In 2015 we saw the introduction of the Warmcore Bifolding Door. Warmcore folding doors feature a new breed of ‘warm aluminium’ marketed as a heavily insulated bifolding door with impressive U Values and performance.
It was logical that a range of windows would follow. Synseal Extrusions have now added to the Warmcore folding door, with Warmcore Aluminium Windows.
Warmcore Aluminium Windows.
What has become apparent with Warmcore is how many manufacturers and installers want to sell this brand. We know established window businesses that have set up separate operations purely to supply Warmcore. We are even aware of key people at Synseal that have left the company to pursue new ventures specifically to do with Warmcore. Rarely have we seen the window industry embrace a product in this way, the most notable being the superb Residence 9 pvcu window.
Many of the established trade suppliers in the industry have added Warmcore bifolding doors and Warmcore windows to their product range. Installers are also adding it to their showrooms. Do your research and you will see a significant number of new and white label websites dedicated to the brand. Credit to Synseal Extrusions for introducing a new breed of aluminium that many want to sell.
The double glazing blogger website and only one other have referred to Warmcore as a hybrid window. This is an incorrect description and opinion about Warmcore. A hybrid is a combination of different materials (as is Warmcore) but for windows specifically, a hybrid is regarded as having a different material on the inside and outside. Â Whether the technical or Wikipedia type descriptions of hybrid generally (when not referring to windows) becomes relevant is another matter. Â Warmcore windows have the same material inside and out. It is the core that is different. This method of insulating a window, in reality, is no different to the polyurethane thermal core found in Senior PURe windows.
The same could be said of the polyamide thermal break found in the majority of aluminium windows. Â In our professional opinion, the Warmcore window is very much an aluminium window and if we were pedantic about it arguably a composite window as well – but certainly not a hybrid.
Other websites have also referred to the Orange PVCu profile found in Warmcore, saying “WarmCore is made using an orange PVCu multi-chambered profile”.  This is not strictly correct either as the finished door does not show it.  For clarity, on a Warmcore door, a section is used to cover up the orange extrusion.  On a Warmcore window, a black extrusion is used – it isn’t orange.
Had the orange marketed profile remained, you would see this around the inside perimeter of doors and outside of the sashes whenever you opened the doors. David Wigley, Head of Marketing at Synseal also confirmed this to us.
Synseal Extrusions, the company behind this window (and their manufacturers or resellers), do reinforce our view. Â Synseal further reinforces our belief by referring to Warmcore as an aluminium window throughout their websites and marketing materials.
David Wigley also mentioned to us that Synseal sees that the end user customer is buying into a new type of ‘aluminium window experience’ and not a hybrid one.
Warmcore windows provide what many aluminium windows do not.
Despite the growth in contemporary aluminium windows, modern doors and a trend towards modern aesthetics, the consumer still wants a traditional looking window.
This is logical given that many of us live in older and established homes. While we may extend the back of the house with a modern extension, the front of the house often needs to retain its original features. Windows are an essential part of a home.
Warmcore has done what Liniar has achieved with their Alumina bifolding door. That is the provision of a window system that is in line with the familiar PVCu aesthetic. In addition to this you can also choose a contemporary looking window as well.
Warmcore windows are also available as a flush sash casement and a tilt and turn window as well.
Warmcore windows join a general shift in the window industry.
We have seen it with Senior PURe windows, Origin aluminium windows and others. That is a change to more thermally efficient windows and those that are designed to be future proof. With ongoing changes to the Building Regulations, systems companies are developing windows that are intended to surpass current and future U Value requirements. Warmcore windows combine the aesthetics, durability and desirability of an aluminium window with excellent U Values and performance. Synseal claim Warmcore offers 25% better insulation than a polyamide thermally broken window.
Ultimately a window company wants to sell and a consumer wants to buy aluminium windows that look right. U-Values, security and weather performance do matter. However aesthetics is what sells windows. The Warmcore window is a very attractive window in its various variants and especially when chosen as a flush casement window.
In their marketing material Synseal correctly point out that the weakness of aluminium is the aluminium itself. Aluminium is a good conductor. The window industry addressed this with thermal breaks. These over the years have got larger.
Modern aluminium windows now often feature a thermal break that takes up the majority of the section. Warmcore took this concept several stages further. Warmcore has a PVCu thermal core that is as big as it can get. The result is an aluminium clad window but still an aluminium window nonetheless.
As a result Warmcore windows offer a U Value of 1.3Wm2K for a double glazed window and 0.8Wm2 for a triple glazed window. Current Building Regulations call for a U Value of 1.6Wm2K. By comparison, the Senior PURe window can achieve 0.71Wm2K and the Origin Aluminium window 0.9Wm2K.
Features of the new Warmcore Window.
As you would expect from a modern aluminium window, Warmcore comes with several features found on all modern aluminium windows.
- Multi-point locking
- Internal Glazing Beads
- 10 year guarantee (offered by most installers, not by Synseal/Warmcore)
- Huge colour choice thanks to polyester powder coating
- Dual colours if desired.
There are also other features offered by other aluminium window systems such as a choice of frame and vent. Also on offer are cill options, handle colour options and
Warmcore windows also offer features not found on many aluminium windows.
- A choice of an overlapping or flush sash.
- A choice of beads
- A different corner construction
- Better sealing of mitre joints.
Additionally, Warmcore windows offer several advantages over some other aluminium window systems. To the surface finish, the aluminium profiles are coated with a thickness of 70-80 microns. This exceeds many standard powder coat finishes on offer.
All in all, the Warmcore aluminium window is a very attractive aluminium window, uses cutting edge construction and offers flexibility and choice. Large and small windows can be created and there is a matching range of doors available including the bifold.
It is clear the window industry has embraced the Warmcore product. If you currently sell aluminium windows we recommend adding Warmcore to your existing ranges. The window industry and consumer choice risks becoming stale. Visit any good window showroom and the popular AluK or Smarts systems will often be on offer. Warmcore can complement these very good systems with an option that provides something different in the way it looks, how it is designed and made. It provides the trade and homeowners with another quality window to consider overall.
Images courtesy of www.warmcore.co.uk
