# Climate Guard windows



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Last place I'd be buying windows for anything but a garage would be a box store.
Any local contractor, real lumber store, even most siding supply's sell quality windows.
Contact Windcor and Simonton for local dealers.


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## thedford (Feb 25, 2008)

Thanks joecaption. I checked the lumber yard no Simonton or Windcor. I checked a siding supply store and they do carry Simonton. Thanks again I would have never thought of them. Since I am going to be replacing the exterior would you go with new construction over replacement. Thanks


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Thedford:

Who makes the window is not nearly important as how the window is made.

First, look at pane spacing. You want a full 1/2 inch gap between each pane of glass, and 5/8 of an inch is actually better. Some unscrupulous window companies squeeze three panes of glass into the frame for a double glazed window and call it a "triple glazed window" but there's only 1/4 of an inch between the panes. The pane spacing is important, and you need at least 1/2 inch between each pane and the next to minimize heat loss through the panes. 

The reason no one sells quadruple glazed windows is because once you have a triple glazed window, MOST of the remaining heat loss is through radiant heat transfer. That's why the next step after buying a triple glazed window is to ensure it has a low-e coating to reduce radiant heat transfer. A low-e coating is actually a layer of silver atoms about 70 atoms thick on one of the internal sides of glass (where it's protected from people rubbing against it and rubbing those silver atoms off). So, after your third pane of glass, you want a low-e coating.

Finally, where I live (Winnipeg, Manitoba), most window companies will fill the spaces between the glass with an inert gas like argon or krypton free of charge, or for a negligible cost (like $10 per window). This inert gas filling costs the least, but adds a little bit of thermal savings because argon and krypton atoms can't absorb as much energy as oxygen or nitrogen MOLECULES. (Think of spinning a bowling ball as opposed to spinning a weightlifting bar bell.) The barbell can absorb a lot more energy as it spins, and therefore oxygen and nitrogen molecules can carry more energy from one side of the air gap to the other as a convective current is established between the panes of glass.

Also, ask about the warranty on the sealed units. Time was when window companies used to warranty their sealed units for 15 years. I don't know if they still do, but you want the longest warranty on the sealed units you can get, because that's one of the warranties you may very well use.

DON'T get fiberglass windows. Fiberglass is too brittle to hold a screw, and the screws holding the hardware on fiberglass windows are a perpetual source of problems. PVC windows are the most practical.

If you can find a window frame with a horizontal "ledge" 1/2 inch wide or better, you can install the PVC windows into your existing wooden frames. Then, simply buy some 1/8 inch thick white PVC (from any PVC window or door company in your area; they all use the stuff for their installations) and fashion an awning or "flashing" to cover the bottom of the wooden frame. That is, the PVC will cover the bottom portion of the wooden window frame, thereby keeping the rain and snow melt off of it, but allowing air to circulate under that PVC awning or flashing to keep the wood dry. I've done that on all of the windows in my building, and it allows you to save money by installing a window into an existing wooden frame, but makes that wooden frame maintenance free because with the painted wood in the shade all the time, the paint NEVER cracks or peels. (You can even use a mirror and flash light to check the condition of the paint on the wood under the PVC flashing, too.) Also, the only place the wood window frame will ever rot is at the bottom, and the PVC flashing you make to keep the rain and sun off the bottom portion of the window will ensure it never gets wet enough to start rotting. I use 3M #950 double sided transfer tape to stick my PVC flashings onto the windows, and then use Kop-R-Lastic caulk to effectively "glue" the flashing in place. I've never had one come off even in blizzard force winds.

G'Luck.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

What style window you need would depend on several things.
What's on the outside for siding?
What's in there now for windows. Wooden single hung, aluminum, ECT.
Posting a picture so we can see what your seeing is helpful.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i have CLIMATE GUARD windows. they are sliders. i like them well enough. for the price (pretty reasonable) i think they are just fine. i cannot compare them to anything else, as i have no real experience with other brands. i also have a 6' patio door from them. again, for the very reasonable price :thumbup:


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

oh. i got them from a building supply place called "studio 51" . this place has somee pretty high end stuff.


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

1) Home Depot DOES sell Simonton, around here they call it Vantage Point. That said, I don't really recommend buying through them
2) Climate Guard. To my knowledge they are a pretty small, very new company down there. Can't really comment on quality, but if you are worried about warranty coverage or replacement part availability down the road you might think about that a bit. 

On that other long post, I'd highly recommend sticking to the actual ratings (primarily u-factor) to determine the effect that a given aspect will have (in reference to glass spacing, low e, number of panes, etc).


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