I am thinking of purchasing Gorell 3505 Cliimate Master double-hung
replacement windows for my 1917 Rowhouse.

The salesman claims that the U-Value is 0.31 and the VT is 0.71. 0.71
seems awfully high for a window with a U-Value of 0.31. Could this be
true?

He also claims that if I get armour glass on the widows it only lowers
the VT to 0.68. This also seems to good to be true. Is it?

I tried to find these windows on the NFRC website, but I couldn't.

Thanks,

Andrew

Sorry, I meant Gorell 5305 windows.

Thanks again,

Andrew

"Andrew" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am thinking of purchasing Gorell 3505 Cliimate Master double-hung
replacement windows for my 1917 Rowhouse.

The salesman claims that the U-Value is 0.31 and the VT is 0.71. 0.71
seems awfully high for a window with a U-Value of 0.31. Could this be
true?

He also claims that if I get armour glass on the widows it only lowers
the VT to 0.68. This also seems to good to be true. Is it?

I tried to find these windows on the NFRC website, but I couldn't.

Thanks,

Andrew

All replacement windows are as good as the measuring and installation.

You may have some super value for the unit itself but what about the cracks
and gaps caused by poor measuring, bad installation or really " out of
square" window openings.

Salesmen sell. Smucks are sold. The intelligent buy what they need after
proper research or experience.

On a positive not if there has not been any major settling you 1917 house
may have more square opening than a lot of newer homes.

Colbyt

IMHO, I would not have vinyl windows. Again IMHO, cheap POSs. YMWV.

Are you talking only to window salesman, or to contractors and owners?

J

writes:

IMHO, I would not have vinyl windows. Again IMHO, cheap POSs. YMWV.

Having recently replaced wood windows with a high quality Alside vinyl
windows, I might make the opposite statement, honestly.

As another data point, a property I'm looking to buy is in a
neighborhood built in 1989, and nearly all the houses there have wood
windows.... that are shot an in need of replacement.

The trouble with wood these days is that they really don't make it
like they used to. The fast grow pine they use in many products
absorbs moisture like there's no tomorrow, so you have be careful
about cheap POS wood windows too.

In short, a broad brush generalization about window durability based
solely on its material will miss the mark.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Get the independant test results and call the lab that did the tests to
verify them.

I don't know any contractors or other people in the same position, so I
have been talking to salesmen and doing as much research as I can
online.

I am thinking of purchasing Gorell 3505 Cliimate Master double-hung
replacement windows for my 1917 Rowhouse.
The salesman claims that the U-Value is 0.31 and the VT is 0.71. 0.71
seems awfully high for a window with a U-Value of 0.31. Could this be
true?
He also claims that if I get armour glass on the widows it only lowers
the VT to 0.68. This also seems to good to be true. Is it?
I tried to find these windows on the NFRC website, but I couldn't.
Why not go to their web site and look for yourself? I know they post
the U, not sure about the VT. And they also have a customer service
number.

This is to inform home owners interested in purchasing replacement home
windows about one couple's experience with a Northern Virginia firm,
CONSUMER CONSTRUCTION, INC.

In June 1999, Consumer Construction, Inc., Woodbridge, VA 22191,
703-491-0745, http://www.consumerconstruction.com, furnished and
installed 13 ea. replacement vinyl windows, Carefree brand, with Low E
glass and argon gas. Cost: $4,200.

Initially my wife Robin and I were generally pleased with the product,
however one double-hung unit toally filmed over within three years on
the inner (sealed) surfaces. Those surfaces cannot be cleaned.

We left several phone messages with Consumer Construction, Inc.
(hereinafter called the "company') but received no response. In June
2004, we sent the company an e-mail mesage via its e-mail response
line. A male from the company phoned and agreed to inspect the window,
but never showed up.

We subsequently contacted the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Greater
Washington, D.C. (202-393-8000, www.mybbb.org), which made contact with
the company. A company representative came to our house in May 2005,
and found that nine (9) windows had some degree of filming due he said
to "inner moisture."

The company agreed to contact the manufacturer to obtain an on-site
inspection, but a few weeks later, it was determined by the company
that the manufacturer of Carefree brand windows had gone bankrupt and
out of business. The company subsequently told us that it, therefore,
would not replace at no cost any of the filmed windows, since the
manufacturer was no longer in business. "I am at a dead end," we were
told by the company manager, Mr. Mitchell.

We went back to the BBB with this information; the BBB agreed to try to
arrange for arbitration of our case, but were met with silence on the
matter. The case remains in an unresolved category.

To summarize my wife's and my position, we believe that, at a minimum,
Consumer Construction, Inc. should be willing to replace at no cost the
two windows that are completely filmed over, especially since the
company's own inspector remarked, "You don't need blinds for these
[filmed windows]."

Consumer Construction's position is unacceptable to us, as customers,
and we believe it fails to meet standards of responsible business
practice as well. Consumer Construction SOLD us windows that failed;
THEY bear primary responsibility for resolving this case to our
satisfaction. The company's position is like a food market telling a
customer to go to the farmer who raised the steer from which a spoiled
cut of meat was originally obtained!

(It would be interesting to know how many of the company's other
customers have incurred problems such as ours.)


Ken Spalding
Dale City, VA