# Help me to choose a good window structure



## AngelaJoh (Jan 16, 2017)

Hi there,
I wonder what type of windows has to be chosen for a long lasting stay. I am planning to renovate my house, as part of that, I wish to replace my old windows with new. The main part of my home, which really needed a change was the windows. They are looking weird and damaged. I was looking for the reasons for it. I heard that climatic changes greatly affect the windows, so I am looking for good window structures that can withstand all climatic changes. In between, I read an article for selecting windows that can stand for all climatic changes http://canglow.ca/best-energy-efficient-windows-for-a-cold-climate/ but I am confused about selecting the frames and glasses. Can someone help me with this?


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## tmurray (Jan 16, 2017)

In Canada, all of our windows must meet all the performance metrics established in the A440 manufacturing standard plus the Canadian Addendum. What this means for you is that you can be sure that the window you are buying is designed with climactic loads that you would be experiencing. http://www.fenestrationcanada.ca/calculator tells you what technical requirements a window must meet based on what province you are in and what city you are in/close to. These performance requirements are frequently printed on the quote sheet from the window supplier and a temporary sticker must be placed on the window by the manufacturer. The sticker must remain on the window until after an inspection is completed in most municipalities.

You can get very technical with your windows, including specifying what type of e coating and which layer of glass it will be placed on, but in reality, that is a little overkill for most people. The only time I've seen it was in a high performance, net zero building. In these buildings you need to squeeze every drop of energy you can.

My recommendation is that if you want good windows that are made with your climate in mind, just make sure they meet the performance requirements for your area from the Fenestration Canada website and has the proper Energy Star rating;


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## conarb (Jan 17, 2017)

Angela:

I can affirm what T Murray has to say, I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area but have been buying my windows from Canada for the last 18 years, the fabricators I use allow me to specify my own glazing using programs from the Lawrence Laboratories Daylighting division but they can help you, here are two recommendations both in the Vancouver area:

For a German window: http://www.innotech-windows.com/
For a Quebec window: http://www.vinyltek.com/ 
For maximum benefit your IG unit glass package must be engineered differently for each elevation taking into consideration not only climate but obstructions such as hills, trees etc., to give you an idea here is my Cardinal glass specification for one elevation of a home I built just to give you an idea of the complexity involved, in a German tilt/turn frame: Triple-Pane w/LoĒ³-366, LoĒ-179, LoĒ-i81, Argon 0.15

German frames are European tilt/turn style are the best, the Quebec windows are conventional casement or  awning style, they make sliding, double hung styles but don't buy them, stick with casement or awning style


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## tmurray (Jan 17, 2017)

conarb said:


> German frames are European tilt/turn style are the best, the Quebec windows are conventional casement or  awning style, they make sliding, double hung styles but don't buy them, stick with casement or awning style



Assuming your problem is with air tightness, the sliding styles of windows have improved drastically recently in order to meet the air infiltration rates imposed by the Canadian Addendum to the A440 standard. Still not as good, but better. This would have been required to meet the 2010 code.


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## conarb (Jan 17, 2017)

tmurray said:


> Assuming your problem is with air tightness, the sliding styles of windows have improved drastically recently in order to meet the air infiltration rates imposed by the Canadian Addendum to the A440 standard. Still not as good, but better. This would have been required to meet the 2010 code.


T Murray:

Thanks for that, I'm glad to hear it, for some styles the architects specify double hungs so the fabricators of tilt/turns were applying false interior/exterior muttons (SDLs or simulated divided lights) so they look like double hungs without the seal failure risks of TDLs or true divided lights).

The problem I see with sliding windows is the mohair (?) seals wear down over the years allowing air to pass, with all casement styles they close in on butyl seals like sliding van doors.  The Germans do make great sliding doors that close in like van doors, very expensive though, an 8' unit costs about $8,000, I recently built a home with a 12'0" x 8'0" slide/tilt door.


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## tmurray (Jan 17, 2017)

And that is still a concern. It has certainly gotten better and some manufacturers are hitting it out of the park on these types of windows. The reality of the situation is that casements and tilt and turn window styles are always going to seal better than these windows. At least the new regulation has had some of the poorer performers pull their socks up.

If it wasn't for cost, I think most people would get a tilt and turn or casement style. But cost is a big factor for a lot of people, so we see double and single hung units.


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## conarb (Jan 17, 2017)

Andersen does make a wood sliding window that closes in on a butyl seal, In fact I built a home with all Canadian windows but needed a horizontal sliding for a kitchen pass-thru to a swimming pool, I used the one Andersen window there, so it is possible to make them if people would pay the money, of course I couldn't specify the glass package so I lost efficiency there, but air-sealing trumps U-factor every time.


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## kathy5 (Feb 22, 2017)

I think if you really have the confusion in choosing glass and frames, a professional window replacement service can help you. Also, tmurray has given an informative post.


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## ICE (Feb 22, 2017)

You guys have been spammed.


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