Anatomies

When sealed insulated glass units (IGUs) are installed into window frames with tapes and sealants to prevent water intrusion, expansion and contraction of non-reinforced, low quality vinyl products can cause these to breakdown. In addition, UV rays and other environmental conditions will also cause these tapes and sealants to further degrade.

Over time, tapes and sealants deteriorate, lose their ability to seal, and result in unnecessary hassles and expenses related to replacing the sealed units to repair the windows and other part of the exterior and interior building structure and finishes.

The Defender 76TS window is engineered to keep movement due to thermal expansion to a minimum without risk of damaging the weatherseals. The dry glazed system uses no tapes or sealants to manage all potential water ingress through pressure equalization and ensures that any moisture that may enter has a way to exit. The dry glazed system ensures the window performs as engineered for many decades.

The Defender 76TS Window is reinforced with performance grade galvanized steel that is inserted into the mullions, sashes and frames. This contributes to structural strength, allowing clients to design extra large windows without compromising the structural integrity of the window.

The quantity and quality of the steel reinforcement is an important factor; insufficient amounts and/or poor quality steel can result in the deformation of the mullions, sashes and frames and may lead to product deficiencies. Windows may be difficult to open and close because of sagging or bowing, which can also cause unwanted air and water to enter the building and cause significant damage.

The Defender 76TS Window is engineered for structural resilience to ensure every window operates and performs as intended for many decades.

The Defender 76TS window frame and sash joints are mitred and heat welded to guarantee a highly durable product. The combination of the welded frames and the heavy walled extrusions allows our windows to successfully withstand rigorous strength testing.

The strength tested welded frames greatly minimize the risk for the windows to break during shipping, handling and installation. They also offer maximum protection against water intrusion and drafts for decades of optimal performance.

Not all vinyl or uPVC used in windows is made with the same chemical formulation, quantity or quality. One of the key differences between low quality windows and Innotech windows is the exterior wall thickness of the profiles (frame and sash). The Defender 76TS window is designed with heavy (thick) walled extrusions and manufactured with environmentally friendly, lead free unplasticized PVC (uPVC). This contributes to our industry leading structural strength.

The Defender 76TS window is available with visible (shown in image) or concealed hinges that are engineered to withstand decades of opening and closing. The hinges are three way adjustable (in/out, up/down, left/right) to accommodate for the settling of walls and heavy use over time.

The hinges are bolted into the galvanized steel reinforcement within the frame to make it very difficult to pry the hinges away from the frame. The hinges do not pull out of the frame with increased sash weight or heavy use. Innotech hinges are designed perform under the most stringent conditions allowing large operable sashes with double or triple glazing and offering life long performance.

The Defender 76TS window features a deep (3″ / 76mm) profile with a six chamber design that creates multiple insulating air chambers for exceptional thermal performance: it reduces the negative effects of thermal bridging, while the multiple chambers eliminate convection currents. The multiple chambers also provide excellent torsion control.

The function of a spacer is to seal, insulate and provide structural support for the sealed glass unit. Aluminum spacers provide structural support but inefficient insulation. Non metal spacers offer good insulation but limited structural support.

The Defender 76TS System features a stainless steel warm edge spacer. The Cardinal Endur IG® spacers provide the best combination of sealing, insulating and structural support. In addition, our deep glazing cavity provides additional insulating properties for the sealed glass unit.

The Defender 76TS System features a wide glazing cavity with thick glass.

Many times, manufacturers will squish a third piece of glass into a window or door system that was intended for a two pane insulated glass unit (IGU). To do this, they use thin pieces of glass and/or decrease the air space between each piece.  Thin pieces of glass offer less thermal, sound and structural performance, while small air gaps decrease the thermal and sound performance.  It may look like a triple pane window or door, but it falls short.

The Defender 76TS System features a 37 mm (1.5″) wide glazing cavity that is engineered for a triple pane IGU. The wide glazing cavity allows us to use an insulated glass unit with three thick pieces of glass and the ideal space between each piece. The result is a triple glazed window that delivers superior thermal performance and durability.

Our standard glass thickness is a min. 4 mm – 3 mm – 4 mm (~ 5/32″ – 1/8″ – 5/32″). And depending on the size and project requirements, thicker pieces of glass will be used to meet the necessary performance and project criteria.

Triple glazed insulated glass units are also heavy. If the frame or sash hasn’t been designed to hold the weight of three panes of glass, low-quality triple pane windows will also encounter operating issues (the hardware isn’t designed for the extra weight), diminishing performance over time, and structural problems.

Learn more about our True Triple Glazing.

The Defender 76TS window is engineered with a pressure equalized ventilation and draining system to effectively manage moisture. It relies on our continuous seal technology to effectively redirect water flow through a scientifically engineered and performance tested drainage system.

A high-performance window and door must have a superior sealing system. Without it, the windows and doors will not provide the necessary energy savings, indoor air quality and interior comfort.

The Defender 76TS System features three flexible weather seals. The first seal is located on the exterior of the frame, the second seal is located on the interior of the frame and third flexible seal located in the center of the frame. This center seal is a continuous seal that is designed to remain in contact under all environmental conditions. The center gasket also protects the multipoint hardware system from corrosive exterior air and improves the thermal performance by dividing the sash-to-frame gap in two to reduce convection.

Learn more about our weather seals here.

The Defender 76TS is available in many durable and heat reflective foil colour finishes.