Replacement Windows

[Shawn Siegrist]

In the past I've used American Craftsman windows which are made by Anderson and sold by Home Depot. They were a good window, emphasizing WERE. I purchased and installed three of them this past weekend, they looked good while I was installing them, but upon closer inspection I can see that all three windows are 3/16 of an inch wider at the base then they are at the top. Meaning the window isn't sealing well between the window and the frame, I can see light between the window and frame on two of them!

Can anyone recommend a good replacement window, white vinyl inside and out?


Thank you!

[Tom M King]

I guess that makes them easier to pivot for cleaning.

[Bill Dufour]

I would return them for refund but ask before pulling them. What is considered acceptable misalignment. if these are sliding windows they may fall out of the frame. At the least they will not meet current codes for air flow sealing.
Bil lD

[Jim Matthews]

I had 18 Earthwise vinyl (triple pane, low E) windows installed 5 years ago. Still fine, seals are tight.

https://earthwisewindows.com/homeowners/

[Brian Elfert]

In the past I've used American Craftsman windows which are made by Anderson and sold by Home Depot. They were a good window, emphasizing WERE. I purchased and installed three of them this past weekend, they looked good while I was installing them, but upon closer inspection I can see that all three windows are 3/16 of an inch wider at the base then they are at the top. Meaning the window isn't sealing well between the window and the frame, I can see light between the window and frame on two of them!

Andersen Windows sold American Craftsman windows to Plygem in 2018. Plygem may have lowered the quality control standards since they bought the window line.

[Mel Fulks]

I don't like "sandwich" windows. The big off-set is funny looking and they have R value of 3. Single pane has R value
of 1. When single panes fog, you just wipe them off. When double or triple fog up you replace them. Most houses now
have fake shutters ( here's an easy way to recognize the fake shutters.....they have no hinges ! They are priming you
for a cardboard house with "quadruple pain" windows.

[Adam Herman]

I don't like "sandwich" windows. The big off-set is funny looking and they have R value of 3. Single pane has R value
of 1. When single panes fog, you just wipe them off. When double or triple fog up you replace them. Most houses now
have fake shutters ( here's an easy way to recognize the fake shutters.....they have no hinges ! They are priming you
for a cardboard house with "quadruple pain" windows.

66% less energy loss, defiantly not worth it! yes, trac homes usually are not well built, but that has nothing to do with having much better products than we had 20 or 50 years ago. 50 years ago your house lasted because air moved through it very easly, transporting out moisture. we then started to seal up homes much better, but were a little behind on the drying and water aspects. now, we are looking at it through a more integrated approach with products like zip sheathing and the peel and stick barrier products. we can heat and cool homes with a small fraction of the energy that it once took.

i loved the triples on our last house, so quite and they did help with energy efficiency.
there were some issues in the 80s with large batches of insul panels loosing seal. same company that made the seals for challenger. The panels you see now are very likely to never loose seal in your lifetime. casement seal the best, as they can compress a bulb seal, seals that have to slide past each other are not able to be compressed like the seal in a casement.

our house has pella replacement basic sliders, they seem better than average, were installed before we purchased it.

[Lisa Starr]

We've had good luck with the windows from Vinyl Window Designs in Canada. They are a lower/mid-price window that is all vinyl that are available as both new construction and replacement. Their website is somewhat lacking, but you should be able to locate a distributor with it. A much higher end window is offered by Marvin, but I don't think the window is all that much better for the significant price difference.

[Brian Elfert]

I don't like "sandwich" windows. The big off-set is funny looking and they have R value of 3. Single pane has R value
of 1. When single panes fog, you just wipe them off. When double or triple fog up you replace them. Most houses now
have fake shutters ( here's an easy way to recognize the fake shutters.....they have no hinges ! They are priming you
for a cardboard house with "quadruple pain" windows.

I can tell you that my double pane windows have saved me more money in energy than I have ever spent on replacing fogged windows. I have owned two houses over a 20 year span and I have not had to replace a double pane window. My parent's house had double pane windows for 30 years and I think one pane out of dozens fogged up. My parents ultimately replaced their windows because they leaked air like crazy around the sashes. They also had to painted at least every five years.

[Mel Fulks]

Brian, glad your's are working well. It's possible that they have improved those seals, fogging used to be a big problem.
I hope they no longer have to have an etched logo on every pane.
Since this is a wood place, I know some would enjoy making their own folding interior shutters . I made them at
different times for at least 3 houses. They go on both sides of the window,bi- fold into pocket on both sides of window.
Beautiful design that we copied. On each side there is a fixed panel that lines up with the shutters, so it all matches,
Some of them are splayed ,so the panels always show from across the room. I'm pretty sure that over night they provide
more insulation than R3.

[Brian Elfert]

The state of Minnesota I believe requires double pane windows in new houses. I'm not sure you could really buy a good window these days that is only single pane unless it is maybe an all wood frame inside and outside. (You can get cheap low grade vinyl windows with single pane.) I do think the technology has improved a fair bit. I rarely hear about anyone with fogged double pane windows these days.

I don't know if etched window panes are a requirement or not. Andersen certainly does etching, but it helps identify the brand of window and Andersen puts the production date on the windows for getting the right parts and for warranty.

[Bill Dufour]

California requires double pane windows except on sheds etc. I am not actually sure if sheds are exempt or not. Cheaper to buy a double pane window off the shelf then to special order a single pane. I think. Even where the temperatures are not extreme like in San Francisco or San Diego. No box stores carry single pane windows. Not sure if it is legal to sell single pane at all or not.
Bil lD

[Bill Jobe]

When my daughter and her husband replaced the windows in their 100+ year old farmhouse they went with new construction windows.