From: Paul Sullivan, Managing Director,
Anglo European

We’re receiving more and more calls asking for advice on rectifying coloured PVCu jobs that have gone wrong because window frames just aren’t being reinforced properly.

The most recent was a new-build apartment block where the architect had specified Anthracite Grey PVCu windows. The fabricator hadn’t used steel reinforcement in the frames and as temperatures rose in early summer, residents in the south facing apartments started to complain about sashes sticking and not closing correctly. On inspection, warping of the profile caused by heat from the sun was plain to see.

Today’s popular grey and black windows have none of the heat-reflective qualities of white PVCu and even lighter colours do not reflect heat well. The bigger percentage of foil profiles in a fabricator’s product mix increases the risk of warping frames caused by solar heat gain. Add to this the move towards longer guarantees on frames and it makes sense for PVCu window manufacturers to reduce their exposure to failures by choosing a steel reinforcement specification.

PVCu isn’t first choice for homeowners by accident. They know that it is low-maintenance, durable and that it will last. Now that the market has such a strong emphasis on coloured frames, it’s important for homeowners and specifiers to be able to choose coloured PVCu and know that it will perform for years to come.