Over the previous decade sliding doorways have turn into the default choice for householders wanting huge glazed doorways for his or her extension, renovation or self-build mission. As demand has grown, so has the inflow of various door techniques, with producers chasing slimmer frames to allow nearly uninterrupted views out.
To realize these thinner frames, the way in which the door techniques have been constructed has modified considerably, however in doing so, it has launched a big threat that householders aren’t all the time conscious of.
The dangers of utilizing structurally bonded glass
“Home windows and doorways have historically been glazed utilizing beads to carry the glass into the body,” says Will Mitchell, Sunflex UK’s Technical Supervisor. “The bead clips into the body, often on the within, and secures the double- or triple-glazed unit in place. The problem with ultra-slim frames is that there isn’t any area for a glazing bead, so producers have needed to go for different strategies of securing the glass in place. For many techniques, that includes completely glueing or bonding the glass on to the body, creating techniques which might be referred to as structurally bonded doorways.”
Structurally bonded sliding doorways are simple to identify – they’ve slim frames on all 4 sides of the panel and make up the overwhelming majority of ultra-slim techniques available on the market. The difficulty is that by completely bonding the glass to border it’s inconceivable to exchange the glass with out changing your entire body.
Sunflex ultra-slim sliding door techniques should not manufactured with totally bonded glazing. This implies the glass will be changed slightly than the entire door, providing important financial savings.(Picture credit score: Sunflex UK)
Monetary implications
Whereas customary house insurance coverage insurance policies will probably cowl glass alternative, most will not cowl the price of the body, leaving you considerably out of pocket. “Final 12 months we accomplished quite a few tasks the place the unique provider had ceased buying and selling and the client had enquired to us about an entire new door as a result of they could not exchange the glass,” explains Will. “The dangers concerned with structurally bonded techniques had been by no means defined to them earlier than they ordered the doorways within the first place.”
Fortunately, there are different sliding door techniques on the market that permit for ultra-slim frames and are not structurally bonded. The Sunflex UK SVG20 options 20mm sightlines, however because of its deeper outer frames, which might accommodate glazing beads, it’s attainable to take away the glass and exchange it with out damaging the body.
For particulars, go to www.sunflexuk.co.uk or converse to one of many technical gross sales workforce on 01603 494424.
