coast. Living in the Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset area certainly has its advantages when the weather’s good, but there are drawbacks to living on the South Coast and replacement windows can be one of them.

Yes UPVC is incredibility durable, but everything has its limits. We all know that the high salt content the coastal air speeds up the corrosion of our cars and it’s a similar story with our window frames; they take a serious battering from the elements. UPVC windows and replacement windows far outlast traditional wooden frames on South Coast homes, not to mention do a better job keeping out those niggling drafts or gale force winds!

If your home is in need of replacement windows and you live in the Bournemouth, Poole or Dorset area, simply take the basic measurements and give Double Glazing on the Web a call for expert advice and quotation, without the pushy salesmen.

UPVC is formally known as Polyvinyl Chloride.

In formal scientific terms, it is a thermoplastic vinyl polymer and is constructed by repeating vinyl groups and replacing some one of them with a chloride group.

More simply put it is a cheap, durable, low maintenance, easy to assemble material that is the third most produced plastic, after polyethylene (polythene) and polypropylene (PP). It is this material that is used in replacement and double glazing windows and doors. The bonus factors of using this material is not only that it is cheap and durable, it can be made to fit any design and shape, for example to fit the style of your home when replacing your windows and doors.

UPVC is also biologically and chemically resistant meaning it is the number one choice for household sewage pipes as it is not affected by corrosion. Clothing, upholstery, hoses, flooring and inflatable structures are also among the many products that can be made using the reliable material. Therefore when thinking of what it is thats going into making your replacment windows or your new door, you have chosen the right material.

Will the volcanic ash resulting from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano damage your UPVC? – no, don’t be daft of course it won’t, not unless your house is very close to said volcano and then I would presume you’d have far more to worry about than the double glazing.

Some people have claimed to have seen fine layers of the volcano’s tephra ash on their property. Made up tiny fragments of pulverized rock and glass it just looks like a light yellow dust. Although theoretically this could act as an abrasive agent if you decide to nip outside and rub it in to your UPVC, don’t forget that UPVC is a very tough, durable product, that’s why it’s so popular for double glazing.

Obviously the better quality UPVC you have installed in your home will have an impact on its colour retention and lifespan, but unless your new or replacement windows will be flying at 32,000 feet, subject to intense heat and covered in volcanic ash, then there’s no need to worry just yet.

3 good reasons to choose UPVC windows: security, durability and low maintenance.

If you are looking for a good reason to choose UPVC over wooden frames then security could be a deciding factor. Add to that the fact that UPVC windows are a lot less maintenance than other frames, requiring only the occasional wipe down with a standard detergent. Finally, wherever you live in the country, UPVC windows are considerably more durable when it comes to withstanding the elements and bearing up against the harsh UK weather.

I could go on to mention energy efficiency, cost, ease of installation, noise reduction … but if you’re only looking for 3 reasons, security, durability and low maintenance are very good places to start. Find out more about UPVC windows on the Double Glazing on the Web website.

UPVC is the number one choice and the perfect material for making windows. The sustainable materials are extremely versatile and can be used in window frame designs to suit any building from traditional-style, modern architecture and low-energy consuming homes.

It is a good idea to think of replacing your windows for UPVC to save money and conserve energy. The materials used by specialists Double Glazing on the Web can be recycled up to ten times over and there are more A energy rated UPVC windows than any other framing material. In this time of financial unstability the choice to use UPVC in your windows is the right one as you will benefit not only from it being very affordable but the smart, robust appearance, low maintainence and long life.

Double Glazing on the Web specialises in replacement UPVC windows and years of experience in the industry will guarante that you will receive the best price, the highest quality and a rapid installation from the professional team. Further information about UPVC windows can be found on the website or call your nearest showroom.

The clocks ‘Spring’ forward on Sunday 28th March which means a few things in our house. One: we lose an hour in bed and Two: it’s time for the annual spring clean or, as my husband refers to it, the forensic wipe down of every surface we own. 

The much anticipated extra hours of day light can’t come soon enough for me; light mornings, balmy summer evenings, simply more than 6 hours of daylight… Unfortunately all that glorious sunlight does show up all the marks… Luckily when it comes to double glazing all it takes to keep good quality UPVC in good-nick is a wipe over with a damp cloth and some washing up liquid.

Under a microscope UPVC is grainy: the higher the quality, the subtler the grain, the more durable and the more likely it is to retain its colour. Therefore to save on elbow grease during the annual spring clean, make sure if you are thinking of replacing your UPVC double glazing, that your retailer uses a quality UPVC from a reputable and established supplier.

UPVC stands for Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride. Also known as Rigid PVC it has become popular in the building industry because it’s durable, easy to assemble and low-maintenance.

UPVC has been used in the construction of windows and doors since the 1960’s, but has only really become popular with the majority of UK home owners over the past 20 years. Amazingly UPVC windows account for approximately 85% of all new and replacement windows in the UK.

Less maintenance and with greater durability than standard timber framed windows, UPVC is also used for fascias, siding and weatherboarding and has obvious aesthetic benefits.

If your property requires new or replacement windows, UPVC could well be the answer. Just be sure to source a glazing firm using high quality product and with a reputable team of fitters.

You might be excused for thinking that over door canopies come with a house and that you can’t buy them independently and add them to your own property; but they do and you can…

An aesthetic and dry welcome for your guests couldn’t be easier to install.  With modern and traditional styles, even the most unusual properties can benefit from an over door canopy.  Your specific requirements can almost certainly be met and remember; our main aim is to get your product to you, at the cheapest possible price.   
 
Looking to add a touch of class to your property?  With various colours, designs and finishes to choose from, an over door canopy can be a simple, low-cost home improvement to get all of your neighbours talking.  You never know, you may even tempt old Santa Claus down from your roof! 

I’ve banged on a lot on this blog about the benefits to the environment (and your pocket) of double glazing.  Niggling away at the back of my mind, though, was something I read months ago about UPVC frames being bad for the environment.  I struggled to see how double glazing, something touted by all concerned in the world of the eco-warrior as having a positive effect on the environment, could also have a negative effect.  So, I decided to find out - what better thing to do on a rainy Saturday than research double glazing?

I found the following information on the negative aspects of UPVC (Vinyl to those of us who remember LPs, or long player records, to give them their full name):

• Production of UPVC is, apparently, hazardous
• UPVC is difficult to dispose and it is difficult to recycle

Then I found a uTube video by Dr Patrick Moore.  As a founding member of Greenpeace, I thought that his arguments, whether negative or positive, could be relied upon to be well informed and, indeed, they were.  And the estimable Dr Moore makes a case for UPVC double glazing. His argument is that, as UPVC has such a long life - 35 years with virtually no maintenance - the disposal issue is overstated.

And what about recycling?  Well perhaps it is difficult, but it is not impossible.  I did a little Googling and found Recovinyl, a pan-European organisation that provides financial incentives to support the collection of PVC waste.  The organisation’s literature states: (brackets mine)

It (PVC) is used to make long-lasting products, often with a life-expectancy exceeding 60 years. In addition to its longevity, PVC is a material perfectly fit for recycling after its use.

So, disposal and recycling of UPVC frames are not major issues, although they are issues that are ripe for new initiatives.

Manufacturing is an issue.  However, as double glazing the average property results in a reduction of approximately 740 kg a year in carbon dioxide production, it would seem that the benefits outweigh the problems.  In fact, if everyone in the UK who needed to install double glazing did so, 59,200 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be eradicated from the UK’s overall carbon footprint.

The Way Forward

So what conclusions did I come to on that rainy Saturday afternoon?

• UPVC double glazed windows are very beneficial to the environment - just look again at the CO2 reduction above
• UPVC can and, indeed, should be recycled.  A greater awareness of this fact and how to access the relevant  facilities needs to be encouraged in the general population
• Until a new, safe to manufacture, product has been developed, replacement of old windows with UPVC double glazing should be encouraged.

As we used to write at the end of a scientific experiment when I was at school QED!