Windows and Doors Replacement Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does a front door cost?
- How much to replace windows?
- Why should I order windows and doors replacemet from you?
- When is the best time to order windows or front door replacement?
- If I got a lower price, can you beat the price or match the price?
- Where can I purchase Window Man products?
- What type of warranty does Window Man offer?
- What should I consider before buying a door or a window?
- What is Brick to Brick installation?
- What is Retrofit installation?
- How long it takes to install a door?
- How long it takes to install windows?
- If you want to hire me, what is the next step?
- I like the price. What is the next step?
- How to proceed?
- How can I increase the life of my windows and doors?
- How do I clean window frames and doors?
- How do I clean glass?
- How do I clean sash tracks?
- How do I clean and lubricate hardware?
- How do I clean screens?
- Why do my windows leak? Is this normal?
- What is condensation?
- What is "Window Sweating"?
- Do windows cause condensation?
- Is condensation bad?
- Where on a window does condensation normally form and why?
- Can I reduce the condensation on my windows?
- What causes condensation on windows?
- So how can I reduce condensation?
- Will the use of Low-e-argon and warm edge spacers help in reducing condensation?
- What is Low-e Glass?
- What is Argon Gas?
- What is Warm Edged Spacer Bars?
- Is it worth spending extra money on Low-e Argon Gas and Warm Edge Space Bars?
- What are the advantages of Low-e-Argon and Warm Edge Space Bars?
- What is energy loss? How does it occur? What can I do to reduce it?
- What are solar radiation and Ultraviolet (UV) Rays?
- How can I make my home environmentally friendly?
- How can I make my windows safe?
- What is Tempered Glass?
- What is Laminated Glass?
- Will using Tempered and/or Laminated Glass make my windows unbreakable?
- What is Acoustic Glass? How can I reduce the noise level in my home?
- Home and Window Styles. Your windows and doors can add appeal by drawing attention to your home. Take a good look at both the inside and outside of your home and see if it matches the style of your home and your expectations?
- Creativity. Review our complete line of products and our suggested combinations. You may want to create unique configurations and add your personal touch by combining transoms and sidelights.
- Quality. Be careful when choosing the material the product is made out of and consider its advantages. Wood has a history of warping, rotting, and splitting. Our windows are made from vinyl. Vinyl has been around for almost 35 years and is energy efficient, durable, rot-proof, insect-proof, and weather resistant. It is made with chemicals that inhibit UV-degradation. Vinyl is colored throughout and requires no painting, with heat-welded corners that hold up best over time.
- Type. If you are replacing windows or doors in your home, it is unnecessary to replace them with the same type. You may want to replace a slider, or single hung with a casement window or a patio door with a garden door.
- Application. Take into consideration ventilation needs, sunlight needs, privacy and that of your neighbors, and the position in your home where the window and door will go.
- Glass Options. Glass adds a touch of elegance to any home. Choose one that reflects your style, whether tinted, wrought iron, or stained glass.
- Security. You want your front door to look beautiful, unique and at the same time be secure. Increasing the distance from the lockset to the deadbolt spreads the impact load from potential break-ins, thereby increasing security. Check the frame of the door to be sure that it's strong, tight, and well-constructed. Check the glass and ensure that it can withstand forced entry. Often windows and doors are the easiest way to break into a house. Ordinary float glass used in the wrong application can also result in personal injury. In such places, tempered or laminated glass is often used due to its ability to withstand deliberate attacks.
- Energy Efficiency. Check out weather-stripping, Low-e coatings, and argon gas-filling options. All of these combine to make the window more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
- Ease of Operation. Test the windows in the store and compare them to the competition. Double hung windows should be easy to operate and tilt without struggling. Casements should crank fully open, easily and quietly.
- Ease of Maintenance. Test the windows in the store and compare them to the competition. The windows should provide for an easy mechanism to clean from the inside of the house.
- Required Noise Level. A lot of buildings are exposed to a high degree of external noise. Your home may be adjutant to a highway or a busy main road, manufacturing unit, school etc. Any double-glazed window will reduce noise pollution significantly, but this may not always be enough. Therefore it is often necessary to use double-glazed windows with enhanced acoustic insulating properties.
- Performance. Check the Weather-stripping of the windows and doors. A door or window that fits snugly within the frame will allow air and water infiltration. Fiberglass or steel insulated door panels insulate better than hollow panels or wood doors.
- Warranty. Check warranties to be sure that the company will be there for you if you have a problem. Don't be fooled into buying products from a no-name company, you may be left out in the cold. All Window Man products come with an extensive written warranty covering elements such as the glass, workmanship and parts. We warrant that all our products will withstand even the toughest conditions.
- After Sales Service. Buy from a manufacturer that stands behind its products and provides prompt after sales service. We provide "onsite" service to support our products, which allows you complete peace of mind in knowing that there is no risk in purchasing our products.
- Building Code. It is important to ensure that the size and type of window or door you chose is in conformity with your local building codes (egress requirements, fire rating etc.)
- Constantly dripping faucets.
- Any containers in the home that have water standing often or all the time such as sinks and pet bowls and open fish tanks.
- Indoor drying of clothing and leaking indoor clothes dryers.
- Gas cooking. Moisture is a by-product of gas combustion.
- Keeping lids open on commodes thus allowing more evaporation.
- Not running the exhaust fan during baths and showers to remove the moisture.
- Excessive use of things like steamers, plant misters or tea pots.
- Some building slabs may not have a vapour barrier. You may see sweating on the slab where visible.
- Overuse of humidifiers.
- Faulty plumbing such as leaks in walls or under cabinets, etc.
- Leaking hot water heaters or water piping.
- Excessive plant containers indoors that require watering.
- Saunas and hot tubs.
- Outdoor drainage that holds water against slab or bricks. You may need to inspect your sprinkler system, too.
- Faulty shower piping or faucets and seals leaking into walls, etc.
- Faulty refrigerators or ice machines that leak or drain excess water or moisture.
- Poor ventilation in bathrooms.
- Air conditioning.
- Making sure the doors are not so tight as to not allow circulation of air from the room.
- Extensive soaking of clothing, etc. in open water containers. You may wish to move these to the garage or utility areas.
- Wet clothing, wash rags or towels repeatedly left laying out.
- Leaving floors very wet after mopping.
- Rainwater leaking into the attic and/or walls.
- Use of open space gas heaters especially at high room temperatures. Common in bathrooms too.
- Poor refrigeration or faulty conditions of the cooling system that doesn't remove enough moisture from the air. Have it checked by a technician.
- Reduces energy loss (heat and cold)
- Reduces harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays
- Environmentally friendly
- Conduction. Transmission of energy (heat and cold) through a solid material through direct contact. Lower the conductivity, lower the heat loss and vice versa. Double glazed windows filled with argon gas between panes of glass, warm edge spacer bars greatly contribute towards reducing conduction.
- Convection. In a cold climate, heated indoor air rubs against the interior surface of window glass, which causes air to cool, become dense, and drop downward. As the stream of air drops, warm air rushes in to take its place at the glass surface. This cyclical movement of air forms a convective loop and is self-perpetuating. Double glazed windows filled with argon gas between panes of glass, warm edge spacer bars and window frames reduce, raise inboard glass temperatures there by slowing down the convection cycle and improving comfort.
- Radiant transfer. Movement of heat from a warmer body to a cooler body. Clear glass absorbs heat and reradiates it outdoors. Radiant-heat loss through windows can be greatly reduced by choosing low-e glass that reflect specific wavelengths of energy. In the same way, low-E coatings keep the summer heat out.
- Air leakage. Air leakage through windows is responsible for much of the heat loss this is commonly referred to as air and water infiltration. Well-designed windows have durable weather stripping and high-quality closing devices that effectively block air and water leakage. Hinged windows such as casements and awnings clamp more tightly against weather stripping than do double-hung windows. But the difference is slight; well-made double hungs are acceptable. How well the individual pieces of the window unit are joined together also affects air leakage. Glass-to-frame, frame-to-frame and sash-to-frame connections must be tight.
- Remove the interior glass stops with a flat head screwdriver.
- Cut silicone spots surrounding the glass from the interior.
- From the outside, cut the glazing between the glass and the vinyl sash. Start at the top and sides.
- Once you get to the bottom, glass will lean into the house.
- Have someone inside the house "catch" the glass.
- Remove the glass and clean / scrub off original glazing tape or silicone.
- Use glazing tape or silicone caulking around the perimeter of the frame opening.
- Put glass setting blocks about 6" from corners on the sill. This separates the glass from the vinyl.
- Install new glass, pressing glass against the exterior vinyl frame.
- Reinstall the glass stops.
- Remove any excess glazing tape or silicone from the exterior of glass.
- Use caution to prevent scratching or breaking the glass.
- We strongly recommend the use of safety glasses and protective gloves.
General Questions:
Installation Questions:
The way it works Questions:
Payment Questions:
Maintenance Questions:
Trouble Shooting Questions:
Technical Questions:
Glass Related Questions:
Service Questions:
| Outside Temperature, F° | Inside Humidity |
| 20°F to 40°F | Not over 40% |
| 10°F to 20°F | Not over 35% |
| 0°F to 10°F | Not over 30% |
| -10°F to 0°F | Not over 25% |
| -20°F to -10°F | Not over 20% |
Will the use of Low-e-argon and warm edge spacers help in reducing condensation?
Yes! Choosing a window with low-e glass, argon gas filling and warm edge spacer bars will help in reducing condensation. However it will not completely eliminate condensation.
Low-emittance (Low-E) coatings are microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on glass surface to reduce the U-factor by suppressing the radiant transfer of energy (heat and cold).
Low-E glass for larger openings can reduce energy costs up to 25%.
An odorless, colorless, tasteless, invisible, non-toxic gas used to replace the air inside the sealed units to reduce thermal transfer. It is six times heavier than air. Since argon gas is denser than air and is not in continuous motion like air, the transference of energy (heat and cold) is greatly reduced. In short argon gas provides extra insulation.
What are Warm Edged Spacer Bars?
Often we see condensation and even frost on windows, typically around the edges of window glass. The edge is where the panes of the sealed units are held apart by highly conductive aluminum spacer bars. Condensation is the No. 1 reason for window-related callbacks. Non-conductive warm edges spacer bars reduce transmission of hear and reduces the chance of condensation forming. The material the spacer is made from affects the rate that heat travels through a window's edge. Warm edge spacers can improve the U-value of a window by 10% and boost the edge temperature by around 5°F, thereby reducing condensation.
Is it worth spending extra money on Low-e Argon Gas and Warm Edge Space Bars?
Low-e glass improves the insulating value of a window roughly as much as adding an additional pane of glass does. Low-e glass combined with argon gas boosts energy efficiency by nearly 100% over clear glass. Like all gases, argon gas will leak from the window over time, however since it is non-toxic it is safe. Studies suggest a 10% loss over the course of 20 years, but that will reduce the U-value of the window by only a few percent. The added cost for low-e glass and argon gas fillings is only about 10% of the window's overall cost. It's a no-brainer.
What are the advantages of Low-e-Argon and Warm Edge Space Bars?
The main advantages are as follows:
What is energy loss? How does it occur?
What can I do to reduce it?
Windows are thermal
holes; an average home loses approximately 30% of its energy
(heat or air-conditioning) through them. Energy-efficient
windows save money. The additional amount spent for a good
energy-efficient window will pay for itself in two to four years
time. In new home construction the initial high cost of windows
is offset by installing smaller, less expensive heating and
cooling system. More-durable windows cost less in the long run,
and make you more comfortable the whole while you live with
them. The heat loss by windows is expressed with U-values, or
U-factors. U-values are the mathematical inverse of R-values. So
an R-value of 2 equals a U-value of 1/2, or 0.5. Unlike
R-values, lower U-value indicates higher insulating value.
Windows lose and gain heat by:
What is solar radiation and Ultraviolet (UV) Rays?
Less than half of the sun's energy is visible. Longer wavelengths beyond the red part of the visible spectrum are infrared, which is felt as heat. Shorter wavelengths, beyond purple, are ultraviolet (UV). When the sun's energy strikes a window, visible light, heat and UV rays are reflected, absorbed or transmitted into the house. Low-e glass contains, transparent metallic oxides that reflect up to 90% of the harmful UV rays.
How can I make my home environmentally friendly?
When using less oil and coal, pollution is reduced. Therefore Low-e Argon gas is not only a question of your family's comfort and heating bill, but also a question of improving our common environment in an easy and pleasant way.
How can I make by windows safe?
Often a window is the easiest way to break into a house. This is especially the case when intruders can work undisturbed and the sound of glass smashing does not attract any attention. Ordinary float glass used in the wrong application can also result in personal injury. In such places tempered or laminated glass is often used due to their ability to withstand deliberate attacks.
Glass with a surface compression of not less than 10,000 psi or an edge compression of not less than 9,700 psi. Tempered glass is extremely strong and is used to reduce the risk of an accident or break-in. Fully tempered glass supplied, as standard with our Patio doors, Garden and French doors is four to five times stronger than ordinary float glass. Should the glass break, it falls out of the frame and is shattered into small pebble like harmless pieces without sharp edges. This is by design and is excellent proof of a well tempered product, not of a defective product. It is this fail-safe characteristic of tempered glass that makes it an excellent product for safety glazing applications. Tempered glass is standard on all our door products.
Laminated glass is a combination of two or more glass sheets with one or more inter-layers of plastic (PVC) or resin. In case of breakage, the interlayer holds the fragments together and continues to provide resistance to the passage of persons or objects. This glass is particularly suitable where it is important to ensure the resistance of the whole sheet after breakage. Laminated glass also highly effective in reduces noise levels and has the ability to block 99% of the sun's harmful UV Rays.
Will using Tempered and/or Laminated Glass make my windows unbreakable?
There are misconceptions that tempered and laminated glass is "unbreakable" or "nearly unbreakable". This is NOT true. Both tempered and laminated glass is definitely breakable and many of the things, that can break ordinary float glass, can also break tempered glass. They are stronger than ordinary glass and do not break as easily. They only offer greater resistance in case of attempted break-in.
What is Acoustic Glass? How can I reduce noise level in my home?
A lot of buildings are exposed to such a high degree of external noise that the environment is unsatisfactory. Your home may be adjutant to a highway or a busy main road, manufacturing unit, school etc. Any double-glazed window will reduce noise pollution significantly, but this may not always be enough. Therefore it is often necessary to use double-glazed windows with enhanced acoustic insulating properties. Alternatively, laminated glass can also be used, which will serve dual purpose of reducing noise pollution and as explained above help in blocking unwanted UV Rays and provide resistance to forced entry.
How do I replace glass on my windows?
Step #1: To remove damaged glass:
Step #2: Install new glass:
How can I adjust the rollers on sliding door panels?
Each wheel (two per panel) can be aligned by the occupant by raising or lowering with the easy accessible adjusting screw at each end. Note the sliding panel must be level (parallel with the lock jamb), and high enough so that it does not drag at the bottom.