How does one tell a contractor’s series
vinyl product from quality???
Price, warranty, and
thicker flange are the 3
best indicators
WARRANTY
Labor and factory service are the most important issues.
Labor runs about $100. At $100/stop their service tech is making
money for the company installing a $2 part or adjusting a lock. Moreover,
most manufacturers simply supply parts to local dealer, who charge for a service call.
Relying upon a dealer is iffy; having a factory service specialist, such as supplied by Milgard and IWC, is much better. Don’t believe the word lifetime—read
the small print, for some (Amsco & Simonton for example) have pages of clauses listing exclusions.
No Mention of labor, means you are being charged
for it
Builder series windows
Many manufacturers rely on low prices for marketing (their principle target is new housing, secondary target replacement
market). They cut costs by some or all of the following: 1) by using 3/32 glass flimsy (thin) instead of the 50% thicker
1/8th glass. 2) a thin retro
flange without chambers (Plygem, Simonton. Atrium Jeld-wen, Amsco, Pella, IWC, Superior, atrium, and others). 3). not including labor in their warranty. 4). Cutting labor entails poor quality control, poor follow through on orders, shipping incomplete orders,
etc. 5) Saving on vinyl by adding filler to it and by having thinner walls and
less chambers. 6) Limiting or excluding
transfer of warranty.
Milgard uses the as standard 1/8 glass, has
a multi-chambered retro flange, provides factory warranty service with no charge to the customer. Milgard has one of the strongest warranties in the industry (labor, lifetime, transferrable, and very few
exclusions). Factory support and quality control are excellent. Being a better built window, they cost more--and they are worth it.
* 20/10: (20 years glass, 10 years parts), standard for wood windows; however, Milgard is lifetime with labor.
** COMPOSITE--Amsco & Anderson add sawdust to vinyl, call it a space-age polymer, and then charge than double the price of their vinyl line, and they give you only a 20/10 year
warranty--tells you about how durable their composite is.
***WOOD WINDOWS—warping, binding, and wood rot are not manufacturer’s defects. The glass units frequently fog-up because of the lack of drainage holes beneath the glass unit. The old wood windows breathed; they didn’t have rubber gaskets to stop air infiltration. They weren’t energy efficient, but with minimal maintenance I have seen many
of them over 100 years old. An exterior aluminum or vinyl clad doesn’t
stop the moisture problem--just eliminates painting. Remember warping, binding,
and wood rot are not manufacturer’s defects. Milgard has a solution: they have a fiberglass window with a beautiful
wood veneers (Mahogany or Douglas fir), and comes in 9 factory exterior colors. Stronger
than vinyl--that is why it has a lifetime warranty with labor.
*4 To transfer
the warranty, they require the new homeowner to both register and send a check ($50 or more) in the first month, or other
similar requirements.
*5 Jeld-Wen,
Plygem & Atrium have bought out numerous manufacturers including the local Window Master, Superior, and Certainteed. These companies all specialize in builder-series windows. Pella and Anderson have also each bought out a vinyl window company and now market a builder series vinyl
window (Anderson, the Silveline; Pella the ThermaStar).
