Even the most reliable and expensive window structures can fail earlier than expected. A lot of factors can deteriorate their properties and shorten their service life: improper care, accidents, external damage, and much more. Windows are not just a decorative element; they play a key role in ensuring safety and creating comfortable living conditions. If you are in doubt about whether you should replace your windows or not, this article will help you look at this issue rationally.
Signs That Indicate It's Time to Replace Your Windows
A crack in the glass or dilapidated frames are obvious but far from the only reasons to replace your windows. Let's name the main reasons for updating windows.
Mechanical Damage
If there is serious damage to the glass or profile in the form of noticeable cracks, chips, holes, or cracks, the window must be replaced. If this is not done in a timely manner, the consequences can be extremely unpleasant: for example, cold air and moisture entering the room.
Minor damage can be repaired. You can clarify the question and choose the optimal solution by contacting window contractors.
Loss of Functionality
When the window sashes are difficult to open or close, there are problems with fixation during ventilation mode, and there is creaking or wobbling—these are good reasons to contact a specialist for adjustments, which need to be done periodically. This often happens due to violation of the rules for using profiles and fittings, untimely application of lubricant to them, or due to its low quality.
Leakage
Increasing heating costs are a good reason to check your windows for leaks. If your windows are no longer keeping the heat in your apartment or house, adjustments may be the reason.
Most of the sealing problems can be fixed with simple repairs. But if the reason is a manufacturing defect, then it is better to get rid of such profiles and request new products from the manufacturer (if the warranty has not expired).
Constant Condensation
Foggy windows are familiar to many people. But it's one thing if they fog up when there is high humidity in the room, for example, when drying clothes. And it's a completely different matter when the windows are constantly fogged up for no apparent reason. One of the explanations for this phenomenon is low-quality, cheap, double-glazed windows or errors made during their installation. The verdict here is strict—you need to change your windows.
Cloudy Glass
Sometimes, even after thoroughly cleaning the glass with special products, a cloudy coating or wavy stains are noticeable on the windows. Such dubious decor does not bode well. If you do not want to lose quality daylight, it is better to replace your windows.
Desire to Improve the Microclimate
For those who installed windows at the end of the last century, it is useful to get acquainted with new offers on the market. Thanks to improved energy-saving, sound-proofing, and protective properties, modern windows can do much more than their predecessors. For example, today, with PVC solutions, it is possible to reduce heating costs by up to 30%.
Change of Design
If you decide to radically change the interior of your apartment or house (for example, create a loft style), then the old standard design profiles will no longer suit you. Colored frames, tinting, stained glass inserts, fusing, frames—now windows can look the way you want. Window suppliers are ready to implement the most daring design projects using various materials and decor.
How to Choose Profile Material for Windows
Selecting window profile material is one of the key steps when replacing windows. Not only the aesthetic characteristics of new windows but also their functionality, durability, and energy saving depend on the right choice.
Metal-Plastic
The frames and sashes of metal-plastic windows are made of PVC reinforced with galvanized steel reinforcement. They do not require special care, do not deteriorate from changes in temperature and humidity, last a long time, and do not develop mold or rot. If the plastic is of high quality, it will not turn yellow from the sun.
Benefits:
- Serve for more than 40 years;
- Provide good heat and noise insulation with a profile thickness of 7 cm or more.
Aluminum
Aluminum window profiles also do not require special care and are not afraid of humidity and sun. There are options for such frames with and without insulation—but the warm version, with double-glazed windows and air chambers inside the frame, is more expensive than its metal-plastic counterpart. The cold version—with one glass, without cameras in the profile—is suitable for uninsulated balconies, verandas, terraces, and summer cottages.
Benefits:
- Lasts 50 years or longer;
- Does not require special maintenance; it does not need to be insulated for the winter and tinted;
- Allows you to install large windows with elegant narrow frames.
Wood
Wooden frames and window sashes are made from laminated timber from hardwood (pine, larch, ash, oak); they better retain their shape under loads and changes in temperature and humidity. Wooden windows are more expensive than PVC or aluminum. They retain heat well if the glass unit is hermetically inserted into the profile, seals are used, and there are no gaps between the glass and the frame.
Benefits:
- The service life is up to 50 years if the wood is properly processed and covered with an antiseptic, primer, and two layers of varnish or glaze paint;
- Once every 3–7 years, it is necessary to repaint the outer part of the frame, and once every 10–20 years—the inner part.
There are also combined profiles, such as wood and aluminum, plastic and wood, and others. You can consult with window workers to choose the best solution for your home or apartment.
Final Thoughts
Replacing old windows with new ones in an apartment or house is very important since the microclimate and quality of life depend on it. Old windows can cause problems such as drafts, noise, and heat loss, which inevitably takes a toll on your well-being. We recommend turning to MyHomeQuote, a reliable contractor-matching service, if you intend to improve your living space qualitatively.
