The Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider PVCu
What exactly is PVCu? And why is it so frequently the material of choice for replacement windows and doors?
Let’s establish first of all, what the term PVCu means. The ‘PVC’ part of it stands for Polyvinyl Chloride while the ‘u’ stands for un-plasticised.
It’s a cost-effective, low maintenance, lightweight, strong, and fully recyclable material that can be adapted for many applications including windows and doors for the home improvement industry.
Reason #1
PVCu is easily one of the most versatile materials around with literally thousands of uses which cannot be economically or practically replaced with other materials.
Not surprisingly, PVC products are widely used in building and construction for windows, doors, pipes, ducting, flooring, roofing and cladding. When used in building products such as window frames PVC requires little maintenance and offers excellent insulation and terrific cost savings during the lifetime of the product.
Reason #2
During its initial production and conversion into finished products, PVC is comparatively low in energy and materials consumption. It’s also very difficult to ignite and will not sustain flammability when the combustion source is removed.
Reason #3
PVC is 100% recyclable and may be recycled 10 times or more without significant loss of integrity and structure. Theoretically therefore, assuming a 35 year installation life for PVC windows which are then removed and recycled, the PVC from which the original windows were manufactured would have a useful life of 350 years.
Reason #4
57% of the basic PVC molecule is derived from salt, an element which is in plentiful supply with an estimated 50 quadrillion tonnes of dissolved salt in the world’s seas alone with the remainder from oil.
Reason #5
PVC is inert, a quality that makes it environmentally friendly. An average PVC production plant would need to be operating for 30,000 years to produce the same amount of dioxins as a single bonfire night!
It’s these basic properties that makes PVCu an ideal material for window, door and other home improvement applications by offering the following benefits:
- Doesn’t rot or biologically decompose
- Resistant to weathering with low maintenance requirements
- Tough on impact
- Retains shape within normal climatic temperatures
- Can be re-shaped at very high temperature and can therefore be recycled.
If you’d like to know more about UPVc and how it can protect and add value to your home, contact Brackenwood today or call us on Freephone 0800 25 35 45.
Please note: Pure PVCu requires small amounts of additives in order to deliver the longevity, high weather and UV resistance and brilliant white colour for window and door applications.