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Give Your Windows the Test to See if They Need Replacement

If you're feeling chilly drafts through your windows during the winter or living with windows swollen shut from humidity during the summer months, you need to evaluate whether to replace those problem windows.

All products in a home wear out over time, and windows are no exception. If the windows in your home are over 25 years old, you need to consider replacing them in order to gain the best energy efficiencies and to protect the 'envelope' of the house, points out Patrick Patterson, remodeling-replacement market manager for Weather Shield Windows & Doors.

To determine if the windows in your home are candidates for a replacement job, Weather Shield recommends checking for telltale signs that a window is losing its effectiveness. Here are some tips for making this determination.

Stand inside your house on a windy day with a lit candle near the window. If the flame flickers or goes out, the weatherstripping on your window could be damaged.

During the winter, if a window experiences ice buildup or a frosty glaze, the ventilation in your home may not be adequate. Another option is that your window may not be providing enough insulation value for your home, making your heating bills soar.

Do you need to prop open your window with a book or stick? If so, the window may have lost its functionality.

Sit near your window. If you feel cold air coming in during the winter or hot air during the summer, your windows have little insulation value. This means you're paying more to heat and cool your house during the year to compensate for the exterior air entering your home.

Do your windows get fogged with condensation? If so, you may have a seal failure and need to replace the glass or the entire window.

Depending on the results of some of these tests, your budget, and home style, you have options for replacing your windows. Work with a professional installer or remodeler to evaluate your choices. The easiest replacement is a frame-within-frame design that allows you to install a new window into an existing frame without disturbing walls or trimwork.

While everyone wants a quick fix solution, sometimes the sill is damaged or rotted and the entire window unit needs to be replaced, Patterson points out. When this happens, there are many options.

Homeowners living in coastal areas, where high humidity and salt air can damage windows, should look at windows with vinyl exteriors and real wood interiors. If both interior and exterior low maintenance is a high priority, all-vinyl windows should be considered.

In extremely cold or hot climates, homeowners with single pane windows should think about replacing their windows to gain more energy efficiencies and lower their heating and cooling bills. A super efficient unit with three panes of glass with two low-E surfaces and air spaces filled with krypton and argon gasses offers maximum insulation value.

Give your windows the test and see if they need to be replaced. With today's high energy bills, new windows may pay for themselves more quickly than you think.

Source: The Consumer Guide to Windows, Glass Magazine, December 2000.