High-quality vinyl windows are an excellent way to make your home more energy efficient while at the same time increasing its market value. High-quality vinyl windows also happen to look great, which ramps up the curb appeal of your home. You’ll notice we specifically mention “high-quality” vinyl windows. We do so because, as with most products, there is a significant difference between cheap vinyl windows and high-quality vinyl windows. And if you want to get the most out of your vinyl windows in Richmond Hill you’ll make sure the ones you buy are high-quality. But how do you do that?
Finding High-Qualty Vinyl Windows in Richmond Hill
If you purchase a Bentley you can be pretty sure you’ll get 50 or 100 years out of it. If on the other hand you purchase a Soviet-era East German Trabant with a cardboard and plastic body you can be pretty sure it’s going to melt during the next heavy rain. Both are cars. The difference is construction quality. It’s the same with vinyl replacement windows. Some will last decades. Others are just cheap knock-offs built in 3rd world sweatshops that provide the appearance of quality but aren’t worth the rivets that hold them together. Here are 3 ways to tell the difference.
- The glass – Cheap vinyl windows slapped together to fool the unsuspecting often have a single, lonely pane of glass. High-quality vinyl windows have double or even triple pane glass that provides superior insulation. The multiple panes of glass prevent heat loss and lower your energy bills. The single pane does little to retain heat and your monthly energy bills will prove it.
- Welded corners – A sure way to tell cheap vinyl windows is how they’re held together at the corners. High-quality vinyl windows are welded at the corners to form a single, continuous unit. This unibody construction prevents leaks and ensures the long term structural integrity of the window. Cheap vinyl windows are typically held together at the corners with rivets. Over time these rivets can come loose and allow air to leak in around the window panes. Loose rivets will also negatively affect the opening and closing action of the window.
- Energy Star rating – If the vinyl windows you’re contemplating buying don’t carry an Energy Star rating don’t even think about purchasing them. The Energy Star rating provides information on the energy efficiency (or lack thereof) of a product and every reputable vinyl window manufacturer subjects their product to the Energy Star review and rating system. So if the vinyl windows you’re looking at don’t have this important rating it’s an indication that they’re low quality windows.
Making sure you purchase high-quality vinyl windows in Richmond Hill isn’t difficult. As with most things it’s just a matter of knowing what to look for. If you follow the above tips you can be reasonably certain that the vinyl windows you’re spending your hard earned money on will serve you well for many years to come.