How to replace hardware in plastic windows with your own hands

Replacement of accessories in plastic windows does not cause any special difficulties even for an inexperienced person, provided that you familiarize yourself with the existing features of the work. This reduces the likelihood of failure of parts and the glass unit itself. The choice of a new mechanism requires special attention, since it has many important nuances.

When you need a replacement hardware

The most common problems encountered in the operation of plastic windows are as follows:

• The ingress of water and dust into the room through the leaf;
• Low level of sound insulation;
• Freezing of the window structure;
• Occurrence of a draft.

All this indicates the presence of defective or failed mechanisms. Adjusting the handle and hinges most often relieves such problems. If after it nothing has changed, you will have to buy and install new mechanisms. Also, there is a need for repair when the handle is broken and the window structure is skewed.

After the first signs of a malfunction are detected, the hardware must be replaced immediately, since it is possible to damage the frame and the flaps during prolonged use of elements that have failed.

Before starting work, you need to understand what kind of accessories are needed. The best option is to purchase devices that are identical to those that are already installed. Due to this, you can avoid the situation when the elements are not suitable, and also reduce the time spent on installation. If you carefully inspect the mechanism, you can find the manufacturer's label. In case of its absence, the elements must be removed and, having come to the store, ask the consultant to find similar ones.

What is required for installation

The replacement of accessories in plastic windows with their own hands, despite all the simplicity, requires a certain set of tools:

• L-shaped keys;
• Hexagons;
• Pliers;
• Slotted and Phillips screwdriver;
• Lubrication (automotive or silicone).

The most necessary are the L-shaped sprockets, they should be purchased in advance. In some cases, there is a need for small locks with small thickness.

Replacement of fittings: work progress

Due to its intensive use, the window handle breaks more often than other elements. Dismantling of the old device and installation of a new one are carried out according to the following algorithm. For the beginning, a decorative plastic insert is pushed aside to provide easy access to the fasteners. Screws, which hold the handle, unscrewed with a Phillips screwdriver. Now it remains only to mount the new pen.

The need to replace loops is less common, and repairs are carried out easily and quickly.

The decorative cover is removed, it is enough to pull it up with a little effort. From the wings and the frame itself, the fastening of the loops is separated with a hexagon or a Phillips screwdriver. To build the reverse order of operations. The axis of rotation of the device is dismantled in the same way.

There may be difficulties if the loop itself fails, not its cylinder. And if the first replacement of the accessories of plastic windows does not cause difficulties, then the installation of a new part takes a long time. Sometimes the holes on the purchased loop do not correspond to the fasteners on the frame, in this case it is necessary to make new ones. To do this, holes are drilled in the specified places of the window frame using a special template. Inadmissible errors can be avoided when drilling through a template, rather than by marking. Before starting work, it is necessary to study the internal structure of the frame, so as not to damage the construction of the double-glazed windows.

How to extend the service life

Like any other device, plastic windows need systematic care. For example, to replace the hardware as little as possible, it should be cleaned and lubricated twice a year. These preventive actions take a little money and time, while they provide an increase in the period of operation of the structure and all elements. The moving parts are lubricated on a silicone base, it does not damage the material and imparts greater mobility. Seals also require periodic cleaning and lubrication.