Front door is not only a showcase of our home welcoming guests, but also an important protection against intrusion of unwanted people. It is also important that their improper construction does not lead to overcooling of the building. There are a number of parameters that affect their usefulness. Here are some of the most important, which should be taken into account when buying a door.
Four important characteristics that determine the quality of doors
On the market we have the offer of very many manufacturers, whose products sometimes seem to differ only in price. In practice, even a product with a similar design may turn out to be very different in terms of performance. External doors are characterized by a specific:
thermal insulation – determined by the heat transfer coefficient U. It is best to choose doors with the lowest possible value of this parameter, which allows to retain the maximum amount of heat inside the building. Do not install exterior doors with U-values higher than 2.6 W/mkwk;
sound insulation – denoted by Rw symbol and expressed in decibels. The lower the Rw value, the quieter the inside of the house will be;
resistance to external conditions – this refers mainly to water tightness expressed in classes 1A to 9A. Higher values of this parameter indicate e.g. protection against rain during very intensive rain or a storm;
mechanical durability – is expressed in classes from 1 to 9, where each of them corresponds to a certain number of opening and closing cycles. Classes 5 and 6 are suitable for normal and frequent use and translate into 100,000 to 200,000 cycles, being suitable for exterior doors to a detached house.
Exterior door material
The suitability of an entrance door is also determined by the material from which it is made. This translates not only into their design or strength in case of a break-in, but also the quality of their use. The basic materials are:
wood – a popular and natural material that is even an intuitive choice when it comes to door manufacturing. It also looks very nice and is susceptible to processing such as milling. Doors made of wood dampen outside noises well. The main problem associated with their use is that they are sensitive to moisture. The optimal solution is to install a canopy over them, it is also necessary to impregnate them, very often repeated periodically
glass – we usually speak about glazed entrance doors, not glass. Thanks to placing in the door leaf even quite inconspicuous glass pane, we have an opportunity to illuminate naturally a dark corridor. The nature of the glazing can vary – you can find completely transparent, semi-transparent or matt
PVC – plastic doors are characterized by a whole set of advantages. Their lightness and ease of installation will be appreciated by people who will be doing it on their own. They also have a high value of sound absorption and well muffle outside noises. Difficulties arise only during servicing, when repair is needed;
aluminum – sound-absorbing, but not very durable;
fiberglass – doors made of it are expensive, but they are respected because of their good insulation parameters in terms of heat loss and isolation from outside sounds;
steel – it is possible to make a real “armoured” door, but it will be very heavy and with poor thermal insulation properties
Security for exterior doors
Doors intended as entrance doors must also be characterized by a good class of resistance to burglary. In the past they were divided into three groups (A, B and C), nowadays the division is more complicated.
>> See also: Choosing an anti-burglary exterior door
Classes of burglar resistant doors RC:
RC 1 N – basic protection against burglary (without glazing),
RC 1 – resistance to physical force,
RC 2 N – resistance to the use of simple tools (e.g. knife, screwdriver),
RC 2 – additionally reinforced glazing,
RC 3 – resistance to e.g. crowbar,
RC 4 – resistant to crowbar, hammer, low-power drill,
RC 5 – resistant to the use of power tools,
RC 6 – resistant to the use of power tools with very high power.
Choosing the right windows is quite a challenge. On the market you can find many models made of different materials
In connection with this in recent years more and more popular began to enjoy the wooden windows, but this does not mean, however, that those made of PVC went completely away. They still have many advantages which speak for their purchase and installation. What are they? Here we discuss them
Why are PVC windows the most popular choice?
The popularity and ubiquity of PVC windows results first of all from their relatively low price - in comparison with other materials. At the same time they still provide very good parameters, for example those related to thermal insulation or soundproofing. In addition they look good regardless of the architectural style in which the building was constructed and are available in many colors to choose from to make it easier to match them in terms of style to the facade of the building or its surroundings. That's why they still haven't fallen out of the market in spite of high competition from wooden windows.
4 main advantages of PVC windows
The above mentioned advantages of PVC windows are not the only ones. Apart from that you can also enumerate their four most important features, which speak for the purchase of just such models
High resistance
PVC windows are extremely resistant to various atmospheric factors. They are not destroyed under the influence of high and low temperatures or intense sunlight falling directly on their surface. Additionally, thanks to the fact that the material from which they are made does not absorb moisture, they are also resistant to mould and mildew and prevent the development of insects
Long lasting durability
Another advantage of PVC windows is their durability, which can be up to 50 years, thanks to which replacing windows with just such models can solve the problem associated with this element of the building structure for the entire generation of the family
Excellent tightness
In addition, PVC windows are also characterized by excellent acoustic insulation, or the ability to suppress sounds from outside the building. Therefore, they are recommended for installation in particular where there are busy traffic routes behind the window, playgrounds or other places generating high levels of noise. This parameter is also not without influence on the thermal insulation of PVC windows, which affects the reduced inflow of air from outside. This feature is extremely important especially during the heating period, because it has a positive effect on heating bills
Easy care
The last of the key advantages of PVC windows is the fact that in order for them to present themselves impeccably, apart from occasional cleaning of frames, they do not require almost any care, in comparison with wooden models, which should be painted protectively. Moreover, their cleaning itself does not require the purchase of specialized agents either. All you need is warm water with dishwashing liquid, a soft cloth and glass cleaner to restore their original splendour and cleanliness
How to take care of PVC windows?
In spite of the fact that after being installed in buildings PVC windows require almost no user's interference in their construction in order to fulfil their task efficiently, sometimes there are situations in which they need some attention. Such an eventuality may be a slight lowering of the window frame in the first year of its use. However, then it is enough to adjust them with a wrench to be able to enjoy their full functionality again
To sum up, PVC windows are one of the best choices in case of buildings located in noisy neighbourhoods as they provide excellent acoustic insulation. Moreover, they don't require any complicated maintenance or upkeep and are guaranteed to last up to 50 years. All this combined with a low price makes them worth taking an interest in, choosing window fittings not only for houses but also for public buildings
