energy efficient windows with storms
Butchly
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
I recently purchased and had installed replacement windows in an old farmhouse. The windows seem to have eliminated the drafts that the old windows allowed. The new windows are double pane, argon filled and low E-glass. I was told that if I re-installed the storm windows that the warranty for the new windows would be invalid. Why is this so? Wouldn’t the storms be somewhat like having a third pane of glass with the addition of the added protection from any drafts that could occur when the windows age? The new windows did not provide the energy savings that was advertised and I would like to help them in that respect.
Replies
My guess is that there are two (reasonably legitimate) concerns:
The storm can lead to heat buildup and thermal stress that cracks the glass.
The storm, if not properly installed, and if the weep holes are not properly kept clear, can result in standing water on the sill.
Of course, both these problems are "manageable" by making the storms rather loosely sealed, and #1 is not a issue to begin with for north-facing windows.
Of course, there's always:
3. They advertise that their windows "eliminate the need for storm windows", and they don't want you proving otherwise.
Thank you for the reply. I never thought about the heat buildup issue. There isn't a whole lot of sense installing the storms too loosely, that would not help the draft reduction as I had intended. The advertising gimmic had come to mind and I guess I was hoping for some truth when I should have known better. I still believe that it was a wise choice to have them installed. Thanks again to all those who took the time to reply.
"did not provide the energy savings that was advertised "
This is not surprising. The ad's were meant for the general public and in fact your home may not be as much an energy hog as their "norm".
However, besides Dan's explanation, you might want to consider how inconvenient it will be to raise and lower the storms (if triple tracks) or to install fixed glass storms.
I've been in houses that left their triple tracks up when replacements were installed-never heard of warranty disclaimers involving them.
Thanks for the thought and taking the time to reply. At this point inconvenience is not something I need more of. Thanks again.
Thank you!
That's what this place is here for and why some take the time to read.
Hopefully one gets a knowledgable reply or if nothing else, hears something that they hadn't thought of yet..
Best of luck.