Factory rep inspection ?

What will be the process that the factory rep uses to inspect windows for air leaks ?

He'll look at them real close, check the tolerances and whether they were shimmed properly and installed square. He might even check to see if all the weatherstripping is where it is supposed to be.

There is about a 75% chance he'll then look at you and say, "Sorry, nothing wrong with the windows.......it's installer error".

That's not a dig at factory reps. It's just that a lot of problems are installer related.

look at them real close.... w4u you lost me right there. lol this was a job i did for about 2 years and it was not fun. factory rep means he gets his paycheck from the factory. although there are manufacturer defects about 90% of the calls were install related.

Gee this sounds exactly like what I'll be doing on Tuesday. As a mediator for NARI I get assigned a lot of cases when the contractor and their customer have an unresolved dispute. All volunteer work. The case I'm going to this week involves a window replacement job of about 30+ windows that the homeowner says are leaking but the contractor says are fine. This is what I'll be looking at (you guys wanna come along?):

1. Are the windows installed square & level
2. Can I see visible daylight between the sash and frame (homeowners claims this is the case with several of them)
3. Is the weatherstrip present and in the correct lengths without kinks or gaps
4. Are the tolerances and margins OK
5. On double hungs do the checkrails align properly
6. Does everything work properly - screens, operation, wash feature
7. Are the units properly sealed/caulked

There are other things I can check for to a limited degree. I'm not an employee of the companies that I mediate for, so I'm not going to pull off trim, etc. But I also try to discern if the windows are properly insulated and shimmed. I'll bring a digital infrared thermometer (when it's cold) to measure the temperature at various points of the window (glass, bottom of sash, side of sash, corners, etc.) - temperatures should be consistent from one window to another if all conditions are equal (air circulation on inside, sunlight/solar heat per elevation). If there's a leaky one when it's cold, those temperatures could show up as different than the others.

Fortunately I'm not stuck in a position of trying to protect the manufacturer or installer since I'm a neutral party and I'm not selling them anything (In fact, I CAN'T sell them anything, that would be a violation of the Ethics committee). If the contractor would take care of their customers it shouldn't usually have to go as far as getting me or NARI involved anyway. I just want to resolve the issue, the benefit being that the contractor can get final payment (if any), the homeowner can get what they paid for, and all parties can have closure and move on to other things in life.

Actually I don't do it totally for free - I DO get a free golf outing out of the deal every August . . .

How did I lose you my friend? We are on the same page and said the exact same thing!

we are on the same page. i just dont think he will look at them real closely. i had a contractor tell me one time that the curtains are not moving so they are installed correctly. the funny thing with that job i had was all the excuses from installers. they had no idea i also installed windows, they thought i was the factory shirt and tie coming out from behind my desk.

Tru_blue, sounds like you got a job that throws you right in the Lions Den! I hope you bring some steaks to throw the hungry animals to save on your rear end. I've been sent out to those kind of jobs many times as mediator. Some can be pretty good, others can send you running. I can agree with you whole heartedly on the contractor sacking up and taking care of the customer. If NARI gets into these disputes then it would be much easier to get a blower door and test the house for leaks. It would make your life a lot easier!! Good Luck in your journey!!