Maximum u-factor for Massachusetts?

[crankopotamus]

I sat through a pitch from Penguin, but their high-pressure sales tactics turned me off. And thanks to this board, I've decided against getting a quote from NES. The Schüco product sounds great, but I'm aghast at some of the things I've read about NES. Wish I lived in Illinois.

A close, trusted friend of mine does home improvements, including replacement windows. He uses and recommends a window called the Duragard XT, by Chelsea Building Products. The local fabricator is Riverdale Window & Doors. I am sure it doesn't rank among the top-shelf products, but it seemed as if it might be good enough.

Still thinking about some of the features of the Penguin and Schüco products, I did a little research, and asked my installer about the triple-pane, krypton-filled option. My installer called his distributor, and the distributor told him well, yes, they're listed on the NFRC site, but they're not selling them right now. The vinyl frame is just not strong enough to support the weight of the triple-pane glass pack.

So I'm looking at a u-factor of .33 for the double-pane argon, versus .22 for the hypothetical triple-pane krypton. I live in Massachusetts, where we have both heating and cooling seasons. Is the .33 going to be good enough? Do you have any feedback on the Duragard XT line?

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

[Windows on Washington]

I sat through a pitch from Penguin, but their high-pressure sales tactics turned me off. And thanks to this board, I've decided against getting a quote from NES. The Schüco product sounds great, but I'm aghast at some of the things I've read about NES. Wish I lived in Illinois.

A close, trusted friend of mine does home improvements, including replacement windows. He uses and recommends a window called the Duragard XT, by Chelsea Building Products. The local fabricator is Riverdale Window & Doors. I am sure it doesn't rank among the top-shelf products, but it seemed as if it might be good enough.

Still thinking about some of the features of the Penguin and Schüco products, I did a little research, and asked my installer about the triple-pane, krypton-filled option. My installer called his distributor, and the distributor told him well, yes, they're listed on the NFRC site, but they're not selling them right now. The vinyl frame is just not strong enough to support the weight of the triple-pane glass pack.

So I'm looking at a u-factor of .33 for the double-pane argon, versus .22 for the hypothetical triple-pane krypton. I live in Massachusetts, where we have both heating and cooling seasons. Is the .33 going to be good enough? Do you have any feedback on the Duragard XT line?

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

.33 will likely be an improvement over your current windows, however, .22 will be a 33% or the .33 factor.

Also, whoever said that about triple pane is...in a word...wrong.

[crankopotamus]

Tom (my installer) said he talked to "his distributor." I could easily be wrong, but I understood him to mean that the person who said that about the triple-pane windows was a salesperson at Riverdale, the ones who manufacture this particular window. I will call him back and confirm.

I am sure that there are unreinforced vinyl frames out there that have no trouble supporting a triple-pane glass pack, but apparently this particular design, as manufactured by Riverdale, is not holding up well. The distributor is seeing enough warranty claims that it is no longer profitable. They've decided to stop selling it for the time being, until they can figure out what the problem is. Maybe Riverdale is just doing it wrong and a different Chelsea licensee would not be seeing the same issues.

Thanks for your thoughts on the u-factor. You make a very good point. My current windows are original to the house, circa 1950, so just about anything will be a significant improvement.

[buddy110]

Look for another Schuco dealer if you can. Thier products are top notch. .22 is pretty much the norm for a triple krypton DH.

Some vinyl frames are indeed not sturdy enough for Triple pane glass. Many manufacturures use metal to reenforce them.

Good luck!