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The Problem With Vinyl Replacement Windows

Vinyl replacement windows are popular in Irvine, CA and beyond. In fact, they are one of the best-selling kinds of windows in general, with over 200 million windows sold per year in the past few years. However, vinyl windows have one problem that a lot of homeowners don’t even know about or realize until their new windows are already installed: loss of glass viewing area.

To start, this isn’t entirely the vinyl replacement window’s fault. When you install new replacement windows in your home, you don’t completely remove the entire old window. When replacing double hung windows (the most common window type) both sashes as well as the screen track are removed, while the old window’s frame is left behind. The new vinyl replacement window is then installed inside the old frame.

Like putting a box inside of another box, this practice can leave you with a noticeable loss of glass viewing area. This is the most common way vinyl replacement windows are installed. But if it’s such an issue, why are vinyl windows still so popular? Its simple, all of vinyl windows’ benefits outweigh this one small negative. They offer homeowner’s great benefits like:

  • Increased Home Value—Vinyl windows are very desirable these days as they stay strong and visually appealing for many years. They are great investments that can increase your home’s value. Potential buyers, and appraisers, look for the types of benefits that vinyl windows provide, making them a great option if you might sell down the road.
  • Low Maintenance – One of the best things about vinyl windows is their almost nonexistent maintenance requirements. They’re built with integrated colors in the sashes and frames, and therefore never need to be repainted or refinished. Vinyl frames are also built to stand the test of time, resisting rust, stains, and warping.
  • Energy Efficiency – PVC is a tough insulator. It keeps the hot or cold outside air from affecting your conditioned air inside your home. This effective insulation not only keeps your home heated or cooled to your desired comfort level, but also lowers your energy use to stay green and keep your bills down.

Also, there are ways to get around this loss of glass viewing area problem. Such as, getting a vinyl replacement window that is designed to maximize glass area, or asking your window dealer to do a full frame replacement.

Full frame replacements replace the entire window, from the glass all the way down to the original opening. Though this method can be a bit more expensive, and certain personal factors can influence its efficacy, it causes the least amount of viewing area loss, and offers other benefits like:

  • Maintenance free vinyl from the inside of your home to the outside
  • More thorough installation of new insulation around the original window opening
  • Sometimes even more glass viewing area than you started with

Learn more about vinyl, full window replacements, and Irvine, CA replacement windows by visiting or calling Cunningham Doors & Windows at 1940 E Edinger Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705, or (714) 258-2500.

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Cunningham Doors & Windows