ᐅ Cleaning sliding glass windows on upper floors from the outside
Created on: 2 Jan 2021 11:39
M
manohara
I assume there is no practical solution, but first the problem:
In the upper floor of a house, I want to install large, floor-to-ceiling sliding windows (the attic is being converted). The goal is to have the front (with a wide, unobstructed view of the countryside to the south) open as extensively as possible. We’re talking about an area 4 meters wide and 2.20 meters high (13 feet, 7 inches by 7 feet, 3 inches).
What I want is to create a feeling “up there” on the south side, similar to being on a covered balcony.
So far, my plan is to have fixed glass panels of 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches) on each side, with the central 2-meter (6 feet, 7 inches) section sliding to the right and left. It won’t be an “extremely large” opening, but it should be as wide as possible.
The window surfaces must, of course, be accessible for cleaning from the outside. The current solution is to install a narrow “balcony” in front of them. This will probably be a slim metal grate floor with a railing.
What I’m now wondering is if there are solutions that do not require a walkable space outside in front of the windows. A railing is obviously necessary whenever the windows are open, but if the panels could be cleaned from the inside like regular casement windows, it would eliminate the need for an external walkway.
I am looking for a sliding-and-tilting mechanism (which, as far as I know, I have never seen anywhere) where the floor-to-ceiling panels can also be tilted inward for cleaning. Does anyone know of such a system? Or can you suggest how to search for it online? When I search for “tilt-and-slide door,” I only get folding doors, which also cannot be accessed from inside on the outside surface.
Of course, I am also happy to hear any completely different ideas that I haven’t thought of yet.
In the upper floor of a house, I want to install large, floor-to-ceiling sliding windows (the attic is being converted). The goal is to have the front (with a wide, unobstructed view of the countryside to the south) open as extensively as possible. We’re talking about an area 4 meters wide and 2.20 meters high (13 feet, 7 inches by 7 feet, 3 inches).
What I want is to create a feeling “up there” on the south side, similar to being on a covered balcony.
So far, my plan is to have fixed glass panels of 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches) on each side, with the central 2-meter (6 feet, 7 inches) section sliding to the right and left. It won’t be an “extremely large” opening, but it should be as wide as possible.
The window surfaces must, of course, be accessible for cleaning from the outside. The current solution is to install a narrow “balcony” in front of them. This will probably be a slim metal grate floor with a railing.
What I’m now wondering is if there are solutions that do not require a walkable space outside in front of the windows. A railing is obviously necessary whenever the windows are open, but if the panels could be cleaned from the inside like regular casement windows, it would eliminate the need for an external walkway.
I am looking for a sliding-and-tilting mechanism (which, as far as I know, I have never seen anywhere) where the floor-to-ceiling panels can also be tilted inward for cleaning. Does anyone know of such a system? Or can you suggest how to search for it online? When I search for “tilt-and-slide door,” I only get folding doors, which also cannot be accessed from inside on the outside surface.
Of course, I am also happy to hear any completely different ideas that I haven’t thought of yet.
