Recomended installation guide for windows, residential and french doors including toe and  heel procedures and door adjustment tips.

Take a look at our Toe & Heel Video in conjunction with these notes

Frame Fixing

  • Please ensure all products are present before to the commencement of work.
  • Prior to removing the existing window, it is important to check the replacement frames size against the aperture. Once the existing window is removed it is too late if its replacement will not fit.
  • Cill (where required): Position the cill profile onto the brickwork, such that the up stand is snug against the plaster line of the jambs (it may be necessary to trim the ‘horns’ to fit around the brickwork).
  • Using plastic packers, level the cill with approximately 5mm clearance between it and the brickwork (this is the standard clearance required all sides of the frame).
  • Run a bead of silicone along the back edge of the cill up stand and down the sides of the cill to ensure the frame drains correctly.
  • Where there are supplementary profiles, frame extender, ‘I’ section, or bay-poles for example, it is important to silicone along the length of the section to guard against water ingress.
  • Open the vents of the window to enable access to the outer frame jambs where necessary. With the base snug against the cill up stand, ensuring a tight seal into the bead of silicone, cleaning off any excess; using 5mm x 50/60 posidrive screws, secure the bottom of the window to the cill to the frame, 150 mm from each internal corner and 600 mm centres thereafter.
  • Remove internal tape from the window leaving the outside tape intact.
  • Remove all glazing beads from the window frame, marking them accordingly to ensure they can be replaced into the original position.
  • Offer the new window into position. With spirit level, ensure the new window is positioned vertically and where appropriate hard up against the plaster line. (not all plaster lines are level; it is important to get the frame vertical, or even to lean out fractionally at the top for better drainage than to follow the plaster line).
  • Wedge the window into position using plastic packers. Do not bend the framework by over or under packing – this will seriously affect the product performance and will invalidate the guarantee!
  • Close and lock all opening sashes, check for squareness within the outer frame – this is essential. ALEXANDER WINDOWS WILL NOT GUARANTEE WINDOWS FITTED OUT OF SQUARE.
  • By through frame fixing or reveal bracket fixing, secure the window jambs and window bottom into the brickwork surround using 10 x 100 mm fixing bolts, 150 mm from each corner and at +/- 600 mm centres thereafter. In all cases ensure that the screw heads are not standing proud as this may interfere with the glass positioning. Check for level and do not over tighten the fixing bolts.

Note: it is not advisable to attempt bolt fixing in the head of the window, as this may permanently damage the
structural lintel of your window, the best solution for fixing the head is to use expanding foam.

Glazing

  • It is necessary to position the glazing packers into the frame recess prior to locating the glass sealed units into the aperture. A dab of silicone will secure the packer in place in preparation for glazing. A bridge packer (black) must always be used as the bottom packer to ensure unrestricted drainage.
  • All side hung sashes require toe & healing. The packers also need securing with silicone or glue to safeguard against future movement. (SEE TOE & HEELING GUIDE).
  • For security reasons, packers are to be positioned at locking points and at the opposite side – this prevents the frame moving away from the locking points if levered in an attempted break-in.
  • Make sure the gasket is lubricated with soapy water or glass cleaner before offering the DGU up to the frame. Present the DGU up to the frame, resting squarely on the glazing packers, ensuring the glass is central within the opening. Push the glass back into the rebate as far as it will go without using undue pressure.
  • Using hand pressure only, position additional glass packers to square up where necessary, remember to apply a dab of silicone to secure the packers in place.
  • Gently unlock and open the sashes to check that no binding occurs within the locking system and no movement occurs between the glass and frame, minor glass packer adjustments are necessary to achieve perfect squareness to all sashes. Lateral movement can also be obtained by adjusting the hinges. (SEE TOE & HEELING GUIDE).
  • Putting the shortest in first, clip back the pre marked glazing beads into the original position – for small frames where all the beads are short, it may be necessary to carefully score the back of the bead ensuring not to cut the neoprene gasket. This will give the bead further flexibility. For longer beads to join at the miter, knock the bead into position & push the bead into the corner to maintain a tight fit.
  • Carefully gun a bead of silicone between the outside masonry and window frame periphery, wiping off any excess – don’t forget to silicone under the cill! Similarly, gun a thin bead of acrylic between the inside plaster and window from the periphery. The best results can be achieved by using masking tape.
  • Using superglue, secure the end caps into position. They may need trimming to size if the cill horns have been cut around the brickwork.
  • Remove all protective tape immediately from the faces of the window frame; the longer it is left on the more difficult it is to remove. Clean where necessary with warm soapy water.