6 Mistakes To Avoid When Installing HDB Window

Over the past few years in Singapore, there has been massive construction of HDB units thanks to November 2013 Built to Order Flats Program by the government that has delivered over 77,000 flats since the year 2010 and also due to the increasing demand for the HDB units by the private sector and the citizens of the country. With this huge demand HDB houses, a lot of mistakes are bound to happen in the installation of some important parts of these buildings due to hurried construction.

Some contractors may be in a rush to complete and start on other constructions thereby failing to install or fit the house properly. One place that is frequently installed improperly is the HDB window. When installing the HDB window there are mistakes you or the person doing it for you need to avoid.

Mistakes to avoid when installing aluminium casement window

The aluminum casement window has several parts such as window leaf, friction stay, and alluminium sections for screws. Some of the mistakes to avoid when installing these parts are:

– On the friction stay you may make the mistakes of using a stainless steel of a grade lower than 304, having a minimum thickness less than 2.5 mm and having a length less than half the size of the window leaf. You need to make sure that you use a stainless steel with of grade 304, a friction stay of 2.5 mm and a length greater than half the size of the window leaf.

– The HDB window leaf should exceed 700 mm. You should ensure that the window leaf is exactly 700 mm or smaller. In some cases, window installation contractors use bigger sizes in the belief that the bigger it is the stronger it gets. HDB windows need to be 700 mm or smaller.

– On the aluminum section for screws, never exceed a minimum thickness of 2.75 mm. having a minimum thickness greater than 2.75 mm makes the alluminium casement window weak and vulnerable to breaking.

Mistakes to avoid on the aluminum sliding window

The aluminum sliding window has two major parts; they include the safety devices and the sliding parts. Some of the mistakes to avoid when installing these parts include:

– On the safety devices using stainless steel stoppers of grades lower than 304 or screws with a minimum diameter smaller than 4mm. You should always ensure that you use stoppers of grade 304 or higher and screws with a minimum diameter of 4 mm.

– On the sliding panes the maximum width should not exceed 1.2 meters. Having a maximum width larger than 1.2 meters makes the window susceptible to breaking. Always try to have a 1.2 meters or slightly smaller.

Mistakes to avoid when installing aluminium adjustable windows with fixed louvre vent

The aluminium adjustable window has two main parts; the glass louvers and safety devices. When installing this HDB window, avoid the following mistakes:

– Having a minimum glass thickness less than 6 mm. You should have a minimum glass thickness greater than 6 mm and the glass should be wire glass type. A lot of contractors, more so the uncertified contractors, will use glass thickness less than 6 mm to cut down on cost. A small minimum width leads to increased stress on the window making it vulnerable to breaking on the stress lines.

– For the glass louvers you should avoid the mistake of not having a cleat for all the glass louvers or not having cleats that are not u channeled. You should have alluminium u channel cleats for all the glass louvers.

General mistakes on all the HDB windows

Some mistakes will apply in all the HDB windows. The mistakes and some approaches to avoid them are listed below.

– Failure to get a permit when installing the widow or parapet and balcony. Installation of HDB windows require that some guidelines and standards be met. One of the guideline is to get a permit for installing the windows.

– Involving the services of unauthorized window contractor. Always ensure that you involve an authorized contractor all the time. If you have to do it yourself make sure you follow the guidelines carefully.

– Installation of curtain rails, venetian blinds or bamboo chicks from outside the window.

– Installing or doing window replacements that don’t comply with the color schemes, casement to casement type, sliding to sliding type of the replaced window.

– Failure to have covering films over the glass or placement of films that are non-reflective. HDB windows need to be reflective