Removing UPVC window

[Mathew Newton]

I want to remove a UPVC window and having hacked off one side of plaster on the inside I was expecting to find cleats similar to these securing the wi ndow to the internal wall leaf:

p/180130

But I didn't see anything of the kind:

The vertical plastic piece (held in with two nails and a bit of plasterboar d adhesive overspill) looks to me like it it some sort of cavity closer and its profile is such that I can't see how any sort of straight cleat could pass through/behind it. I certainly can't see anything on the exposed block work.

Any ideas how this window is secured in place? Incidentally, the inside of the frame shows no obvious fixings passing through to anything either.

I will continue to hack away when I can find a moment, and will look to rem ove the window ledge also in case there's anything under there (I wouldn't expect there to be as it'd also require something along the top which doesn 't seem like a good place to secure a window what with the lintel above it) .

[Andy Burns]

Normally just frame fixings straight through the, erm frame, into the masonry, can you see evidence of them on any openers?

Exactly that.

I'd expect to see them there, you do hear of some of them being installed with foam only ...

[Mathew Newton]

Nothing on the opener, although I haven't remove the fixing glazing panel yet but I might just do that as surely anything inside that section will be obvious given the lack of need for any other fixings or hiding things for aesthetics.

This a Persimmon house from 2007 so who knows! ;-) That said, I have honestly found the rest to be fairly well built and so if foam-only might be considered a bodge I think I'd be surprised if it had been done here.

[tabbypurr]

I'd expect either foam fixing, which I'd expect you to have noticed by now, or frame fixers going through the frame. You'd need to remove the glazed unit to see those.

NT

[Andy Burns]

I'd have though he'd be unlucky to not find one in the frame within the opener

[Mathew Newton]

I am wondering if I might have one of these; a combined cavity closer / former / fixer:

This particular one uses small camlocks to the keep the window in place:

That said, I'm not seeing anything like these cams on mine though!

[Tricky Dicky]

Remove the glass panel and you will find the fixing screws there.

Richard

[tabbypurr]

yes, but it's one of the very few options left.

NT

[Andy Burns]

Get out Occam's sledgehammer ...

[Brian Gaff]

Hmm, well some only have a few screws with spacers and then the rest is full of foam and then plastered over. I think my Kitchen window is like this. Brian

[Harry Bloomfield]

My bathroom's smallish window, the opening half, has seven such frame fixings visible. So likely the entire window has fourteen fixings around it.

The usual way to get the windows out, is to use an electric saw to feel for and cut through the bolts, once cut, the entire window comes out in one piece.

Wooden frames are usually removed by sawing them into sections in place, plus cropping any fixings.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ones I fitted had slide in brackets to the sides which you screwed to the brickwork, then plastered over. But of course it's the expanded foam which generally holds it in place.

[Andrew]

Quite possibly but this house has cavity closers fitted and the windows should just clip into place.

No evidence of fixing screws where the top vent hinges out so I would carefully remove the external mastic between window and brickwork and slide a metal rule up and down to see if these clips can be located. then its just a matter of using the ruler or a paint scraper to unclip the latches.

take the glass out FIRST, because thats where the weight is, (which might reveal some hidden fischer screws too).

[Andrew]

Are you mad ?.

remove the glass and just unscrew the frame anchors or fischer fixings. If frame anchors were used they can usually be removed with a pair of needle-nosed pliers once the screw is removed.

[Mathew Newton]

[...]

f the frame shows no obvious fixings passing through to anything either.

I finally got round to the removing the window (and a set of French doors f or that matter) and can confirm that they were held in place by a combinati on of 'conventional' fixing cleats (top and bottom) and a proprietary cavit y closer with a full height clip on the sides:

The clip was easy to remove once I knew it'd come out, the cleats were a bi t more difficult as the top ones appeared to spot welded (possibly rivetted ?) to the lintel above and so I ended up hacksawing them free.

Thanks everyone for the inputs - they were most helpful in getting my head around what possibilities I was facing.