When glazing a Upvc door or window it is important to make sure you brace the sealed unit or door panel correctly into its opening sash or door leaf,. If you simply plonk the unit into its frame without bracing it you may find it will 'drop' at a later date causing it to rub in the frame or worse still to not lock properly, --or at all! If you are familiar with a 5 bar gate you will understand what I mean about the importance of bracing the gate with a diagonal piece of timber secured to the lower hinge side and leading up to the top of the other side. Without this brace the gate alone could not support its weight and would sag down eventually on its locking side. Imagine then, you have fixed your unglazed door or window into it opening and are now ready to glaze up. Lets say that you have a door that is to be fitted with a full height sealed unit, and viewed from inside its hinges are on the right hand side and it is to be glazed internally with bang on glazing beads. It matters not if the door opens inwards or outwards, the method is the same. You should have some purpose made plastic shims or packers of various thickness. These can be purchased on EBay or from Double glazing outlets.
I cannot tell you how many shims to use as this depends on the size of your particular panel or S/Unit. As a rough guide, place two or three shims approx 5-10mm thick in the bottom right hand rebate of your door leaf. Some people mastic them into place to help stop any skidding. Do not place shims on the opposite lower side. Gently lift your panel or S/U into the frame taking care not to catch any external gasket that may have been preinstalled. OK so now your door panel sits lop sided into its frame. Remember the 5 bar gate? The door leaf now needs to be braced upon the panel or S/Unit on its uppermost opposite side, IE top left hand corner. Double Glazing installers use a 'Glazing Shovel' or wedge shaped device to ease the frame away from the unit. A pallet knife of wedge of wood would do if you are careful. Push the wedge between the panel or glass at the top/left until the door leaf looks parallel in its frame, and add shims or remove as necessary until correct. Then take wedge and insert it in the top left hand side and repeat, adding shims until panel or s/u looks square in its frame. You can pump in some mastic to ensure the shims don't slip down if you wish. Finally, go back down to the bottom right hand side of the vertical edge and wedge and pack as before until panel or glass is fully supporting the frame that surrounds it. Open your door carefully and close again. If it operates correctly then you have done a proper job. Bang on your glazing beads with a rubber mallet or similar and that's it! Some systems require you to push in loose rubber gasket afterwards, and some have doubled sided sticky security tape, in which case you will have to ensure door leaf is square into its opening first as once your s/u hits the tape,--that's it! Little adjustment allowed from then on!
Most modern doors have flag hinges that with the help of a set of metric Allen Keys --usually 4-5mm can be adjusted all ways from up -and- down to left -to -right to in -and -out! Brilliant! These adjustment areas are on the top, the side and the bottom of the hinge.
So there you are. Sorted! These guidelines also apply to opening window sashes that should be braced in the same way. The outer frame must be supported via shims on its glass to prevent dropping. Remember,hinges and frame alone cannot support the weight of its glass. A fixed non opener in a window is a different story however. You can lay down you packers one either side on the lower frame and plonk the unit directly on them. No bracing required!
I do hope you understand roughly what I am attempting to explain without the use of diagrams. If it clicks with you then please be so kind to show your appreciation by voting below in the box. If you can think of an area that needs to be explained via fitting DIY double glazing please let me know and I shall try to help. I am about to retire and would be only too happy to pass on the little knowledge I have aquired from a 30 or so year apprenticeship in the double glazing game.----Trev.
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