Wooden windows, avoidance of damage via constructional measures
IRG/WP 3591
R Gründlinger, K Messner
Increasing awareness of the environment reinforces the trend to use wood as a building material for windows in modern building constructions. Wood is a natural building and construction material. Under certain circumstances such as persistent humidity exceeding 30%, wood is rapidly degraded by decay fungi into CO2 and inorganic salts. The cost caused by damage (e.g. replacement of windows) represents a considerable burden on the economy. Damages on wooden windows can not only be reduced to wood decay fungi acting destructive. Conventional brush- and diptreatment provide only superficial marginal protection. Constructive wood protection (integral solution) taking into account the static and physical properties of the building material wood is of central importance. The film demonstrates the most important reasons for damage and their consequences occuring during planing, constructing and during incorporation of windows into the building. Directions and suggestions for a solution of the problems are given. Suitable isothermic incorporation of the window into the building has significant importance. Formation of condensate, also due to lapse in housekeeping (e.g. lack of ventilation) may be avoided to a far extent. Also damage and reasons for damage, resulting from misconstruction in the area of the glass seam (e.g. sealents that harden) and transom and casement frame areas (e.g. lacking of end caps on the anti-rain strips) are demonstrated in the present film.
Keywords: AUSTRIA; CONSTRUCTIVE WOOD PROTECTION; VIDEO FILM; WINDOWS