How to remove sliding windows on the balcony and clean them?

Modern glazing is considered the best choice for city apartments, but taking care of it requires some effort, because before you remove the sliding windows on the balcony, you have to take into account the type of their design. To clean from the outside, you must first pull out the plastic or aluminum frames from the mount, otherwise you simply won't be able to wash them outside. Detailed instructions will not only allow you to figure out how you can remove balcony sliding windows, but also save the owners of such glazing from many common mistakes.

Installation of sliding frames on the balcony and loggia allows you to significantly save free space, provides ease of opening when airing, but creates some problems in their care. Part of the glazing from the outside is simply impossible to clean while inside the room. It is expensive and difficult to order professional handling using lifts. That is why manufacturers provide for the possibility of easy dismantling of such glazed structures in order to clean them from dirt accumulating outside.

Window elements are removed manually, but using the tools available in the arsenal of every home craftsman. To clean the glazed areas, use special products recommended for their care.

Sliding doors have to be removed for other reasons as well. For example, when debris gets into the opening, jamming, hardware breakage. Sometimes they are completely dismantled when the entire unit is replaced. In this case, the order of work will be the same.

In order for the dismantling of the sliding sash on the balcony or loggia to be successful, it is necessary to follow the basic rules of preparation for this process. First of all, you have to take care of creating a comfortable working environment. The balcony must be freed from foreign objects, in adjacent rooms and on the floor, spread a plastic wrap, and cover the furniture with it.

The next step is to prepare the necessary tools. In the process of work, you may find it useful:

• scrap;
• Bulgarian;
• saw;
• hammer;
• putty knife;
• knife;
• screwdrivers of different diameters with flat and cross-shaped sting;
• sandpaper.

Additionally, you should stock up on a special protective film for windows. By sticking it on the glass before starting work, you can avoid accidental damage.

It is worth considering that not all glazing options can be removed independently. In systems where the handle must be turned before displacement, as well as in versions with additional vertical opening, it will not be possible to cope without the help of specialists. Only parallel sliding sliding blocks can be disassembled and reinstalled by yourself.

Cold aluminum glazing is popular with residential and commercial property owners. This is where sliding frame designs are especially popular. You can figure out how to remove them using the following instructions.

1. Inspect the frame. It is necessary to find the points at which the fastening screws are located in its structure.
2. Remove the detected clips. Usually a screwdriver with a suitable slot size is sufficient for this.
3. Remove traces of polyurethane foam. It is cut off with a sharp construction knife. Attention should be paid to those areas where the joints were filled.
4. Remove the frame. For this action, the physical efforts of an adult man are enough. It is necessary to lift the sash until it comes out of the mount, and then carefully remove it.

Exterior glazing is somewhat more difficult to dismantle. If the sashes are initially fixed, the structure cannot be easily removed. With a complete dismantling without the need to preserve its integrity (for example, when changing the glazing), you can simply cut everything into pieces. It is most convenient to carry out work with a jigsaw.

If you need to save the glazing elements for later use, you have to work hard. The sliding block is carefully cut out in the area of ​​the fasteners with a grinder. After separating all the elements, you can carefully remove the frame.

It may be necessary to remove sliding windows on the balcony or on the loggia for subsequent washing or replacement of fittings even if plastic or wooden structures are used.

In this case, sliding-door balcony windows with a sliding mechanism can have a different type of glazing. Panoramic options often do not need to be removed at all if they are folded like an accordion or a screen. In other cases, you have to put in a little more effort.

Removing the central and outer panes in the sliding block is different. In addition, non-metal frames are easily damaged by accident. Here, the main rule will be the absence of haste when working, accuracy, and the presence of assistants. General recommendations for removing sliding frames from the mount on the balcony can be formulated as follows.

1. The sash is taken with both hands at the edges. Rises up.
2. As soon as the bottom edge is free from the grooves, it is directed inside the balcony. Slightly lowered. If there is no breakage or damage, the parallel sliding system will be removed. The glass can be washed and then put back.
3. If it is impossible to lift the sash to a level at which it can be removed from the grooves, it is worth making a more detailed inspection. Usually on the guides, notches mark the points at which such manipulations are possible. You need to find the marks, then push the frame up to them. In this position, a serviceable sash can be easily removed; during installation, it will also have to be inserted from these points.
4. Sometimes it is enough to remove the plugs at the ends. Some types of sliding glazing are easy to dismantle, it is worth removing this element.

If the sash is jammed, it does not move, is stuck in the guide, you will need to replace the fittings or completely dismantle the glazing.

The most popular balcony glazing involves the use of PVC frames and multi-chamber double-glazed windows. This option is considered "warm", which improves the characteristics of the room, allowing you to maintain a comfortable temperature inside. Dismantling of the plastic glazing of the balcony takes place according to the following scheme.

1. Remove the fastening strips. They are located along the perimeter of the glass unit.
2. Press gently while applying pressure from the outside to the inside of the room. The double-glazed window will be served. It must be removed. In this case, one person exerts pressure, and the second will hold the fragile structure from falling.
3. Remove the remaining fasteners.It is necessary to remove the screws from the remains of the frame, fixing them to the surface of the concrete supports. They are unscrewed with a hand or electric tool.
4. Remove the rest of the polyurethane foam. It is cut off with an ordinary knife.

At the end of the process, you can start cleaning the window sash.

Old sliding balcony glazing units often use a wooden base. In this case, the dismantling process is most often initiated when the sash is jammed or broken. Here you have to remove all the details of the structure.

In some cases, the complete dismantling of the glazing for the sake of cleaning the sashes is not a very reasonable solution. In most cases, it is possible to do with cleaning the dirt found on the outside using special tools. In this case, the necessary accessories are located within the reach of the master, on the windowsill or other support.

You will need special tools. Long-handled dry cleaning brushes and microfiber mops that can change the angle of the work area. They can reach most of the hard-to-reach areas without leaving the balcony. A scraper with a rubber tip, a container for water, dry wipes with high water absorption are also useful.

The rest of the areas will have to be washed outside - at a height of up to 2 floors, a support in the form of scaffolding or a stable ladder with a safety net is enough. Specialists use lifting equipment - cradles fixed to the base of the car or other base. The outside of sliding windows and balcony glazing is cleaned using industrial aerosols. This is enough to polish relatively clean surfaces.

If there are traces of grease, soot, heavy dirt on the sliding doors, you will have to use liquids based on vinegar or ammonia mixed with warm water. The order of work in this case will be as follows.

1. Moisten a sponge generously with the prepared cleaning solution. Apply it to the surface of the balcony sliding doors, abundantly wetting problem areas.
2. Moisten the scraper tip with the solution. Attach it to the glass, starting from top to bottom, but not reaching the very border of the frame.
3. Rinse the instrument in clean water.
4. Repeat the action. As soon as there is no contamination in the vertical plane, cleaning is continued, moving horizontally.
5. Wipe cleaned surface with paper towels or soft microfiber cloths.

In the presence of very stubborn dirt, it is worth using professional cleaning products. At the stage of cleaning the glazing, do not forget about the frames. They are cleaned of dirt and dust, stains are removed with soapy water. If necessary, problem areas can be rubbed with a special mop.

Cleaning sliding doors without dismantling has become easier with the introduction of double-sided brushes with magnets. In this case, the cleaning elements are located on both sides of the glass. By moving an element from the inside, you can simultaneously control it from the outside. Actions are performed from top to bottom, first vertically, then horizontally. You can also use special robotic devices that cope with the work according to a given program.

How to quickly and efficiently wash the frame on the sliding balcony windows, see the next video.