Insulation of cold glazing is sometimes used, although usually this activity takes a lot of effort and time, but does not give the desired result, since in most cases it is carried out incorrectly. Before work, you should learn how to properly insulate a balcony, making it a comfortable room.
What glazing is considered cold?
Quite often, when purchasing an apartment, the owner is faced with what she already has. Often, the developer does not use expensive materials and installs cold glazing without insulating the balcony in any way. In this case, it may be relevant to replace cold glazing with warm one. , which will significantly improve the final result, as it will help eliminate heat loss that occurs precisely through the window frames.
However, you can improve and. Most often it is aluminum frames. Aluminum itself has high thermal conductivity, so the room cools down quickly. Plastic double-glazed windows can also be cold. Most often this is a problem with single-chamber structures. This type of glazing can protect against precipitation, wind, dust, but does not withstand frost well. Therefore, insulating the cold glazing of a loggia or balcony plays a rather important role in creating a comfortable atmosphere in the house.
How to insulate a balcony with cold glazing?
How does the glazing replacement work proceed?
Any work is carried out in several stages. This procedure is performed like this:
- Calculation of the mass that the parapet can withstand. You should not use glazing that is too heavy, as this may lead to the collapse of the structure.
- Cold windows are quite easy to remove: to do this you will need to cut polyurethane foam, pull out the glass, disconnect other fasteners, if any. After this, the frame can be pulled out.
- New windows are being installed. It is recommended to use plastic double glazing. They usually don’t weigh very much, but they retain heat well.
- If you had panoramic cold glazing, you can install plastic windows from the floor or build a parapet from lightweight materials, such as gas block.
- You can choose any windows according to the opening method, it depends only on how much free space is on your balcony.
- If it is impossible to install windows with a thick double-glazed unit, you can install energy-saving glass on a thin one; they will help retain heat without increasing the weight of the structure.
Replacing a building is technically simpler and does not require special permits, so it is recommended to replace the glazing with the same shape as it was, with the only difference being what will be used warm design. After the installation is done, you need to install glazing beads on the glass and adjust the fittings.
Insulating cold glazing and then replacing it with warm glazing is a waste of effort and money, since when dismantling old structures and installing new ones, the tightness will be compromised. The finish may also be damaged and new cracks will appear in the seams. If you are planning to do warm balcony, it is recommended to start work with replacing the glazing, and then carry out work on insulating the structures. They are done in exactly the same way as when insulating cold glazing.
Cold glazing is used mainly to protect the balcony from precipitation and drafts, but even with proper insulation it is not able to protect against frost. If you plan to make your balcony really warm and significantly raise the temperature inside it, it is recommended to immediately replace cold frames with warm ones.
Glazing and insulation of a balcony or loggia will make it possible to increase the comfort of an apartment and slightly increase its area. By carrying out the appropriate work, you will not only protect your apartment from cold and noise. On additional square meters you can equip a cozy gazebo, winter Garden, a wardrobe or even a convenient personal office.
Improperly performed glazing and insulation of a balcony or loggia can adversely affect the appearance of the facade, increase the load on the building structure, and also reduce the illumination of the apartment.
Even minor alterations to these spaces require written permission from the city's Housing Inspection Department.
If you carry out unauthorized landscaping of a balcony or loggia, this will complicate any future transactions with the apartment: sale, donation or will.
Preliminary work: strengthening the parapet
Work on the balcony begins with an analysis of the condition of the parapet on which the glazing will rest. Durable reinforced concrete structure does not require additional strengthening. But the parapet, consisting of metal rods, will have to be supplemented with masonry made of foam blocks or lightweight ceramic bricks.
Also masonry work will be required if the concrete parapet has insufficiently strong fastenings. When glazing and insulating balconies in old houses, you must first obtain specialist advice about the limit permissible loads on the building structure.
Selecting windows for warm glazing
If you plan to insulate your balcony, then choose a glazing option that can best protect the room from temperature changes and cold penetration.
For warm glazing construction market offers big choice window designs. Most often used:
- Wooden frames with double-glazed windows (Euro-windows). Ecologically pure material And modern technologies make them very attractive to consumers. Double-glazed windows contribute to maximum heat retention in the apartment, and wood profile allows the structure to “breathe”.
- Frames made of aluminum profiles, insulated with special thermal inserts made of polyamide. This technology significantly increases the heat-saving properties of windows.
- PVC profiles with double-glazed windows.
The last option is considered optimal if you plan to glaze and insulate the balcony; its price is not as high as for wooden euro-windows, and in its functionality it is significantly superior to aluminum frames.
Additional glazing work
In addition to installing double-glazed windows, it is necessary to eliminate gaps in those places where the frames adjoin the wall. This will ensure the tightness of the glazing and protect the room from moisture, drafts and heat loss.
The gaps between the frames and the parapet or wall must be sealed with polyethylene foam, polystyrene foam or a special sealant and filled with polyurethane sealants.
Since insulation, as well as additional glazing finishing, takes up quite a lot of space, expansion profiles are installed on the frames (top and sides).
Choosing an insulation method
It must be borne in mind that the solution to the problem of heat loss during glazing and insulation of loggias and balconies is not limited to installing double-glazed windows. Reliable thermal insulation of the entire enclosing structure is necessary.
There are two methods of such thermal insulation:
- Internal insulation is simple to implement and inexpensive, but has a significant disadvantage - wet air from the apartment passes through the heat-protective layer, reaches outer wall and turns into condensate. This leads to the appearance of mold and mildew.
- External insulation does not have this drawback, but it requires complex installation work and, accordingly, costs much more.
Materials for thermal insulation
High-quality glazing and insulation of loggias and balconies is impossible without correctly selected thermal insulation material. It must meet the following requirements:
- be moisture resistant and breathable:
- do not create additional load on the floors;
- have low thermal conductivity.
There is a large selection of insulation materials on the market, but all of them are not universal.
Expanded polystyrene boards are an excellent heat insulator, withstand mechanical loads well, and are lightweight. But they have low vapor permeability and poor sound insulation qualities. In addition, this material has limitations in use due to flammability.
Mineral wool is absolutely non-flammable and has low thermal conductivity. But if there is insufficient waterproofing under the influence of dampness, it can quickly lose its thermal insulation properties.
Penofol – roll insulation, consisting of a reflective layer and a base. It is easy to install, waterproof, has the ability to reflect heat, and is resistant to rotting and burning. This - the best choice, if you need reliable and durable glazing and insulation of loggias, the price of the material is compensated by its excellent performance characteristics.
Facade glazing looks modern and impressive. Recently it is often used in construction residential buildings. But the use of cold aluminum profiles for glazing balconies and loggias in new buildings forces apartment owners to think about replacing windows or insulating them.
Experts suggest insulation façade glazing in one of the following ways:
- Replacement of sashes. In this case, the glass is dismantled and the sashes are removed, plastic windows with double-glazed windows are inserted into the old frame, and sandwich panels are used to insulate the crossbars and aluminum racks.
- Installation of a thermal bridge. To improve the thermal insulation properties of cold aluminum windows They use a special polyamide gasket, which is inserted between the outer and inner profiles.
- Secondary glazing. The method consists of creating an additional wall made of a plastic profile with double-glazed windows. It is mounted close to old aluminum frames. The design is bulky, heavy and not very convenient to use.
It is also possible to insulate cold glazing, which involves complete dismantling of the entire old design. In its place, a new frame is installed, plastic windows are installed, and joints and cracks are sealed. This is a complex and expensive method and is used quite rarely.
Glazing can be carried out using profiles made of various materials:
- aluminum;
- tree;
- plastic.
Naturally, the customer is only interested in attractive options that will allow them to get maximum functionality while minimum price. Each of the above materials has its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, aluminum glazing is considered the most attractive in all respects, since for the same operational characteristics has less weight. LAGOLIT production has modern equipment for creating aluminum glazing, which allows optimizing the technical production process. This in a positive way affects the end consumer (reduced retail cost).
Can aluminum glazing be warm?
As a rule, aluminum glazing has one chamber. But that doesn't mean aluminum profile in principle cannot be effectively insulated! Warm aluminum windows are made from combined metal elements, between which there is a connecting thermal gasket.
Only recently has an aluminum profile with a qualitatively new, high thermal performance appeared on the market. Its heat transfer coefficient is below 0.8 W/m2K.
Thus, today aluminum glazing can successfully compete with plastic and wooden profiles in terms of thermal characteristics.
The advantage of aluminum is the creation of any profile shapes and standard sizes. In particular, the design of aluminum windows implies the possibility of creating arched structures and complex architectural ensembles.
Aesthetic component of aluminum profile
Modern production makes it possible to introduce aluminum glazing into almost any design (regardless of the exterior or interior). Can be applied various methods coloring: laminating film, powder paint, anodizing.
The latter method of creating an attractive surface is also used because it creates a thin but durable oxide layer that prevents air from penetrating the aluminum surface.
In other words, two problems are solved simultaneously - aesthetic appearance and a guarantee that corrosion will not occur.
The video will feature alternative solution, which certainly has a right to exist:
I bought an apartment in a new building. All loggias in the house have the same type of aluminum frames with single glazing. Tell us how to insulate an aluminum profile on a loggia so as not to disturb general form facade and get an additional cozy room?
Expert answer:
Changing the architecture of the building facade is unacceptable without the appropriate permission from the authorities, therefore, insulating the balcony by replacing the existing frame with PVC construction, speech does not start. The task is to install double or triple glazed windows and reduce the thermal conductivity of load-bearing elements made of aluminum.
There are many alternative ways insulation of aluminum profiles, but few of them are truly effective. A little help in solving the problem will be by gluing the frame thermal insulation material, namely a special energy-saving coating. A film is glued to the glass, which can reduce heat loss in winter by up to 30%, but this cannot be called achieving results.
There are two popular ways to insulate a loggia.
Method No. 1
A metal such as aluminum has high cold conductivity and the only option to change this indicator is the use of disconnecting elements made of non-freezing material. The profile with plastic breakers becomes wider and fully allows for the installation of double-glazed windows, like PVC windows or glazing in 2-3 layers. This method will be effective in southern and temperate latitudes, however, for northern regions it cannot be called quite effective.
Method No. 2
In harsh winter conditions, the question is: how to insulate an aluminum profile on a loggia? – should be rephrased and asked differently, how to change the frame design to prevent cold penetration? In the best way is to replace the material of the load-bearing elements with wooden crossbars, covered on the street side with aluminum overlays, similar in width and color to what was originally there. Single glass is also replaced by single- or double-glazed windows.
