Hello there. The summer (yes, despite the bizarre changes in weather – it is tipping down as I write this – it is actually summer) is quickly rolling towards Autumn and the weeks are turning into months quicker than we can say drafty windows!
What with all the opening and closing of our windows in partnership with the indecisive weather, we are often approached by customers who have been faced with issues around their UPVC window handles and the locking mechanisms within them.
Most commonly, one of these two issues…
Lost Keys
Perhaps they’ve been left in the lock and have fallen out of the open window, a small person has got hold of it and buried it somewhere in the garden, or the poltergeists have been at work again! These tiny little keys are so easily misplaced that a question we are often asked is:
Can I get a replacement key or lock for my window?
The answer is yes. Although conscious of the variety of locks and associated manufacturers combined sometimes with age of the host windows, this can prove quite a task.
In the main, 95% of the windows that have been produced for the residential market as UPVC fabrication, tend to use a standardised jig/handle preparation and thus you may not get an exact like for like style of handle. The sourcing of a compatible and more importantly, functional product, is freely available without countless hours of trawling the web for a product that is likely to have been long since obsolete.
The typical type of locking mechanism we usually come across within UPVC window fabrication tends to be either espagnolette, shoot-bolt or the latest bi-directional multipoint gearing, which provide enhanced security due to multipoint locking pins in addition to providing a secondary holding position that provides supplementary ‘night ventilation facility’.
Should you have an older window, then most likely you will have simply a cockspur surface mounted handle that has no mechanism and thus offers little in the way of security or aforementioned night vent facility.
The window casement relies on the integrity of the handle casing and the fixings that secure to the frame. Often after multiple operation these wear and work themselves loose resulting in a ‘sloppy’ handle offering little in the way of security to hold the window closed. These tended to have been withdrawn in and around the mid-eighties due to their lack of security and poor quality of manufacture.
The sourcing of failed mechanisms and parts for the multipoint derived gearing is fairly straight forward and freely available if you know where to look! Ordinarily even with the slightly dated espagnolette mechanism we are able to provide if not a like for like, then a repair kit or likewise compatible product, that may incur an element of frame modifying to resolve.
Broken Handles
Common failures are purely general wear and tear or resulting from a lack of maintenance. When we are favoured as installers with a project, we provide the end user/homeowner with an Operation & Maintenance (O&M) manual. This outlines advisory maintenance, lubrication, adjustments and tolerances for smooth operation and tell tale signs of possible failures.
On the whole, it is our experience that 90% of failures are avoidable if annual maintenance is applied, which will increase the longevity specifically on mechanical parts.
More often than not, when a window becomes stiff or difficult to operate, this needs attention as a preventative measure. And if under guarantee, is the responsibility of the installer. However, it is not the responsibility of the installer to lubricate and generally maintain the window itself.
As before, it may be that we can replace one or the other of the elements but may need to replace both depending where exactly the fault lies. Give us a call and we would be more than happy to see what exactly it is that you need and provide a competitive quote.
Whatever your window issue, or if perhaps you’re thinking ahead to the winter and the fact that you could do with having your windows or doors upgraded before the cold comes in, we would love to hear from you. We have a fantastic reputation in and around Birmingham. We also have over 25 years experience as glaziers and window manufacturers & fitters, so you can rest assured you are in safe hands.
In the meantime, enjoy the remainder of the Summer(!) and please be sure to drop by the blog again soon for the next instalment.
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