The majority of homes in Northeast Florida where built with inferior aluminum windows. These windows have many faults, from drafty awning windows to single pane non-insulated windows. These windows let the outside climate bleed profusely into the comfort of your home. 

From the early 1980s to as recent as 2018, cheap track home builders used very inexpensive aluminum windows to keep their material costs low. This did not do today’s homeowners any favors. These windows are subject to mechanical failures, such as spring balance systems rusting and breaking, making it difficult for the window to open and impossible for them to stay open. In addition, the cast aluminum locks of these windows break, making it impossible for you to secure your home and family.

Aluminum window frames have high conductivity; this is because of the frame’s material. The outside temperature has nothing to prevent it from getting into your home; be it the excessive summer heat or the few days of the year we get freezing temperatures. This is very noticeable with the Bronze or Brown color windows. These frames get so hot in the summer our installers have gotten burned from touching the frame during removal.

Another issue with the Bronze aluminum window frames is the butyl in the spacer between the panes of glass gets so hot and pliable it will melt out from in between the glass, causing it to lose its airtight seal and let water in between the glass panes; this is called seal failure. It will usually happen on the South and West sides of your home. You will be able to see it when the glass seems to get cloudy.

It is extremely rare these windows are insulated or have a low-e glass. In turn, they are the cause for carpet and furniture “sun bleaching”. These types of glass packs are usually thinner and not only allow external heat to transfer into your home but outside sounds as well.

None of these aluminum windows meet today’s Federal energy codes. Today, an aluminum window must have what is called a thermal break; this is something that keeps the outside of the frame from touching the inside of the frame thus making it more difficult for the heat to pass from outside your home to inside your home. 

The Solution

Vinyl frame replacement windows are not new to the window market; this technology has been around since the 1950s from Germany. The technology recently got a bit of help from the Federal energy code, making an energy efficient window a must.

The vinyl window market has become a battleground for manufacturers striving to be better and less expensive than their competition. They offer better security, better quality of vinyl, and better Insulated Glass Units (IGUs) with more options.

Vinyl windows can eliminate the transmission of ambient temperatures. They often have many air pockets in the frame that help insulate and deaden sound. We offer vinyl replacement windows with a lifetime guarantee, dual locks, and a screen that will not bend upon removal.

Seal failure is less of an issue with vinyl windows because these types of windows stay cooler. In some cases, you may get this problem because of labor issues at the glass plants. There are only two main glass distributors that make plate glass and they are used by most of the window manufacturers.

Most vinyl windows are white in color; but there are other colors such as beige and some premium colors and grid options that work well with historical homes and in the historical areas of town. 

Low-e glass is glass that has low emissivity of energy transmittance. Our new vinyl windows meet and, in many cases, exceed the Federal Energy Code with multi-chamber frames and insulated low-e glass.

Contact us today for a free window replacement estimate!