Help!(Vinyl vs Wood), (Replacement vs New Construct), Brand?

[Confused_in_Northern_IL]

Wow. Those pictures are pretty scary. Thanks Fenex, we will follow the link regarding humidity calculations.

Thanks Windows4u and Researcher for that insight. We are very leary of what our end result will look and perform like, but also unsure if we will really ever feel confident with any selection!

We are at the point where we think we know what window we want because of the features, and we've done our homework on the installer, but are not keen now on a specific salesman tactic to get us to sign before Thanksgiving. Stating a 'rebate' direct from the window manufacturer exists when our research tells us it doesn't. Well, a meeting tonight should with the saleman should prove interesting.

[Confused_in_Northern_IL]

By the way, should we be concerned if the installer is not a member of the BBB?

[Confused_in_Northern_IL]

The contract is signed on installing Polaris Ultraweld Supreme casements with wood-grain interiors. Installation approach will be 'new construction' in late December. I will post follow-up comments on the windows, etc, post-installation.

Thanks everyone. Happy Holidays.

[RACER X]

I noticed the Excalibur doesn't have crf numbers listed on the NFRC site, though some of their other higher end slider models have crf's from the low 40's to the mid 50's.
Considering many other brands of vinyl sliders have crf's in the mid-high 60's, it's no wonder you see these type problems with these lower end windows.

(crf=condensation resistance factor)

What is a crf?

thanks