FAQ's
Manchester Window Factory is registered with The Consumer Protection Association. CPA members are vetted to ensure that the have an established, sound tarding history, their company accounts are up to date and all relavant insurance policies are in place. The CPA underwrite all of our guarantees so that, in the unlikely event that we cease trading within the period of the guarantee, they will cover the cost of any repairs/replacements up to 100% of the value of the contract. Note that ALL INSURANCE BACKED GUARANTEES ARE NOT THE SAME. Many will only cover as little as 25% of the contract value
Since April 2002, all window and door installations must either be inspected and certified by Building Control or be fitted by a company registered to SELF CERTIFY their work. The two main certification bodies in the UK are FENSA and CERTASS. Manchester Window Factory is registered with CERTASS (registration number: 19-1008). Using a FENSA or CERTASS registered company means that you do not need to do anything else and gives the peace of mind that the window company you choose is regularly inspected to ensure that they are manufacturing and installing to approved building regulation standards
While new windows will usually help to reduce condensation considerably, this can never be guaranteed and, in some circumstances, may even make the problem worse. The reality is that, when houses are damp and there is a lot of moisture in the air, fitting new windows may trap this warm air in the room as the new, energy efficient windows are doing what they are designed to do in not allowing the warm air to escape. On very cold mornings, when the glass temperature is low, this problem is at its worst, but will improve through the day as the glass warms up. If this is a problem, please discuss this with us before you order your new windows and we can discuss possible remedies to improve this situation such as the installation of trickle vents. All of our casement windows are designed with night-vent locking which allows some air to escape to reduce condensation (although this does have a detrimental effect on the efficiency of the window when left in this position).
On cold, bright mornings, we often take calls from customers asking us why there is condensation forming on the outside of their new windows. The simple answer is that the “misting” which they can see is, actually, an indication that their windows are performing exactly as they should. All of our double glazed units have a “soft-coat” internal pane and are Argon gas filled which means that the external pane is not being warmed by the house. On bright, fresh mornings, the external air temperature increases more quickly than the temperature of the glass. In this case, the glass temperature is said to be below the “dew-point”. During the course of the morning, as the glass temperature increases past the dew-point, the misting will disappear.
As sliding or “box” sash windows are often referred to as sash windows, this term causes a lot of confusion. The sash is the opening part of any window or door. Casement sashes can be either storm-style (sitting proud of the outer frame) or flush-style (sitting flush with outer frame) and open out. Sliding sash windows, as the name suggests, slide up and down.
