Among the many available methods for glazing balconies, frameless is considered the most elite. The design contains a minimum number of elements, but the highest quality requirements are imposed on each of them.
Frameless balcony glazing
Frameless loggia glazing, inside view
Frameless balcony glazing. Glasses pushed and folded in a book
Frameless glazing system structure
The system consists of the following structural elements.
4 and No. 10)
. The main load-bearing elements carry the entire load. They have special grooves for moving insulating glass units and special exit grooves for exiting and turning the packages during full opening of the glazing.Guides the glass units into the recess for turning. It is made of plastic, the dimensions depend on the manufacturer, it has several sections.
Fix the sashes in the desired position.
3).
Some options have a roller stop system, the weight of the glass supports the top or bottom profile.Glazing layout
The weight of the glass can be supported by both the upper and lower supports. For the convenience of opening the sash, special handles are provided, the surfaces of the metal profiles are coated with stable powder paints.
If desired, an anti-vandal lock is installed, which does not allow opening the doors from the outside.
If the sash is sliding, then the strips with pile are installed at the ends. It prevents dust and noise from entering the room, automatically cleans the glass surface with each opening / closing.
Frameless glazing system
In terms of cost, this is one of the most expensive types of glazing, but it has not only positive, but also negative sides. The advantages include the following indicators:
Emphasizes lightness of construction, used in various styles. The dimensions of the building visually increase;
High level of illumination on balconies with frameless glazing
Modern design of balconies
Unfortunately, there are many more drawbacks.
It does not pose any serious problems for the penetration of unwanted persons.
On such balconies there is a low degree of heat saving
Then it flows down and falls on the balcony cladding. As a result - their accelerated deterioration, the likelihood of fungi and mold. We have to apply a set of additional construction measures to drain the condensate.
A system based on the lower guide profile is safer than a suspended structure
Sash sliding scheme
We give an objective description of the frameless balcony glazing, it will help you consciously make the final decision, not hurry up with this type of glazing.
Today, systems of two manufacturers can be purchased on our market: Finnish and domestic.
The brands STS and "Estelle", in terms of the quality of engineering solutions, are in no way inferior to foreign competitors, and sometimes even surpass them.
One of the advantages is that the sashes are simultaneously fixed to the upper and lower profiles, which increases the resistance to wind loads and makes the wear of rubbing parts more uniform. Due to this, the service life of the structures is increased.
ESTEL frameless glazing system
Instead of aluminum alloys, loaded elements are made of stainless steel, which is very important in our operating conditions. It is possible to install additional anti-vandal protection. The width of the flaps is 500-800 mm, dimensions can be changed by individual order.
Glasses can move both in a straight line and in corners - the scope of use is expanding. The cost of structures is about 1.5 times lower than foreign ones.There is only one drawback - poor-quality manufacturing, technology violations, excess of tolerance fields levels the design advantages. The reason for the poor quality is outdated equipment and irresponsibility of the performers.
Frameless glazing system for loggias and balconies of European quality ESTEL ™
The most famous brand Lumon, profiles are made of a special especially resistant aluminum alloy, the amount and distribution of Mg 2 Si in the metal is precisely controlled, thereby increasing anti-corrosion resistance. Glasses can have an ultraviolet filter - the possibility of sunburn is excluded. Installation on the perimeters of any geometric shape is provided: U-shaped, arched, radial-angular, wedge, trapezoidal.
LUMON frameless glazing
Finnish frameless glazing
Lumon glazing system - aesthetic protection for your balcony
This is not one of the important stages, but the most important one. If the balcony structures do not have the required strength and resistance to various loads, then even theoretically it is impossible to talk about high-quality frameless glazing.
What to look for when preparing a balcony?
Metal parapet
In the houses of the old series, the balcony parapet was made of metal or of thin reinforced concrete slabs. Both options have long exhausted their resource and cannot withstand not only additional, but also the initial design loads. They must be dismantled and new structures built.
Parapet
Strengthening the balcony parapet
But before these works, you should carefully examine the load-bearing panel, and not only your balcony, but also the upper one. When visible damage is detected, the slabs are reinforced.
These are rather difficult jobs and require practical construction skills. Structures are strengthened by metal rods or other shaped rolled products fixed in the front wall. Later they are closed during the covering of the balcony surfaces.
It is not recommended to install frameless glazing on metal parapets, they can bend, and this is fraught with extremely unpleasant situations, up to the loss of frame glasses. Make the parapet from thin blocks or bricks.
Important. Pay attention to the place where the parapet was laid; it should overlap by at least 6 centimeters with the edge of the upper balcony slab. If the dimensions allow increasing the dimensions of the overlap - great, the anchor dowels of the upper profile cannot be mounted at the very edge.
It is important to remove dust from the board before laying the foam block
Support foam blocks
A timber structure, which will bear the load from the glazing
Glazing installation plane
Foam block
Never load the balcony with additional elements if the base plate is in poor condition. Pay due attention to technical revisions and repairs.
Broken balcony slab
The figure shows the types of fixing balcony slabs and possible methods of their restoration. Choose the right option for yourself, taking into account the state of the structure and personal capabilities.
Options for fixing balcony slabs
Keep in mind that in some cities it is forbidden to change the appearance of building facades, such work requires special local government permits. In brick houses, the slab rests on reinforced concrete embeds, in panel houses on adjacent reinforced concrete structures. If cracks are found on the slab at the junction with the wall, concrete peeling from the front and back sides of the slab, or reinforcement is visible, then repair is required.
Concrete slab repair scheme
There are fewer problems on the ground floor, you can install simple vertical stops on the ground. The only caveat is that you will have to make columnar foundations under the supports, take measures to exclude the influence of heaving of the earth during freezing / thawing.
Pillars under the balcony
If the balcony is on the second and higher floors, then the structures will have to be fixed from below or from above with metal frames. Holes are drilled in the wall, reinforcement is hammered into them. You need at least two such points of support.
Next, a new metal frame is welded, a reinforcing belt is made and the structure is poured with new concrete. Don't overdo it with the thickness of the concrete, it shouldn't add much to the overall weight of the structure.
In the reinforcement cage of the balcony slab, the main rods lie perpendicular to the wall and work in tension
Tying
The frame can be cooked from a corner 45 * 45, there is no need for thicker. It does not hold the effort, but only serves to fix the reinforcement. For reinforcement, use only building reinforcement of a periodic profile, the diameter is 5-6 mm.
It makes no sense to use thicker, in terms of physical strength, a material with such a diameter is quite satisfied. Never reinforce balcony slabs with wire rod. A smooth surface does not provide the desired bond strength, and the structure will not have the desired strength.
Concreting the slab
Cast slab
Waterproofing
It is advisable to consult a professional architect before choosing a method of reinforcing a concrete slab.He knows in which series of houses the balcony slabs were installed by what method, understands the principle of distribution of loads and can choose the best option from an engineering point of view to strengthen the structure.
In addition, the specialist will give an approximate value for the allowable weight gain.
Portable welding machine
Step 1. Check the condition of the supporting elements. The parapet should be perfectly flat and horizontal, deviations along the entire length should not exceed ± 2 mm.
Important.
Make the distance between the parapet and the upper support plate completely the same, otherwise it will not be possible to open / close the sashes. If you find non-parallelism, be sure to eliminate it. It is much easier to do this with a parapet, a screed is placed on top and the problems are solved.
And what to do, if the surface of the parapet is even, and problems with the upper balcony slab ?
On The photo shows balcony slabs that need repair
Metal plaster mesh
Example of mesh fixation
We recommend using ready-made adhesives for ceramic tiles. They have excellent adhesion and are far superior to traditional cement-sand mixtures in strength.
Plastering
A drill with a wire nozzle is used to clean the surface of all exposed steel parts or fittings from corrosion.
The anti-corrosive agent is applied to the entire exposed surface of the reinforcement
The bonding layer should be applied to a surface that exceeds the area to be repaired
The place to be repaired is covered with several layers of repair mortar, not forgetting to apply a bonding layer between them
After applying a layer of putty, the surface is leveled with a metal trowel
If everything is ready, then you can proceed to the next stage of installation of frameless glazing.
Step 2. Take measurements around the balcony perimeter. You need to measure the height, length and width of the balcony at the level from the parapet to the upper balcony slab. Be careful, the error should not exceed a few millimeters.
Markup
Building levels
Step 3.
Order frameless glazing designs from specialized companies. Prepare hardware and tools. The system can be with an emphasis on the bottom or top profile. Choose the option that you consider more reliable in your case.
Step 4.
Draw lines on the parapet and top plate along which the profiles will be mounted. Take all measurements very carefully, the lines should lie perfectly in one plane. Do the same with the marking of the side profiles.
Step 5. Start securing the top profile.
The distance between the dowels is no more than 30 cm, use only strong structures, buy them with a margin of safety.
Upper profile
Fixing the profile
Practical advice. When drilling holes in reinforced concrete slabs, there is a chance that the drill will hit the reinforcement. Never damage it, stop drilling the hole and start elsewhere.
Why? Firstly, this is what building codes and regulations require, they prohibit damaging the reinforcing belt of reinforced concrete structures.
Secondly, it is much easier to drill holes in a new location than to cut through the reinforcement. Thirdly, during the drilling of the reinforcement, the hole becomes wider than originally planned. And due to this, the fixing strength decreases.
Important. Don't forget to place the top and bottom drip tray under the horizontal profiles.
Lower profile
Types of fastening of the lower profile
Step 6. Reinstall the side profiles.
Step 7. Dismantle the fittings, install the glass profile on the glass. Suppliers often offer already installed glass profiles, which greatly speeds up the installation process.
The number and purpose of special fittings varies depending on the manufacturer's technology. Each of them must issue accompanying technical documentation for their products.With its help, you can easily figure out the purpose of the part, the method of its dismantling and installation. Do not rush to immediately disassemble the structure, carefully study the purpose and function of the elements. Some are made of plastics and may not withstand excessive force.
In addition, unnecessary holes in the profile reduce its bearing characteristics and serve as places for moisture penetration into the internal cavities. These are very undesirable phenomena. In winter, the water freezes and prevents the doors from opening / closing.
Step 8. Place the glass in the profiles, check the ease of movement.
Fasten the fittings, remove the protective self-adhesive film. If the balcony surfaces have not yet been finished, then remove the protective film only at the fixing points of the fittings.
Glass installation
Final fixation of the upper profile
Fixing the lower profile
Step 9. Seal the small holes between the profiles and the balcony surfaces with a silicone seal, larger ones are needed blow out with polyurethane foam. After the foam has hardened, cut off the excess and seal with putty or other building materials, depending on the method of finishing the walls, floor and ceiling of the balcony.
Installation alone cannot be done, involve assistants. Adhere to the safety regulations, drilling holes in the top plates is dangerous. Protect yourself at least with ropes, but it is better to have a special belt. All work is best done in warm weather. You can, of course, carry out the installation of frameless glazing in the winter, but the quality will necessarily deteriorate.
If your frameless glazing system provides that the weight of the glass supports the upper profile, then ordinary spacers can be used to level the lower one. Just install them directly under the mount, otherwise the profile may bend during tightening. Do not use wooden wedges for linings, they decrease in size over time, the structure will begin to wobble.
And one more practical advice. Aluminum can be drilled very poorly with a victor soldered drill.
We recommend that you first install the element on the parapet, mark the fixing points and remove it. Drill holes on the balcony slab with an ordinary drill for metal, and then make holes in concrete structures along them.
Drill for metal
Drill with victorious brazing
This completes the installation work on the installation of frameless glazing, you can start finishing the surfaces. Due to the fact that the balcony turns out to be cold, it is not recommended to use natural materials for wall cladding, it is better to use plastic counterparts.
Practical advice.
It is impractical to glaze small balconies in this way, their small area does not allow equipping them with comfortable recreation areas.In addition, we have already mentioned that frameless glazing almost does not increase the temperature; you can use the balcony only in a warm period. And to convert a balcony into a living space, you need to use other glazing methods that can significantly reduce heat losses.
Glazing option
Rotary hammers
Unpleasant sounds are emitted during movement of the glass. Reason - plastic rollers do not spin.
Rollers fixed on the sections
Such a disadvantage sometimes suffers from designs of domestic manufacturers. As soon as uncharacteristic sounds appeared, eliminate the cause immediately. Otherwise, flat areas will appear on the round rollers and they will completely stop rotating. This can be done without dismantling the structures. Motorists have long been using technical lubricant WD-40, which contains alcohol, mineral oil, a propellant, and inert ingredients.
Sold in cans with a thin tube. This tube allows you to lubricate hard-to-reach areas. The grease does not freeze, does not dry out, and does not adversely affect plastics.
WD-40
Glasses move in jerks. Cause - chips got into the profile while drilling holes.
Remove it with a compressor or by hand, clean the surfaces with a soft brush.
Glazing system
After installation, we noticed that the profiles do not support the weight of the glass and bend. An unpleasant but not fatal situation. Mark problem areas, move the leaves apart and install additional anchor dowels. Remember to clean the inner surfaces of the profiles.
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