thermo tite vs silverline or atruim?

[buggy]

I've had 3 salesmen come to the house to give estimates. Kastle took very long and is not currently on my list which leaves me with a local installer who deals with SILVERLINE, and THERMO TITE who does there own installation. I would love to know if anyone knows the quality differences - Pricing is pretty close within a few hundred dollars. Any advice?

[windowsnj]

i know a few people over at thermo-tite, who came out to see you? Silverline is a lousy window in general.

[buddy110]

Thermo titie is pretty good. I have thier SPD's in my TT sunroom. They have super spacer. Overall I'm satisfied with them.

[tagts]

Don't buy the Silverline. If only I'd read this board before I did I wouldn't be having $10k of buyers remorse. They leak air in from outside like crazy.

[gardenpartyfish]

Don't buy the Silverline. If only I'd read this board before I did I wouldn't be having $10k of buyers remorse. They leak air in from outside like crazy.

I'd find it hard to believe it was the 9500 Silverlines. Yes, the 1200dh are pos but the 9500 is a decent dh.

[shamu]

Not so hard to believe. Any SilverLine window by any number or name are notorious for air leakage.

[gardenpartyfish]

Not so hard to believe. Any SilverLine window by any number or name are notorious for air leakage.

And this is cause of one bad install OR cause you don't carry/install or like Silverline Windows?
Btw-Please cite your sources. '

[shamu]

No I don't sell or install SilverLine products. Because after almost 24 years in this industry I can recognize good window design and bad. Any manufacturer that has to utilize dust blocks in their jambs to divert air and large fuzzy pads stuck onto the sash at the meeting rails has air infiltration issues. I know of many dealers and distributors that have sold SilverLine and have since dropped them because of poor quality. Check SilverLine's website and compare their air infiltration and U-values to other window manufacturers.

[Windows on Washington]

Not so hard to believe. Any SilverLine window by any number or name are notorious for air leakage.

And this is cause of one bad install OR cause you don't carry/install or like Silverline Windows?
Btw-Please cite your sources. '

The poster that referenced their poor performing windows was talking about air blowing in through the sashes. That is a design issue and not an installation issue.

Air infiltration is an often overlooked performance measurement when evaluating windows. The U-Factor on a window could be great and it could leak like a sieve. It wouldn't change the U-Factor.

[gardenpartyfish]

No I don't sell or install SilverLine products. Because after almost 24 years in this industry I can recognize good window design and bad. Any manufacturer that has to utilize dust blocks in their jambs to divert air and large fuzzy pads stuck onto the sash at the meeting rails has air infiltration issues. I know of many dealers and distributors that have sold SilverLine and have since dropped them because of poor quality. Check SilverLine's website and compare their air infiltration and U-values to other window manufacturers.

Silverline's Air infiltration is UNDER the AAMA/NWWDA guidelines.

http://www.silverlinewindow.com/pdfs/RW_Structural.pdf

[buddy110]

Thermo titie is pretty good. I have thier SPD's in my TT sunroom. They have super spacer. Overall I'm satisfied with them.

Correction my SPD's are thermal industries
All Silverline windows are poor/low quality

[Windows on Washington]

No I don't sell or install SilverLine products. Because after almost 24 years in this industry I can recognize good window design and bad. Any manufacturer that has to utilize dust blocks in their jambs to divert air and large fuzzy pads stuck onto the sash at the meeting rails has air infiltration issues. I know of many dealers and distributors that have sold SilverLine and have since dropped them because of poor quality. Check SilverLine's website and compare their air infiltration and U-values to other window manufacturers.

Silverline's Air infiltration is UNDER the AAMA/NWWDA guidelines.

http://www.silverlinewindow.com/pdfs/RW_Structural.pdf

No offense but .30cfm is a crappy standard. I would like to see the standard at a high of .15cfm max. If that was the case, only one model of Silverline Double hung would make the cut.

Just look at the air infiltration numbers on their casements to see if the window is poorly designed. An average of over .08cfm on a casement is crap.

Heck, their best DH is a .12cfm....that is 3 times more leaky than the Barrington window.

[Window4U (IL)]

Just amazing.... he thinks Softlite Elements with a U-value of .16, an air infiltration rate of .01, a DP rating of 70, composite reinforcement and foam filled sash and frame extrusions is a crap window,... but he praises Silverline. Go figure.

[FenEx]

But.... Andersen bought Silverline... so they must be good.
<ducking and hiding>

[ANOTHER WINDOW GUY]

We've used the Silverline 9500 for many years to compete with WW. Cheap window, cheap price. Q/C has always been suspect but they have found a way to slip below terrible. The screens are of very low quality with a very flimsy frame and the complaints of excessive air infiltration have tripled, along with weld marks that look like my Grandson did them with a carving knife. How can it be that the largest window company in the US bought them and the minimal quality standard got worse.
A good install no longer makes a difference, unless you consider stuffing rags between the sash and main frame a good install.
Their service dept (Moe & Curly) graduates from STUPID U STATE, don't know a window from an airplane. These are all facts which I can substantiate with a pile of service calls. Were shopping again for that elusive budget priced window, but this time we've raised our standards, it also has to keep the squirrels out.