Guides
Security Windows and Burglar Bars: Getting the Detail Right
A window with burglar bars is two products in one: a frame that closes against weather, and a barrier that resists a hand, a blade or a lever. When the two are bought separately, the bars win the argument and the window loses its exit. Housing work across East and West Africa runs on aluminium windows with burglar bars as a standard line item, so the detail deserves a place in the specification rather than a note added on site.
Bars on the wall, or a grille in the frame
Two arrangements cover most work. A bar set can be fabricated and fixed into the reveal after the window goes in, which keeps the window order simple and lets a local workshop match the pattern of the street. The second is a factory grille sitting inside the frame line with the sash behind it. The first is easier to change later. The second keeps the elevation clean and the bars aligned with the mullions.
Keep a way out
A locked room needs a second route. Before the bars are drawn, decide which leaf is the escape leaf and how it opens. A fixed set across a whole opening closes that route for good. The workable detail is a hinged or openable section on the escape leaf, keyed from the inside, so a bar set does not turn a bedroom into a box. Put that decision on the drawing, not in a conversation on site.
Locks that work behind bars
Bars slow an entry; the lock ends it. The casement lines carry a multi-point lock with a keyed handle, so cams draw the sash onto its gasket at several points along the frame rather than at a single latch. That matters where a bar set shares the same reveal, because a lever worked against the bars loads the frame. Check the lock layout and the bar fixings on one drawing.
Screens, seals and upkeep
Bars collect dust and stop a cloth. The 50 casement carries a high-transparency insect screen as standard, and EPDM foam gaskets run the full sash rebate, so the window still closes against dust with the bars in place. Leave a gap between the bar set and the frame face for cleaning and for airflow. Build a repaint or recoat cycle into the maintenance plan, because the bars weather first.
Ordering the window and the bars together
Send the opening schedule with the bar pattern, the escape leaf marked, and the finish required for both. Adam Alux supplies the window with its dimensional pack as a PDF, CAD on request, and a sample profile set plus a finished test unit can be reviewed before production. Bars can be quoted as a factory grille or left to a local fabricator. Lead time is confirmed with the quotation.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Are burglar bars worth adding to aluminium windows?
Where a ground floor faces a street or a yard, they are the plainest barrier available and they do not change the window itself. The value sits in the detail: a bar set that blocks the only exit trades one risk for another. Specify an openable section on the escape leaf and keep the fixing off the sash.
Do bars block escape in a fire?
They can, which is why the escape leaf is marked first. An openable bar section keyed from the inside keeps the route clear. Put the leaf and the hinge side on the drawing, and check that the bar frame does not foul the sash swing. A fixed set across a whole habitable room should be avoided.
Can burglar bars be fitted at the factory?
Yes, as a grille set inside the frame line, aligned with the mullions and finished with the window. The alternative is a bar set fixed into the reveal after installation, which a local workshop can match to the street. Both can be quoted, and a factory grille keeps a block consistent from unit to unit.
Which window type takes bars best?
A casement, because it opens on one axis and the bar set can stay flat against the reveal. The 50 casement is the usual choice for housing work: a 50 mm frame on a 1.2 mm wall with 5-20 A-5 glass and a high-transparency insect screen. Sliders take bars too, but the track needs clearance at each end.
How do I order windows with bars?
Send the opening schedule, the bar pattern, the escape leaf and the finish for both the window and the bars. The dimensional pack arrives as a PDF with the quotation, with CAD on request, and a sample profile set plus a finished test unit can be reviewed before production. Lead time is confirmed with the quotation.
Keep going
Related in the range
Send your opening schedule
Series, glazing and finish come back as one quotation, with the full dimensional pack on PDF and CAD on request.