Last week I received several questions regarding the availability or the types of windows that are available here in Mexico for residential homes Ten years ago and more, the options for glass types were quite reduced Today, the variety and combinations of glass here in Mexico may reach near 100
The glass that is now available in Mexico, in its combinations, is used for energy savings, protection, design to name a few For example some people may choose a dense thickness of glass that will help reduce the noise if living near highly transited roads or near restaurant and bars Low E glass has to do with the technology used on the glass to decrease the amout of sun that enters into a room, or decreases the amount of heat that escapes a room Tempered glass helps increase the resistence from impact, flying objects UV blocking glass does exactly as the name says, reducing upto 99% of these UV raysGlass staying after breakage helps reduce little pieces of glass from scattering if the glass does break on impact Laminated glass is basically 2 sheets of glass with a thin plastic covering sandwiched between these two panes The strength increases exponentially giving a window that can resist several blows of objects before shattering
The window combination that the user chooses are molded together in a 5 step process First the glass is washed thoroughly The next step involves bending the spacer to mold around the glassThird step is filling the spacer with desicant to absorb the humidity within the space vacuum of the two windows In step four, Butil is applied as a vapor barrier and as a sealant Fifth step involves joining the two panes of glass A secondary sealant is then applied to give further structural properties for the final process
Laminated glass features two layers of glass with a special plastic sheet or film in the middle. When impacted, the tiny pieces of shattered glass adhere to the inner layer, eliminating the chance of flying glass and, most important for coastal areas, keeping the opening intact.
Of course, the main deterrent of having or selecting a wide variety of windows and their combinations are the costs We will talk about this in a later post
Bea Lozano
(512)879-6546