re: Whole home window replacement & sanity check

Tommy's just replaced all the windows in my house. He quoted significantly cheaper than Relief for the same 5400 windows. I am completely pleased with quality and installation.

Not to mention you need the Anchorage to be to be perfect to get the rating achieved in lab results for that 220, which no installer does. 2 windows next to each other in same opening? A structural mullion must be installed that is also rated to 220 mph, hardly anyone actually puts structural mullions between windows at all, which means the windows might be rated 220 mph (they aren't ill circle back to this) but if they aren't installed in situations rated the same, they are rated nothing.

Oh and that 220 mph rating, complete sales bullshite, there's no windows mass produced that even are rated close to that. It's a sales tactic. In order to be rated something, the windows must be tested in cyclical pressure loading to 1.5x times that psf. So cheese sales guys all just give you the 1.5x test pressure. They have this 1.5x rule for a reason, because the test will never reflect real life, so they have to have a huge safety factor.

Look at this chart from a major fenestration testing laboratory.

LINK /

Doesn't even go high enough to show a 220 structural mph rated product. salesman will say "oh my window is hurricane rated" which is an undefined deacription. "Impact rated" means something, hurricane rated means nothing. Contractor grade windows, the cheapest of the cheap, these days are dp35 usually which is technically rated for mph that a cat 1 would have, so basically unless your windows don't meet code at all, they ARE all "hurricane rated" using that thought process.

Impact rated windows are pointless unless you are on a coastline. It's cheaper to install normal windows and then add an additional impact rated covering. The window will still crack and need replacing if actual hit by a projectile. If you are hit by 200mph winds, the ratings on your windows will be the least of your concerns.

The main thing that matters down here is shgc, solar heat gain, (which is controlled 99% by the grade of loe used) and the installer and if the warranty covers installation, everything else is window dressing (pun intended). You shouldn't even really care about the warranty on the window itself, windows don't fail, installations fail. If your warranty states something about proper workmanship and its from the manufacturer which is not associated with installer, it is a worthless warranty even if it says lifetime. If you are more north in a heating environment then ufactor starts becoming more important. I work for a manufacturer in Texas and I will say this is the slimiest industry there is, just know who's installing your window. If they don't know what kind of caulk they are using for instance, run. Don't know if they use coated screws? Run. This is the most important part of replacing windows. I could install a dirt cheap window that would outperform a $1000 window subbed out to some sub contractor that skimps on every part of the process and doesn't know wtf they are doing or care because they'll be gone. Trust me, I hear horror stories every day from people that thought they had a lifetime warranty that would cover everything.