Popular proverbs not in vain warn of the dangers of rushing in any business. Trying to remove the mosquito net from the plastic window without understanding the design of the hooks can lead to breakdowns. Therefore, you first need to understand how the mounts work.
We will understand the general principles of dismantling mosquito screens from windows, and also find out what to do if ears break on the frame.
Is it necessary, in principle, to remove the grid from the window?
This question arises if you do not want to mess with the mounts or look for a place in the room for the removed mesh. Especially the process is complicated if the handles on the frame break off. But no matter how difficult the dismantling may seem, it is necessary to remove the mosquito screen before the onset of the winter season. There are several reasons for this:
- The polymer of which the frame is made does not have sufficient resistance to low temperatures. In a 30-degree frost, the plastic may crack, and the entire structure will become worthless.
- Snow and rain are a rigorous test of fastenings and the net itself for its ability to resist corrosion. In most cases, corrosion processes win - after one winter season, the mosquito screen will have to be thrown away.
- Winter days are short and often overcast, so there is little light in the rooms. And the cellular fabric (especially dust and dirt clogged over the summer) will additionally reduce the luminous flux entering the room.
- In search of food in hungry winters, the mesh can damage birds.
All these arguments show that the curtains against insects must be removed from the windows and balcony doors every year. After dismantling, the canvas must be thoroughly washed with dirt and dust, dried, and then stored until next summer.
Removing an intact mesh
To remove mosquito screens it is better to choose a warm day without precipitation and gusty wind. On a rainy and cold day, dismantling is uncomfortable, and on a windy day it is also unsafe, because a strong impulse can tear a light mesh out of your hands. To easily cope with all operations, you need to work together.
Mosquito net is not a reliable support. You can’t lean on it, otherwise it will simply fly out of the mounts and crash into the street.
To remove the frame of the mosquito screen from the mounts, it is taken by special handles or ears fixed on a rigid profile. The procedure is slightly different depending on the design of the mosquito screen and the methods of attaching it to the window frame:
- Frame meshes secured with Z-shaped staples or corner “pockets” are removed by lifting the ears up to the stop. In this case, the lower edge of the frame will come out of the hooks. Then the net is lowered down, leading out of the upper pair of fasteners. It remains to turn the screen on its side and bring it into the room through the window opening.
- If the frame grid is fixed with plungers, you need to act together. One person holds the net, and the second rotates the lower plungers a few turns counterclockwise. After that, the net can be easily pulled out of the lower and then upper hooks.
- The easiest way to remove the sliding frame from the rail is because it is installed on the inside rather than the outside of the room. But here, you must be careful to avoid dropping the mosquito screen. First, the frame is lifted by the ears, removing the lower sliders from the guides, and then the upper sliders are removed from their grooves.
- Roll nets, as a rule, are not removed from the windows. They are simply cleaned completely in the casing. In this state, the net perfectly tolerates the winter season.
In all cases, the right actions make it easy and quick to deal with dismantling. If the grid cannot be removed, there is no need to act “brute force”. Carefully inspect the frame and hooks to understand what is preventing the dismantling. And then, removing obstacles, get back to work.
What to do if ears or pens break off?
Depending on the model, the frame of the mosquito net is equipped with handles or ears, for which you need to pull to remove the net from the hooks. Such ears are the most unreliable part of the design. They can break off due to improper actions, drying out of plastic or “aging” from temperature extremes and solar ultraviolet radiation.
When choosing a mesh, pay particular attention to what the handles are made of and how they are attached to the frame. It’s better to overpay a little for a model with aluminum handles and high-quality mounts, than later to suffer because of annual breakdowns.
If, when trying to remove the net from the window, one (or both) of the eyelet is left in the hand, the work is greatly complicated. Without this element, there is simply nothing to grab the grid. But experienced installers know a few tricks that help to cope with the task in this difficult situation:
- Best of all, the key ring handles the role of a temporary handle. To hook it into the frame, you can pass the wire directly through the holes in the grid, but it is better to stick the ring under the pulled out sealing cord, and then insert the seal into place.
- If there is no key ring, a thick wire or a large fishing hook will do.
- To temporarily solve the problem, use a piece of polyethylene or a tape made of thick fabric. Passing such a ribbon through the net and tying it with a ring, we get a temporary handle of quite acceptable strength.
A temporary handle made of a key ring or cloth tape will not only help remove the frame of the mosquito screen from the mounts, but can also last until the end of the season. However, it does not look too beautiful, so after dismantling it is worth taking care of replacing the handle.
How to replace a broken pen?
The procedure for replacing broken ears is quite simple, but first you need to purchase new ones. This can be done at companies manufacturing spare parts for plastic windows, or can be ordered online. In addition to the spare part, you will need a roller for rolling up the sealing cord and a blunt screwdriver to pick up the cord and remove it from the grooves.
The replacement process is quite simple:
- Having picked up a sealing cord near the broken handle, we take it out of the groove. It is not necessary to pull out the seal around the entire perimeter, it is enough to provide access to the broken part.
- We take out the fragments of the old abalone.
- We put a new eye in place.
- Carefully roll the seal back into the grooves.
So you can easily cope with the repair of a broken eye on a mosquito net on your own and save on the call of the master.
Where to get the roller for rolling the seal?
If you do not have a roller, you can purchase it in the same store as the spare ears. Or, instead of a roller, appropriate-sized devices are used: a ruler, the reverse side of the knife blade, etc.
If the net breaks after the winter, can I replace it under warranty?
Most manufacturers of plastic windows and mosquito nets for them call the use of a mosquito screen in winter conditions a violation of the operating rules. Such a grid will not be accepted for warranty repairs.
To prevent annoying damage to the grids too often, you must be careful when mounting and dismounting, do not rush and do not start work without a clear understanding of how to properly fix the grid on the window or remove it from the mounts. And if the ear still broke, we hope that our tips will help you remove the net and carry out repairs.