Dazed and Cornfused in WY: Need Replacement Window Advice

[TJ_Carr]

Have been reading here trying to learn about replacement windows, but am still confused with all the abbreviations & what is offered. Have also wandered through Lowe's and Home Depot looking at windows & trying to get a handle on what we want/need but the more we learn the more confused we get....was thinking about going with Anderson/Pella/Marvin or a local company Gill replacement windows just cuz that's what a few friends recommend, but wanted to try and learn more...

Living in Wyoming it seems our options are more limited to installers and dealers, but from what I've read here Simonton appear to be a good solid window with a good warranty and customer service.

What should we be looking for in a window, need 10 & they will be going into a bi level home built in 1964, the front of the house faces East & the back West, we do not have any N/S exposure windows & all the windows are sliders with the exception of the living room with a picture window.

We live at 6K feet & the weather here ranges from -30F snow/blowing snow (wind always blows, 60mph winds are not uncommon) rain & hail to mid 90's melt your faces off heat & the home is not air conditioned.

[Windows on Washington]

In a word.....an excellent one.

In all seriousness though, you have some extreme conditions to deal with and altitude complications to boot.

You are probably going to need to look at a combination window and window treatment to manage energy flow.

[TJ_Carr]

You are probably going to need to look at a combination window and window treatment to manage energy flow.

Can you please expand on this a little?

Have also been looking at triple pane windows, might go that way if the savings over 20 years will justify the additional cost.

[Windows on Washington]

What I mean is that given your exposure, you may want to combine an efficient window with solar/thermal shades.

If you get that kind of exposure, you would probably benefit from some of the passive solar in the winter to assist in heating the home. Going with most triple pane windows will bring the SHGC down to a level where most of the passive solar is eliminated.

Regardless of your choice in glazing, you are going to be looking for a very air tight (low air infiltration) and high DP window. The wind loads that you are talking about are going to demand it.

Back to the glazing question, the passive solar scenario only works if your home is somewhat set up to take advantage of it.

Solar/Thermal shades are drapes for lack of a better word. They are something that can be opened and closed to control the heat gain (daytime) in the summer and heat loss (nighttime or low light) in the winter.

[TJ_Carr]

Trying this from the blackberry...working today.

Thanks for clearing some things up, need to further edjumacate myself as windows are not nearly as simple as i 1st thought.
Those are the extremes for weather, winds normally run 10-25mph year round it seems. Have seen it colder and hotter, as a example today about a 10mph wind and its flipping hot, somewhere in the low 90's but lastnigght was around 55.

[TJ_Carr]

What I mean is that given your exposure, you may want to combine an efficient window with solar/thermal shades.

If you get that kind of exposure, you would probably benefit from some of the passive solar in the winter to assist in heating the home. Going with most triple pane windows will bring the SHGC down to a level where most of the passive solar is eliminated.

Regardless of your choice in glazing, you are going to be looking for a very air tight (low air infiltration) and high DP window. The wind loads that you are talking about are going to demand it.

Back to the glazing question, the passive solar scenario only works if your home is somewhat set up to take advantage of it.

Solar/Thermal shades are drapes for lack of a better word. They are something that can be opened and closed to control the heat gain (daytime) in the summer and heat loss (nighttime or low light) in the winter.

The house is really not set up for passive heat/cooling but it would be nice to get a little warmth out of the windows in the winter instead of being wind tunnles..

Will take tripple pane glass out of the equation as winter is 10 months n summer only 2 weeks

[Windows on Washington]

Don't take triple pane glass out of the equation because of that fact alone. Triple pane does a much better job of keeping the home's energy inside as well. There are some other glass options coming out that allow for lower U-Factors (0.22) in a double pane while maintaining a slightly higher SHGC.

You certainly need to do some thinking on your choices prior to making a decision. It is not out of the question to mix double and triple pane windows in the home as long as they are not right next to each other.

[TJ_Carr]

My head hurts......

For something as "simple" as windows, it's not so simple as running out to Lowe's and getting em...

[Windows on Washington]

Not if you want the right product.

[TJ_Carr]

Not if you want the right product.

thus the headache

[Skydawggy]

No pain, no gain.

[buddy110]

Wyoming has some brutal weather. I've seen overnight snow in August in the higher elevations, followed by a 90 day. A typical evening there in the summer is in the 60's. Triple pane would probably be your best bet. If you can, stay away from the big box stores. Look for a local guy who can get you Milgard or something. They also have a vinyl and fiberglass window which may be your best bet. look for a window with a sub .1 air infiltration rate and a dp 40 or higher and make sure the install is sealed properly with low expanding foam or caulking to prevent air from leaking around the new window.

GL

[TJ_Carr]

Wyoming has some brutal weather. I've seen overnight snow in August in the higher elevations, followed by a 90 day. A typical evening there in the summer is in the 60's. Triple pane would probably be your best bet. If you can, stay away from the big box stores. Look for a local guy who can get you Milgard or something. They also have a vinyl and fiberglass window which may be your best bet. look for a window with a sub .1 air infiltration rate and a dp 40 or higher and make sure the install is sealed properly with low expanding foam or caulking to prevent air from leaking around the new window.

GL

Am not impressed with the box stores, had some work down by Lowe's...never again....

Filled out the get assistance form here & it said somebody here covered our area...will see what they have to say...

Never heard of Milgard before, but found a local glass company that carries that brand, will have to contact them & see what they say & if they do installs...along with researching the Milgard brand of windows.

[windowman736]

Choosing the best window product is not all that difficult. You want a window that is maintenance free. Vinyl is maintenance free. No more painting. You want a window that is easy to operate. The one you mention is. You want a window for your geographic region. Insulated glass with Low-E coating and argon/ krypton gas between the two panes will reduce heating and airconditoining costs. Triple glazing with two low-e surfaces and argon/krypton gas will reduce those costs even more and they will virtually eliminate any outside noise that you currently may hear.
All windows are required to be tested by an indepenent third party for structural integrity and thermal performance. You can request this test result from the company whose window you are considering. The thermal test will address the air infiltration you are concerned with. These numbers will usually be better than government standards. If you don't get the test results, you eliminate that window from your selection process.
You must consider that before these tests are performed, the window being tested is installed into an opening by the testers using certified installation techniques. That same criteria needs to be performed by the people doing your installation. Those procedures can be found in the Association of Window and Door (AWDI) installers Guide to Installing Vinyl Windows. I know this seems like a lot, but if it's worth doing it's worth doing right.

[Windows on Washington]

Choosing the best window product is not all that difficult. You want a window that is maintenance free. Vinyl is maintenance free. No more painting. You want a window that is easy to operate. The one you mention is. You want a window for your geographic region. Insulated glass with Low-E coating and argon/ krypton gas between the two panes will reduce heating and airconditoining costs. Triple glazing with two low-e surfaces and argon/krypton gas will reduce those costs even more and they will virtually eliminate any outside noise that you currently may hear.
All windows are required to be tested by an indepenent third party for structural integrity and thermal performance. You can request this test result from the company whose window you are considering. The thermal test will address the air infiltration you are concerned with. These numbers will usually be better than government standards. If you don't get the test results, you eliminate that window from your selection process.
You must consider that before these tests are performed, the window being tested is installed into an opening by the testers using certified installation techniques. That same criteria needs to be performed by the people doing your installation. Those procedures can be found in the Association of Window and Door (AWDI) installers Guide to Installing Vinyl Windows. I know this seems like a lot, but if it's worth doing it's worth doing right.

There is some incorrect information in this post.

Triple pane does not improve sound attenuation over double pane. Quite the opposite actually.

Triple pane is and improvement in terms of thermal efficiency, however, he may be better suited with a higher SHGC window with good thermal numbers and combination shades.

NFRC testing is completely separate of Air Infiltration testing and there is nothing about the thermal testing that applies to air infiltration.

Just want to make sure that the customers have the correct information.