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Wood Window Problems
WOOD WINDOWS AN overview

 

Having been to thousands of homes, I have seen an assortment of window problems:  What I don’t like: 

 

Builder’s grade aluminum dual pane windows of the 90’s.  They have a narrow gap between the two panes.  Certain brands have a high rate (about 30%) of them fogging up.  Several home owner’s association have sued Window Master (bought out by Jeldwen in 05), though I am sure other brands also have a high failure rate.  The newer aluminum windows are built much better, and builders have stopped using them in track homes and condos. 

 

Swiggle Seal:  I have their adhesive move within the dual-pane unit and the metal spacer sag.  In my sample bag, it has become sticky and adhered to other object therein and left them with a black, sticky coating. 

 

Anderson’s new Reliance window.  It is a composite of wood dust (from there wood window manufacturing) and a polymer (possible vinyl) which they call Fibrex.  They charge twice the price of a vinyl window, and give you less a warranty.   Slick marketing.

 

Wood windows.  The dual pane glass unit sits on a wood block in the sash.  I have seen in one home half their Pozzi windows fogged up—they were 11 years old.  Pozzi had been out once to replace the glass units (for which they charged for labor); now the warranty had expired.  I have seen this happen with other brands.  Usually the homeowner doesn’t remember what brand they have.  Moreover, the homeowner must supply a factory invoice number to utilize the warranty. I have seen casements warp and become inoperable.  I have seen wood rot from moisture.  I have seen termite damage.  None of these are manufacturer’s defects; thus they are not covered by your warranty.   I have seen the plastic track of the single hung Anderson window come unattached at one end to the wood and warp.  And in our old showroom, the double hung Anderson window installed in an outside opening was difficult to operate—and it was then 3-years old and not exposed to the rain.  If you must have wood, the prudent choice is the wood veneer, Milgard fiberglass windows.   They are better than vinyl, and have a beautiful cedar veneer

 

Moisture permanently trapped
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A warped and fogged Pella casement wood window
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Notice that the sides of this casement sash do not fit squarely into the frame.  We had replaced two even worse windows on the ground floor because they were so warped that they would not lock. 

Anderson double-hung, wood window
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Notice the beige, plastic pieces sticking out.  They are the tracks which the window sash once rode up and down against. 

Eagle wood window
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Wood windows are now made to seal tightly so as to keep air out and get a better thermal rating.  However, when moisture enters it stays longer, and thus rotting and warping is a major problem—not covered by manufacturer’s warranty.  This is a picture of one of 4 such windows that had rotted.  We replaced the rotted wood.

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