Care of your Extraglaze Secondary Glazing Panels
With a little care and attention your Extraglaze Secondary Glazing panels will last many years to come. By following these simple guidelines they will continue to look their best, keep your home more comfortable every winter and prove their worth further even as they preserve your windows
Avoid fusion – Our standard foundation magnets are laminated (usually white) and not prone to this problem. If your installation includes the very dark brown unlaminated magnets then the magnet surfaces will benefit from being separated from time to time, to prevent them fusing together. We recommend you simply lift off and refit each panel at least once a year.
Avoid overheating – Extraglaze Secondary Glazing is not affected by the sun's rays to any significant extent. However, while the sun's rays pass through harmlessly, on the sunniest days the air in the cavity will get hot and this will in turn heat the panel, causing it to expand. In mid-summer this may be a problem for big panels, and especially those on South facing windows. Please act and apply common sense to reduce this risk. If you close curtains the windows, and therefore the panels, will get even warmer. We recommend you be aware of this, and do not hesitate to remove the panels during extended hot periods.
Refit correctly – If you remove a panel please make sure it goes back in the exact same location. If Extraglaze Secondary Glazing stickers have been applied then refit your panel so that this sticker is upright (this is a good reason to never remove the stickers). If in doubt, please check as follows: the butt joints on the panel (where the magnets meet in the corners at right angles) should meet identical butt joints on the window frame (no lengths of magnetic strip should straddle a butt joint). If the magnets seem to have stopped being magnetic this is because the panel is not lined up correctly with the magnets - please take a look close up!
Some cleaning rules – the panel material is likely to scratch if wiped or cleaned with anything other than clean pure cotton or a “micro fibre” cloth. Please always test any cloth in an inconspicuous corner. You can buy micro fibre cloths at any supermarket , or buy our own approved cloths and a formulated-for-purpose cleaner from the Extraglaze Secondary Glazing web site, or contact your fitter. Never use paper tissue on your Extraglaze Secondary Glazing. Paper products nearly always contain minerals, which give the paper surface some hardness. These minerals are extremely abrasive, although microscopic.
Condensation in the cavity – this can happen, especially if the panels are fitted on a cold day: while the panels are being installed the cold glass in your existing window will catch the installer's breath and this will be trapped in the cavity behind the Extraglaze Secondary Glazing. If this happens please simply take the panel off on a warm, dry day and waft the window so that the moist air is replaced! Condensation is also likely where windows are not maintained externally and insufficiently protected from the elements. The window frame should be inspected for dampness or water ingress (i.e. coming in from outside). Sometimes the cause is an overflowing gutter. If any of the wood that makes up the window frame is wet then this will sweat dampness into the cavity on a warm day, and this will condense on the outside glass when it cools again. Please also check the panel is always located correctly on the foundation magnets. For more information about condensation please see our article How to Stop Condensation.
