Breezway Altair louvre windows are made from high quality materials and finishes. However, these windows are also exposed to various environmental conditions that may cause weathering over a period of time.

Breezway Altair louvre windows are constructed using only non-corrosive materials such as aluminium, stainless steel and industrial plastics, and finished with high quality powder coat finishes from Dulux, Interpon and Decorative Imaging or anodised to 25 microns (the recommended level for severe marine environments). However, aluminium finishes still require some level of maintenance effort to reduce the rate of weathering.

Breezway’s Three Cs of maintenance include Cleaning Technique, Cleaning Frequency and Choice of Finish.

Cleaning Technique

Cleaning Breezway Altair louvre windows is a relatively simply process. Remove any loose dirt by gently brushing or hosing the louvres. Clean using a sponge or soft brush and warm water with a mild detergent. Avoid cleaning agents with a caustic base, abrasive materials or harsh chemicals. Rinse with clean water. Dry with a chamois (optional). Apply a ‘non-abrasive’ car polish to maintain the lustre of the finish (optional).

Cleaning Frequency

Breezway louvre windows should ideally be cleaned every three months, or more frequently in severe conditions.

Appendix I of the Australian Standard AS1231-2000 provides additional information on atmospheric environments, and describes the following environmental classifications:

Mild to moderate

Remote and rural communities and environments with light industrial pollution or very light marine influences: Typical areas include outback Australia, most of New Zealand, rural communities away from the coast, most inland cities, suburbs of cities on sheltered bays such as Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, and the suburbs of Brisbane and Perth that are away from the coast.

Tropical

Tropical environments generally have high annual rainfall (greater than 1200mm), high average humidity all year round (typically 65% to 100%) and no industrial fallout. Typical areas include coastal areas of north Queensland, Northern Territory, north-west Western Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands.

Severe Industrial

Areas around major industrial complexes inland from the sea: Typical areas include around the smelters in Port Pirie and Newcastle. 

Severe Marine

Within 100m of the beach in sheltered areas, but up to 5km inland from the beach for most ocean-front areas, depending on the local winds, topography and vegetation: Typical areas include the south-western corner of Western Australia, the south-eastern corner coast of Southern Australia and the New South Wales, Queensland and New Zealand coasts. Large areas of Perth, Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle have severe marine environments.

Microclimate conditions

A window’s location within a building can accelerate the environmental effects on the window. Windows, which remain damp for extended periods of time or are not exposed to cleansing rain, should be cleaned more regularly than other windows.

Choice of finish

Breezway offers three different aluminium surface finishes to suit various climatic conditions: anodising, standard powder coatings and high performance powder coatings. When windows are exposed to the elements for long periods of time, weathering of the aluminium finish should be eventually expected resulting in gradual changes in the appearance of the finish with loss of gloss, chalking and colour changes. Choosing anodised aluminium finishes or high performance powder coatings will reduce the rate of deterioration of the finish.

Standard Powder Coatings

Standard powder coatings include Interpon D1000 or Dulux Duralloy polyester powder coats, which come with a 10-year film integrity warranty, and a 7-year colour integrity warranty. These powder coats are recommended for residential buildings, light commercial buildings up to three levels and mild, moderate and tropical environments.

High Performance Powder Coatings

High performance powder coatings comprise of Interpon D2010, Dulux Duratec or Decorative Imaging DecoWood polyester powder coats. Recommended for commercial buildings, prominent buildings and severe marine environments, these powder coatings come with a 10-year film integrity warranty, and a 10-year colour integrity warranty.

Anodised Aluminium Surface Treatment

Anodised aluminium surface treatment consists of an electrochemical process that forms a 25-micron thick oxidising layer. Suitable for all building types and all environmental conditions including severe industrial, severe marine and tropical environments, the treatment comes with a 10-year film integrity warranty and a 10-year colour integrity warranty.