Do you replace broken windows?
Yes! Call us for a quote. (325) 947-8500
How durable are vinyl windows? Are they strong?
Vinyl windows are very durable. There are tens of
millions of vinyl windows installed in homes and commercial buildings,
across the country and around the world. In the U.S., some vinyl windows
have been installed as long as 25 years and are still working well.
Many designs of today have superior wind load ratings to wood and metal
windows.
Is the vinyl in your products just the same as everyone else’s?
No. Not all vinyl (PVC) window products are alike!
Nor are all window and door vinyl extrusions/formulas equal, either.
Chelsea’s advanced formula, proprietary compounds represent the best in
vinyl products. Other ordinary PVC products may “skimp” on ingredients
or use low-quality additives or formulations to deliver a low price
vinyl. Unfortunately, this also tends to deliver a lower quality vinyl
product that does not perform well over time. At Chelsea, our TQM (total
quality management) program and our SPC (statistical process control)
program ensure every segment of the product and its manufacturing is
right. Always insist on the quality of products made from Chelsea vinyl
extrusions.
Can I paint my vinyl windows?
There are paints specifically made for use on
vinyl. Consult your local paint supplier for the proper paint and
surface preparation. It is important that you follow the paint
manufacturers instructions.
Will vinyl windows melt in the hot sun?
No. Vinyl windows perform well in the desert
climates of the Southwestern U.S. where daytime temperatures can reach
125°F (and above) and surfaces in direct sun can be heated above 165°F
(the temperature at which vinyl begins to soften). It’s the
multi-chambered design of vinyl products that ensures they’ll handle
even those excessive levels of heat. Vinyl is an excellent insulator. It
does not conduct heat readily like aluminum and the hollow chambers in a
vinyl frame reduce conduction even further. So while the outside
surface of a vinyl window or doorframe may get quite hot in direct sun,
the interior walls will experience limited heat buildup.
Why are vinyl frames hollow? Why aren’t they solid?
Vinyl frames are designed with multiple chambers in
the frame to provide thermal efficiency, rigidity and strength without
excessive weight. A solid frame would be excessively heavy, difficult to
work with, expensive, and would, actually, not perform as well as the
multi-chambered designs in today’s window and door products.
What kind of maintenance do vinyl windows require?
Vinyl windows are virtually maintenance free,
requiring no finishing upon installation and no periodic painting or
sealing like wood or metal windows. They also can’t rot, rust, pit or
corrode like wood or metal products and are unaffected by moisture, salt
air, pollution and airborne chemicals. If they ever require cleaning,
simply wiping with a damp cloth is sufficient to return them to their
“Factory Fresh” condition.
What can I use if I really need to clean my vinyl windows?
Usually a few drops of a mild liquid cleaner in a
bucket of water is sufficient to clean any dirt or grime that may have
accumulated on the window. If you have more stubborn build-up, the
following household cleaners work well, based on a study done bye the
SPI (Society of the Plastics Industry); Formula 409, Ajax Liquid
Cleaner, Murphy’s Oil Soap, Lysol Cleaner, Soft Scrub, or vinegar and
water. The following cleaners or types of cleaners should not be used on
vinyl; Clorox, Pine Power, Ivory, Grease Relief, Tide Detergent, nail
polish remover (acetone).
Do vinyl products install and handle differently?
For the most part, installation of vinyl windows,
doors and other products uses similar techniques to those for installing
wood or metal products. There are some key differences that should be
noted in the handling and storage of vinyl units. These and the proper
installation steps are available from the window manufacturer.
What kind of warranty does your vinyl product have?
NT Windows' vinyl extrusions carry a lifetime
limited warranty. We are so confident of the superior performance of NT
Windows' specially-formulated high-impact vinyl that all NT Windows
extrusions come with a written lifetime limited warranty.
It is one of thousands of plastics in use today.
PVC’s technical name is poly vinyl chloride. It is unique among plastics
in that it is composed of nearly 60% chloride that stems from rock salt
(sodium chloride) and about 40% polymers stemming from natural gas and
petrochemicals.
Many of today’s vinyl window and door products
feature fusion welded corner construction. Quite simply, it is the
process of mitering the corners, heating them to above 200°F and
bringing the heated corners into contact until they fuse together,
forming an exceptionally strong joint and a permanently sealed corner
that can’t leak air or water.
What about vinyl windows in a fire?
Unlike many common building materials, vinyl will
not support combustion. That means they can “burn” if they are
completely enveloped in flames from other materials, but if the flame is
removed, the vinyl will self extinguish. In fact, PVC has a higher
ignition temperature, lower flame spread and lower heat released in a
fire than a similar sample of wood, and any smoke produced by burning
PVC is of the same range as that of most organic materials.
What is “virgin vinyl”? Do my products have it?
Virgin vinyl is the term applied to vinyl that is
extruded for the first time. Regrind is the term given to vinyl that has
been extruded, then the parts are ground up into small “pellets” and
can be re-extruded. The implication is that “virgin vinyl” is purer or
superior to reground vinyl. As a thermo plastic, PVC can be reprocessed,
typically, around three times with little degradation to the compound.
After that, additional processing “uses up” some of the lubricants and
other additives that are used in the extrusion process. All of your
frame, sashes and other major window and door parts are extruded from
virgin vinyl.
What is uPVC? Do my products have it?
Yes. Your products are processed with uPVC. UPVC
stands for unplasticized PVC. It is an old term brought over by European
extruders. Older European PVC formulas contained plasticizers to aid in
extrusion of the part. These plasticizers would often “migrate” out of a
finished product over time leaving it brittle. This was a problem with
older European PVC products. Years ago, newer technology formulas were
developed that did not use (or require) plasticizers in rigid
extrusions. In Europe, to differentiate products made with the newer
formulas (and without plasticizers) they began calling them UPVC.
Are vinyl windows earth-friendly?
Yes. Vinyl windows and doors are a very smart
choice. Less than one half of vinyl’s weight is dependent on natural
resources. Vinyl windows require only one-third of the energy needed to
manufacture aluminum windows. Vinyl windows help conserve energy and
reduce home heating and cooling costs, and because vinyl windows and
doors do not require painting or finishing, homeowners avoid vapor
emissions, cleanup and disposal problems associated with frequent
application of certain paints and stains.
