Home   Guidance   O&M   Series 85 Horizontal Sliding

Operation

Unlock and slide the locking handle to the "open" position. Grip the front (nearest) sash at the centre interlock bar and slide to the open position (a sharp opening action may be necessary to overcome the resistance of the weather seal and sash extension). To open the back (furthest) sash repeat as for the front sash but working from the cavity side through the open front sash. Care must be taken to ensure that pressure is not exerted to the face of the sash whilst opening as this could engage the sash extension with the frame, effectively locking it. Closing and locking is the reverse of the above ensuring the sashes are fully engaged prior to operating the locking handle.

Maintenance

Cleaning

The cleaning cycle will be dictated by local conditions and should consist of washing down the glass and aluminium with a non alkaline detergent in warm water using a soft cloth. For more stubborn marks on the aluminium a soft brush or nylon pad should be used. Avoid abrasive cleaners, steel wool, strong acids or alkalis. After cleaning it is advisable to rinse the surfaces with clean water and then wipe dry. Chips or scratches in a paint finish can be touched in using a matching non cellulose paint and care must be taken not to get this into draught seals or moving parts. Repair of anodised finishes is not practical other than by touching in with a colour matched paint but the finished appearance is seldom complementary. The sliding tracks should occasionally be vacuumed and wiped down to avoid build up of dust or dirt.

Sash Removal

A full manual handling assessment must first be made. To remove the front sash, first remove the black sash anchors located at the top and bottom of the interlock by removing the fixing screws. Slide the sash until the anti-lift blocks are visible in the head frame and lift the sash up. When the bottom rail clears the track section gently swing towards the room and lower. The sashes run on stainless steel rollers and these must not be placed on dirty or gritty surfaces. Carefully place the corner on to a supporting block and turn the sash on to its side. Do not drop it on its corner since this will knock it "out of square". It would then have to be "re-squared" using a block and mallet (see diagram). Before removing the rear panel, the small black sealing blocks mounted on the middle web of the head and cill frame must first be unscrewed. Removal then proceeds as for the front panel. Sashes are purpose made to suit each individual frame and must not be mixed up. Reinstate the sashes by reversing the above procedure.

Re-glazing

This can be carried out after completion of a full risk assessment. Remove the sash as described above and lay flat on a suitable bench surface. Each corner has four taptight screws which fix the bars to angled corner cleats. Those to the vertical bars have removable plastic caps. Undo the screws and carefully ease off the top and bottom bars. This allows the cleats to disengage from the vertical bars which can then be removed from the glass. Obtain a new piece of glass after establishing size, thickness and type. Carefully wrap the gasket back on to the new glass. Re-apply the vertical aluminium bars using initial hand pressure and then knock on with a block and mallet ensuring that they are straight and true. Offer up the top and bottom rails with the cleats in place and re-engage with the vertical bars. Re-fix with the threaded screws ensuring that the mitre is true and “dress” the shoulder of the gasket on to the aluminium with a smooth flat pointed object (see diagram ). Replace the screw caps to the vertical bars.