Page 34 - Indulge August/September 2015
P. 34
Replace worn-out windows?
the choice is clear ByPatrickO'Donnell
34 | indulge • august/september 2015 id you know that the word they don’t realize is that inexpensive “You’d be surprised at how many
“window” can be traced to the windows can actually end up costing people have vinyl windows fail after
Old Norse language? According to more in the long run. five years, and then they choose vinyl
the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it again!” Winters says. “They don’t
evolved from the term vindauga, which “Inexpensive usually means vinyl, appreciate the fact that they are
meant “wind’s eye.” and what most vinyl does when the investing in their home, which is one of
While the origin of the word makes weather changes, is it flexes,” says their family’s most important assets.”
sense (early windows were just holes Joe Winters of the Bethlehem-based
cut into a wall), in today’s efficiency- Renewal by Andersen of Northeast Pa. “The right window frame material
oriented world the only time you want and the right glass, coupled with
“wind” associated with your windows is That flexing, he says, distorts the proper installation all help to ensure
when they’re open. window and can cause a number of that the new windows will help to
Unfortunately, drafty windows are problems, including drafty frames and reduce energy usage,” he says.
more prevalent than most homeowners cloudy glass. Double- and triple-paned Renewal by Andersen uses a material
think. The Environmental Protection windows have a special gas between called Fibrex, which is among a new
Agency lists window frames among the the panes — usually argon or krypton breed of more durable and energy
most common sources of air infiltration — that acts as an insulator. When a efficient window frame materials.
— along with foundation cracks, attic vinyl frame flexes, Winters says, the It’s created by blending reclaimed
accessways and areas where utilities gas escapes. That, in turn, causes wood fiber with a polymer material,
such as wiring or plumbing pass more problems, such as a loss of and is said to insulate against heat
through outside walls. insulating value, condensation forming transfer almost 700 times better
While the other problems are between the panes and moisture than aluminum. It has the added
often easy to fix, replacing worn-out working its way inside, where it causes benefit of being maintenance-free
windows can be expensive, and many mold and rot. In short, the windows fail — needing only to be cleaned or, if
homeowners aim to cut costs. What — allowing your home’s conditioned air you’ve chosen to paint or stain it,
to escape and letting summer’s heat or occasionally refinished.
winter’s cold inside.
the choice is clear ByPatrickO'Donnell
34 | indulge • august/september 2015 id you know that the word they don’t realize is that inexpensive “You’d be surprised at how many
“window” can be traced to the windows can actually end up costing people have vinyl windows fail after
Old Norse language? According to more in the long run. five years, and then they choose vinyl
the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it again!” Winters says. “They don’t
evolved from the term vindauga, which “Inexpensive usually means vinyl, appreciate the fact that they are
meant “wind’s eye.” and what most vinyl does when the investing in their home, which is one of
While the origin of the word makes weather changes, is it flexes,” says their family’s most important assets.”
sense (early windows were just holes Joe Winters of the Bethlehem-based
cut into a wall), in today’s efficiency- Renewal by Andersen of Northeast Pa. “The right window frame material
oriented world the only time you want and the right glass, coupled with
“wind” associated with your windows is That flexing, he says, distorts the proper installation all help to ensure
when they’re open. window and can cause a number of that the new windows will help to
Unfortunately, drafty windows are problems, including drafty frames and reduce energy usage,” he says.
more prevalent than most homeowners cloudy glass. Double- and triple-paned Renewal by Andersen uses a material
think. The Environmental Protection windows have a special gas between called Fibrex, which is among a new
Agency lists window frames among the the panes — usually argon or krypton breed of more durable and energy
most common sources of air infiltration — that acts as an insulator. When a efficient window frame materials.
— along with foundation cracks, attic vinyl frame flexes, Winters says, the It’s created by blending reclaimed
accessways and areas where utilities gas escapes. That, in turn, causes wood fiber with a polymer material,
such as wiring or plumbing pass more problems, such as a loss of and is said to insulate against heat
through outside walls. insulating value, condensation forming transfer almost 700 times better
While the other problems are between the panes and moisture than aluminum. It has the added
often easy to fix, replacing worn-out working its way inside, where it causes benefit of being maintenance-free
windows can be expensive, and many mold and rot. In short, the windows fail — needing only to be cleaned or, if
homeowners aim to cut costs. What — allowing your home’s conditioned air you’ve chosen to paint or stain it,
to escape and letting summer’s heat or occasionally refinished.
winter’s cold inside.
