Frequently Asked Questions
Veka and Trojan Windows
Not all PVC-U is the same - VEKA makes the difference.
Trojan Windows and Conservatories have chosen to install Veka products because it’s the best and it’s what our customers deserve. All around the World, the name of VEKA has come to stand for the very best in PVC-U for the construction, refurbishment and home improvement industries.
Products such as the Matrix 58, 70 and FS window profile systems and the Amulet composite door have each set new standards by which others are measured. VEKAs renown for excellence of products is matched by its unsurpassed reputation for customer support and service that has made it the first choice of fabricators, specifiers and architects across the UK as well as the World.
VEKA is at the forefront of environmental issues, from the world’s first purpose-built PVC-U recycling plant to the UKs first ever window to gain the BFRC A Rating for superior heat retention.
Ongoing investment in plant, people and technology including a 9million state-of-the-art warehousing and distribution facility at the Burnley base have endorsed VEKAs long-term commitment to the UK market, its customers, partners and end-users
Thermal Performance of VEKA products:
The VEKA Matrix system has undergone Hot Box testing in accordance with BS EN ISO 12567-1. These tests were carried out by the National Physical Laboratory, a UKAS accredited test laboratory
VEKA is also approved by the British Fenestration Ratings Council to conduct thermal simulations by computer.
Each test was carried out using 4 x 16 x 4 double glazed units with air-filled cavities, aluminium spacer bars and Pilkington 'K' inner panes. All sample windows were manufactured in accordance with the guidance in Glass & Glazing Federation datasheets and achieved a 'U' value of 2.0 W/m2 K for England & Wales and 1.8 W/m2K for Scotland.
What Is VekaMatrix?
VEKA plc, one of the world's leading window system companies, helped to pioneer the development of PVC-U windows, doors and conservatories around the world. VEKA window systems are to be found in literally millions of homes, they are also the choice of architects, specifies and other professionals whose decisions command multi-million pound budgets.
More recently VEKA's environmental credentials were enhanced when they became the first window system company in the world to offer a recycling facility turning end-of-life windows into new windows. What's important to our trade customers is that VEKA system frames are the choice of installers everywhere who want trouble-free, great looking, high-performance PVC-U windows, doors or conservatories with a spec that won't let them down, an energy rating that meets their requirements and a flexibility that means we can create any shape or style.
The latest from VEKA is the Matrix fully sculptured (FS) system, designed to replicate the softer appearance of quality hardwood frames but with all the benefits you would expect from a superb quality PVC-U window system. Whatever style, size or shape of window frame you are looking for - including the heritage-style vertical slider - talk to Trojan. Our Matrix FS system is growing in popularity with retrofit and new-build customers alike.
Why Our Glazing is the Best:
Demand for higher energy ratings and environmental specification has never been greater, especially with the BFRC ratings label and the implications for Building Regulations. All Trojan's sealed units are made using the super spacer bar for improved heat retention.
Security Built-in not bolted-on. At Trojan we believe that to produce an exceptional PVC-U window, door or conservatory outstanding security must be built in from the outset. That's why we include: Nico friction stays and hinges, Maco looking mechanisms and Fab & Fix hardware as standard.
Quality Manufacture Every Trojan frame is fabricated using state-of-the-art CNC machinery, assuring you not only of our manufacturing quality, but also the cost-effectiveness resulting from use of the most efficient manufacturing methods. 'Super Spacer Warm Edge' technology to keep at the forefront of glass production.
Glazing Specification:
Super Spacer is made of 100% polymer structural foam, and is unlike other edge seal spacers that contain steel or aluminum wrapped in butyl rubber. This advanced product provides excellent thermal performance with 950 time’s lower conductivity than aluminum bar.
Not only does it provide the most durable and warmest edge, but it also offers the best protection against harmful toxins that can invade windows in which condensation is present. Low-E glass (low emissivity) is a type of insulating glass which helps to keep homes warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
How Does Low-E Glass Work:
Low-E glass has a special metal coating on one side - either Pyrolytic (hard coat) or sputtered (soft coat). The microscopically thin and almost invisible coating acts as a filter blocking long wave radiation (e.g. infrared heat) and letting in short ave radiation (e.g. UV and visible light).
When the Sun's short wave radiation passes through a window into a room, it is absorbed by the furniture and carpets in the room. Here that energy is transformed into long wave radiation (thermal radiation) in the form of heat - i.e. the sun warms up the furniture and carpets in the room.
During the winter, heat (long wave radiation) in the room naturally wants to escape through the glass, but low-E glass reflects it back into the room keeping it warm. If you touch a standard pane of glass in the winter it feels very cold, even if the room itself is hot. If you touch the inner pane of Low-E glass, it feels much much warmer.
During the summer months it is hot outside, but the low-E glass does not let the infrared thermal radiation (long wave) pass through it reducing the overall solar heat gain of the building.
How is Low-E Glass Manufactured?
There are two types of Low-E Glass - Hard Coat and Soft Coat.
Hard Coat Low-E glass:has a thin layer of molten tin poured over it while the glass is still slightly molten. The tin welds to the glass making the coating very strong and difficult to scratch or remove. Soft Coat Low-E glass:has silver, zinc, or tin applied to it in a vacuum chamber filled with an electrically charged inert gas. Molecules of the coating metal are sputtered onto the surface of the glass where they stick.
What is Argon Gas?
Argon gas replaces the air inside the glass unit. Since it is heavier than air and is not in continuous motion like air, the transference of heat and cold (convection) is greatly reduced. In short, the Argon gas provides extra insulation and energy efficiency.
Argon gas is clear, colourless and odourless. Even if installed side by side you cannot see the difference between a window filled with gas and one air-filled unit simply by looking at them. Is argon gas dangerous? No! Argon gas exists naturally in the air you breathe. It is both non toxic and inert.
Whilst energy savings are important, the real comfort benefit of gas filling is the increase in the inner glazing temperature. Raising the inner glass temperature eliminates or substantially reduces condensation on the glass. Also a warmer surface is also more comfortable to be near.
If you have any further questions please contact us