Fixed Frame Nets for Windows
A fixed frame screen sits outside the window on brackets. There are three ways to hold it, and they are chosen by what your window is and whether you may drill into it: Z-brackets, hooks or pins.
01Z-PLATES: THE MOST RELIABLE METHOD
Two plates at the bottom and two at the top: the screen is not blown out or knocked out by accident. The cost is screws into the window frame, which means holes in it.
02HOOKS: WHEN DRILLING IS NOT ALLOWED
They grip the outer edge of the sash. Used in rented homes and where the management company forbids touching the glazing. The downside: visible from outside and only suited to certain profiles.
03PINS: NEAT, BUT NOT EVERYWHERE
They sit in the groove of the frame and leave almost no trace. They do not suit every profile, and that comes out at the survey.
04A SEPARATE POINT FOR DUBAI
- A screen left outside all year is bleached by sun and packed with sand
- Being able to take it off from inside, without a ladder, beats theoretical strength
- On upper floors that is the deciding argument
- A screen removed for the season does not age in the opening
Z-brackets are two plates below and two above. The screen goes into the upper pair, drops into the lower pair and stays. It is the most common and the most secure method: the screen is not blown out and not knocked out by accident. The downside is that the plates are screwed to the window frame, so the frame gains holes.
Hooks grip the outer edge of the sash and hold the screen against it. No drilling is needed, which is why this method goes into rented homes and into buildings where the management company forbids interference with the glazing. The downside is that hooks are visible from outside and only work on certain profile geometry.
Pins slot into a groove in the frame. The method is neat and leaves almost no trace, but it does not suit every profile, and that is established at the survey.
For Dubai there is one further consideration. A screen standing outside all year gets bleached by the sun and clogged with sand. So the option that lets you lift the screen out from inside without a ladder is worth more than theoretical strength. On upper floors that argument decides it.
Sizes and limits
| Method | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Z-brackets | most secure, needs holes in the frame |
| Hooks | no drilling, visible from outside |
| Pins | neat, not suited to every profile |
| Warranty | 2 years |
The fixing method is not a matter of taste but of what your window is and whether it can be drilled.
Common questions
Which method should I choose?
Z-brackets if you may drill, hooks if you may not. Pins depend on the profile and that is settled on site.
Will the wind take it off?
Not on Z-brackets. Hooks hold less well, and high up in a tower we would not fit them.
Can I lift it out from inside?
On Z-brackets yes, if the window opens inwards. That matters more than it sounds when you live high up.
[ FROM SURVEY TO FITTING ]
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