So, you’re dealing with a broken window and want to patch it up? Aluplex is here to help. Below, we’ll cover some of the ways to patch a broken window.

Assess the Level of Damage

The first thing to do when you have a broken window is to assess the exact level of damage to determine how to patch it. The thing is, not all damage is equal. You can’t patch every break.

If your window is cracked, but there are no places where glass has actually left the window, it’s patchable. Even long cracks, while a bit more tedious, can be patched with a glass patching kit or similar.

However, if the crack is big enough that some small pieces have fallen out, it’s beyond patching with a patching kit. This type of crack can still be repaired, but it involves replacing the broken glass. The same goes for larger breaks, such as when a baseball goes through the window.

How to Patch a Broken Window

Patching a broken window with manageable cracks in it can be done with a glass repair kit. These can be bought online or from a hardware store. These are especially common, since they’re used to repair small cracks in windshields and other car windows.

These repair kits generally have instructions in them, but we’ll run over the basics.

1. The first step is cleaning the window. You’ll want to do this with a window cleaner like Windex, which will remove skin oils and dust.
2. Next, you’ll put on the adhesive patch. This isn’t permanent and only functions as a barrier. Ensure the length of each crack is completely covered by an adhesive patch. If you don’t have enough, you’ll need to buy more.
3. After that, you’ll use your syringe to draw up some of the epoxy. How much you need will depend on the size of the cracks you’re filling.
4. Then, you can stick your syringe needle through the patch and right into one of the cracks. Inject the epoxy slowly. Injecting it too fast can lead to bubbling in the barrier patch. You have to give it enough time to spread down the length of the crack.
5. After that, when you’ve filled each crack with epoxy under the barrier patch, you’ll need to let it cure. Each epoxy will have different requirements. Follow the instructions in your kit.
6. When the epoxy has cured, remove the adhesive patch(es) and scrape any excess epoxy off with the flat edge of a razor blade.
7. The epoxy will need to set overnight as well, in most cases. Once it has set completely, you can wash the window with soap and water.

Holes Too Big to Patch

If your hole is too big to patch with a crack repair kit, you’ll need to cover it with something until you can get it replaced. Your best bet is using some packing tape and one or more pieces of plastic. This will keep rain out of your home. If you don’t have sheet plastic, plastic wrap from the kitchen works as well.

If you’re working with smaller strips of plastic, like plastic wrap, be sure to place it horizontally with the higher strips overlapping the lower ones so that water won’t get under them.

Replace Broken Windows

Unless your crack is very small, it’s always best to replace broken windows. When you patch a broken window, it works great as a temporary measure. However, windows with large cracks in them are likely to have lost some of their insulating gas. Without that gas, they will do much less to keep the cold or heat in or out (depending on the season). Don’t settle for a weak and ineffective window.

Call us at Aluplex if you need help with window repairs or window replacement.

If you own a hotel with a penthouse suite, you need penthouse suite skylights. Penthouse suite skylights may seem like an unnecessary expense, but they’re not. What is it that makes them a necessity? Let’s find out.

Paying for the Experience

For many people, booking the penthouse suite is a special occasion. Whether it’s for their honeymoon, for an expensive vacation that they’ve been saving for, or some other reason, getting the penthouse isn’t just a cross-country pitstop. To most people, the penthouse suite is there for the experience.

The fact is, for most people, the penthouse is way outside their budget. If someone is going to dip into their savings and pull out all the stops for the top floor of the hotel, they want a night to remember.

What does this have to do with skylights? 

What Skylights Accomplish

Skylights in a penthouse suite do more than just save you money on electricity. They add a third dimension to the penthouse, opening it up to the sky above just the floor to ceiling windows open it up to the sky beyond. This extra dimension lets in more light, making the penthouse suite feel bigger, more open, and more clear.

Let’s not forget about the nighttime effects of penthouse suite skylights. When the sun sets and your temporary tenants are left in the dark, your skylights are still hard at work. We all know that romantic excursions are one of the primary reasons someone would book the penthouse. So, how much more romantic can you get than being able to lie in bed and look up at the stars?

Placing a large section of pyramid skylights over the bed gives guests a night to remember. When the more active events of the day have passed, lying back against the plush, hotel pillows and staring up at the night sky is truly something worth paying for.

Plus, that morning wakeup call of a little sunshine splashed across the bed is one of the most peaceful ways someone can can wake up in the modern world.

Long Term Business

While this sounds great for your guests, you might be wondering why it’s great for you too. Remember, your guests and their experiences are what keeps bringing people back for more. The better the experience in your penthouse suite, the more raving the review.

Remember how most people only dream of renting the penthouse suite? The top floor suite of a hotel brings with it such high expectations that it’s easy to become disappointed and leave a negative review. Don’t let that be the fate of your hotel. Do what you need to to ensure that your guests’ expectations are lived up to.

The more extraordinary your penthouse suite is, the more positive your reviews will be and the more likely people will return to try and recreate the magical experience your hotel provided.

Buy Aluplex

If you’re going to invest in penthouse suite skylights, you need to invest in the best glass company Toronto has to offer. Aluplex is exactly what you need. Our window and skylight professionals will install skylights for you in no time. Plus, Aluplex is known for its 24 hour emergency repair services. Don’t rely on a company that leaves you high and dry in times of need. If your skylights spring a leak, we’ll be there as soon as you call.

With the second wave of Covid-19 spreading throughout Canada, protecting ourselves and our patrons is more important than ever. One of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in stores is by enforcing mask usage and putting up barriers. An easy barrier to put in place is service window glass.

Service Window Glass

Service windows, such as those at the bank or a ticket booth, are well known throughout the country. We have all gone to a service window one time or many. The thing is, any service counter can suddenly become a service window. All you need is some service window glass.

Limit Contact

By putting up service window glass at a check-out or check-in counter, we limit contact with the general public. Items must be passed beneath the window, ensuring there is no unexpected contact with a patron.

Physical contact is one of many ways that Covid-19 can spread. By ensuring employees only come into contact with the objects being passed under a service window, you can better control how they’re touched. Employees can wear gloves to guarantee they don’t come into contact with Covid-19 that has been passed under on an object. The counter and glass can be sterilized between customers and gloves can be changed out as needed.

Air Barrier

Even more dangerous than the probability of contracting Covid-19 through secondhand surface touching is the probability of catching it through the air. Because Covid-19 is an airborne virus, it is passed between people through droplets in the air. This is frequently misunderstood to mean only large droplets, such as in a sneeze. While a sneeze is a high risk way to catch Covid-19, we must remember that just breathing near each other can pass the virus.

Moisture hangs in the air all the time. When it’s humid outside, the air is filled with moisture. When someone exhales, they breathe out moisture from their lungs. If this moisture is breathed out in the same vicinity as someone else, that other person can inhale the infected particulates from the air.

Putting up a glass window between employees and patrons keeps infected particulates from reaching the other side of the glass, protecting employees and their breathing space.

Combine with Masks

However, service window glass isn’t the only thing we should be doing to protect ourselves from Covid-19. By having employees wear masks as well, behind the service window, you double the protection from Covid-19. Should any infected particulates end up on the other side of the service window, your employee will also have their air filtered through their mask. Those infected particulates’ journey will end as soon as they hit the front of a mask. Everybody wins.

Buy Service Window Glass

If you’re looking to put up a barrier in your store or business, Aluplex is the place to go. We can provide high quality glass with custom cuts and sizes, just right for your business. Give us a call if you have questions about how to order.

We love skylights. They offer so much to every home. From additional natural lighting to turning your house into an energy-efficient property, the list goes on and on for why skylights are an excellent addition to a house.

However, even the best-installed skylight is prone to wear and tear, cracks, and leaks. Just like everything else in and around your house, after a while, the skylight ages and the structure loses its integrity. That is when you’re likely to see leaks and wind seep through the seals.

Replacing a skylight can get expensive. Add in anything damaged in the home below from a leak, the price tag of reacting to a leaking skylight can increase exponentially. That is why with proper maintenance and knowing when it’s time to replace the skylight, you can prevent leakages and keep your home in prime condition.

Let’s take a look at ways in which you can prevent your skylight from leaking.

 

What Causes a Leak?

Before you can begin to repair or prevent a skylight from leaking, you need to know what causes a leak. Many factors contribute to a leaky skylight:

• Improper installation.
• Damaged flashing.
• Roof damage and lack of roof maintenance.
• Too high humidity inside the home.

Now that we know some of the causes, we can start to look at ways to prevent a leak.

Regular Maintenance and Inspections

Having a regular maintenance routine that includes inspecting your skylight is one of the best ways to keep tabs on the integrity of the skylight. Thorough and regular inspections can help you notice any wear and tear on the skylight and the roof around it.

When inspecting, look any signs of deterioration, as well as holes, cracks, or broken seals. Your maintenance routine should include examining the roof as well. Broken shingles around the skylight can cause issues too.

Proper Ventilation Inside the Home

Too high humidity levels can cause many problems in any house. When there is lots of humidity inside, condensation begins to form on windows and mirrors. The skylight is no exception. When that condensation starts to build, it has to go somewhere. It will either drip onto whatever is below it or seep into different areas of the skylight and roof.

Humidity can also cause wood and other materials to warp. If the structure of the roof and home begin to distort and have issues from the moisture, it could affect the seal of the skylight. So, ensure you have proper ventilation inside your home.

Boost Up the Seal

Sometimes, all you need to do to prevent or stop a leak in a skylight is to fix the seal. An easy way of doing that is by applying caulking around the edges of the skylight. One hundred percent silicone caulking will help keep the skylight sealed tightly to prevent any leaks from occurring. Including this step in your regular maintenance routine.

 

Preventing leaks is the best way to protect your skylight and your home. Having a preventative routine allows you to catch any damages before they can do any harm to the property.

How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
More and more you hear about making your home more energy efficient and the many benefits that follow along with the change. That is because being more energy efficient not only is better for the environment, but it can also save you money down the road.
Although some of the switches to be an energy efficient home can get pricey, there are multiple changes you can do that can fit any budget. Many of them are quite small and simple but have enormous benefits later on.
Let’s take a look at different ways you can make your property more energy efficient.

Reduce Power Usage
A good chunk of the environmental pollution comes from those who produce power for the country to use. Unfortunately, until we have cleaner energy sources to rely on, we need that power. However, if you can reduce the amount of power you use at your home, that can have an impact.
Start by turning off the lights in rooms you’re not in. Change out the lightbulbs in your home to energy efficient LED bulbs. Utilize natural light as much as possible through windows and skylights.
Insulate Your Home
A house that is not insulated will only cause you problems. That is because nothing is keeping the cold air outside during winter and inside during summer. If you’re continually losing air from inside your home, you’ll have to keep running your furnace or air conditioner.
Check that there is weatherstripping around all the doors in your house. Make sure all windows, skylights included, are properly sealed. Any holes you can find, especially in the attic, plug or seal them.
Use Energy Efficient Appliances
We have more options than ever before when it comes to energy efficient appliances. These differ from standard ones since they require less power to operate. Although switching to some energy efficient appliances is a large investment up front, they do pay off the longer you have them. You’ll find that you reduce the amount of power you need, the run better and can even last longer.
Reduce Your Water Consumption
Your water consumption also affects how energy efficient your home is. The more you can conserve water, the less your property needs which will save you money. So, be conscientious about the length of your showers. Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth. Minimize the number of small loads of laundry or dishes.
Unplug Where You Can
Electronics not in use that stays on and plugged in can use up a ton of power. Even though the screen is black and the device is in sleep mode, likely things are happening behind the scenes that we don’t see. That means the device is using power when you’re not using it. Unplug electronics and chargers that are not in use.
Install Solar Panels
Although these are another investment, installing solar panels on your property have many benefits. To start, you can produce your own power rather than relying on buying it. In return, you’ll save yourself a lot of money the longer you use a solar panel.

Remember as a child you were encouraged to go outside to play so that you could get some fresh air? That is because fresh air has many benefits for us. Except during high allergy seasons (spring with pollen and fall with harvest are excellent examples), you should try and bring the outside air into your home if you can’t make it outside.

One way of doing that is by installing a skylight that opens up, or a roof window. Not only do these let the sunshine into your house, but they also give you the option of opening them to let in the fresh air.

If you’re on the fence about an opening skylight, take a look at how letting in the outside air will benefit you and your family.

 

Clean Out Your Lungs

Even with excellent ventilation in a building, the air can get stale and full of particles. By opening a window and letting the fresh air circulate through your home, it helps clean out your airways. When you breathe in the fresh air, it dilates your lungs more fully while cleaning them out.

Be cautious about the time of year, however. If someone has allergies and breathes in the outside air that has pollen from plants, it could flare up their allergies.

Increased Energy

When you can breathe in more clean air, it gives your body a boost of energy. That is because fuller lungs allow you to breathe in more oxygen which goes into your body’s cells. More oxygen means more energy.

Increase Immune System

Continuing with the blood cells, more oxygen helps out or white blood cells. Those cells are our defences against germs and bacteria. So, the more oxygen you breathe in, the stronger your white blood cells are which means, the better prepared you are to fight off illnesses.

Boost Your Mood

Did you know that fresh air can help boost your mood, especially if you suffer from depression or anxiety? When you breathe in more oxygen, it increases the levels of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is the happy hormone our body makes to keep us happier in life.

Freshen Up Your Home

It’s hard to beat the smell of the outdoors, especially on a clear, crisp day. If you notice that your home needs a boost of freshness, one of the easiest and quickest ways to do that is by opening up a window. The smell of the outdoors can instantly make a home feel more clean and welcoming without doing anything.

 

These are only a few of the benefits of why you should let fresh air into your home. Installing a skylight that opens is one way of doing that. You get the benefits of the sunshine and Vitamin D, and you have the option to open the window to take in all the benefits of the outdoor air.