Article:  Discussion of Vinyl Replacement Windows Frames

     One of the things that mystified me the most when I first started selling windows was the difference with different types of vinyl frames.

     If the window was a vinyl window (meaning the frame was vinyl--it still had panes of glass!)--wasn't that all alike?

     Why was one company claiming it had "better" vinyl than the others?

     Vinyl frames can be used with cheap, average or premium windows, and are the most common type of frame out there.

     Contractor-grade ("builder" windows--cheap!) vinyl replacement windows are used in most new median-price-range US housing developments. I think the builders buy the windows by the truckloads and build the houses around the windows!

     Vinyl is lightweight, most of it is strong, and can be highly energy efficient since it doesn't conduct hot or cold. Some vinyl frames are made even more energy efficient because of the way they are molded and/or designed.

     Some vinyl is cheap to manufacturer, and some vinyl is premium grade and costs more to make.

     Most cheap and middle-of-the-road windows use the cheap vinyl (or plastic--a very difference substance than "vinyl" even if it "looks" the same...) that is a mixture of recycled and other vinyl chemical material. This stuff reacts unfavorably to the weather elements and UV radiation and can warp, crack-- and turn YELLOW very soon after install (sometimes within just a year or two!).

     The better vinyl window makers use premium virgin vinyl for all the frame work. It's vinyl that is made of original vinyl chemical compounds and is not made from old or mixed or previously molded and used vinyl and/or plastic. It is more resistant to warping, cracking, peeling and turning yellow.

     However, "resistant" to warping is the operative word. All vinyl expands and contracts with temperature and will eventually sag and even immediately pull away from the caulking of the install.

     I've seen virgin vinyl windows, some costing upwards of $1200 per window that are only 3-5 years old now sagging terribly, have mold that developed in the tracks and leak air and water... and the caulking (though re-caulked repeatedly) has huge cracks in it, particularly showing in the winter with the cold, that even the new silicon caulking can't withstand quarter inch expand/contracting movement.

     Vinyl comes standard in white or beige. In the past, adding any other color to the vinyl weakened the vinyl.

     However, now the highest-end vinyl replacement windows can be also custom ordered to have a color like brown, or wood-looking coating added in the factory. In the these windows, this added color design will have a heat reflective pigment in the color so that even the dark colors won't have heat gain or fade. These designer colors will double the cost of the window but will match any decor...for awhile. The colors and wood-look vinyl will sooner or later end up looking like melted wax.

     Also, at least look for vinyl window frame corners that are WELDED or FUSED together. The cheap vinyl frame corners will be screwed and glued together which soon come apart in weather causing leaks, even faster sagging and discoloration. The cheap vinyl has so many "foreign pieces" in it that it can't be fused, it can only be glued. Look carefully when evaluating windows since sometimes the cheap glued corners can be made to look almost as if they are welded!

     Vinyl replacement window frames are usually wider, more "substantial" in some vinyl windows while still keeping some sleekness. The cheapest vinyl windows have very flimsy, thin frames. The higher cost vinyl windows are wider because the frame is made with "cells" or "chambers" molded into them that help with insulation.

     The higher cost vinyl windows will also put steel or other metal in some parts of the chambers to make the window a bit stronger and sag less over time. Usually this is done at the meet rail, where the window connects between the two opening parts of an opening window (like a single or double hung window or slider) and fastens, so the locking mechanisms will be strong. The metal is put in in such a way that it does not conduct hot or cold and the window keeps its energy efficiency, however, keep in mind that even the most premium vinyl windows will sag over time and pull away from the home caulking since it expands/contracts with the temperature.

     Michael Dennis

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About the author

IPS Group, Inc. Board Member and Director of their Home Improvement Division, Michael Dennis is an avid real estate fix and flip investor, a former long-time replacement window salesman, and the author of several books and websites on home replacement windows including How to Save Thousands on Replacement Windows: The Homeowner's Insider Secrets Manual, and the tell-all report on the big-brand home improvement centers, The 7 Myths The Big-Brand Home Improvement Centers Want You to Believe About Replacement Windows.  Visit their website at www.vinylwindowmanufacturer.com to get your copy TODAY.

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