Window makers open innovations for installers, owners

Window manufacturers launched new products for vinyl windows. One is aimed at easily replacing vinyl products while another replaces a crank opening system with an easier slide.

The two innovations were unveiled during the virtual International Builders' Show (IBS X) put on Feb. 9-12 by the National Association of Home Builders.

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Alside Inc. is out with one of the new concepts, a full-frame replacement system that can cut installation time by 25-40 minutes per window.

The system consists of Energy Star-rated Mezzo brand vinyl windows, a frame with a nailing flange for flashing and water management and decorative trim for a consistent look on all replaced windows.

The other innovation comes from Pella, Iowa-based Pella Corp., which unveiled new hardware to open and close casement and awning windows with a sliding motion instead of turning a crank.

Pella's advancement, called Easy Slide Operator, uses a ball-bearing design and Kevlar-reinforced belt. It won the category for best window and door product at IBS X.

The hardware is being offered first with Pella's fiberglass Impervia product line, which is tested to withstand extreme heat, sub-zero cold and damaging ultraviolet rays.

Alside says Impervia windows are produced with a one-of-a-kind manufacturing process. Energy efficient options include dual- and triple-pane glass options with argon to help slow the transfer of heat and improve year-round comfort.

Replacing vinyl windows is one of top remodeling projects for adding value to a home, according to the 2020 cost vs. value report from Remodeling magazine. Project costs average $17,641 with 72.3 percent of the investment, or $12,761, likely to be recouped at resale.

Industry analysts predict the U.S. window and door industry will see a 25 percent increase in 2021, reaching $34 billion, according to an email from the National Fenestration Rating Council, which points to published reports. The council rates the energy-efficiency of windows, doors, and skylights.

Pella introduced the fold-away style crank for casement and awning windows in 2000, but 20 years later redesigned it to be simpler and more aesthetically pleasing, according to Niccole Picray, Pella public relations manager.

Homeowners slide the system up to open the window and down to close it, which is much smoother than continuously cranking, Picray said in an email.

The slider hardware is made of stainless steel and the mechanism on the pulley system inside the window is made of several material types, including Kevlar for the belt, she said.

The slide operating system will be used next on a contemporary architectural window line, Picray added.

"We listened and worked carefully with our customers for feedback on how we could design something better for them," she said. "We quickly discovered that homeowners need hardware that is easier to use, and designers want an option that achieves a minimalist, low profile look. The Easy-Slide Operator delivers on both form and function for the modern consumer."

The driving force behind Alside's new replacement window system is to save contractors time so they can be more productive, according to Andy Solomon, the company's sales training director.

Vinyl windows for new construction have an inch-long nailing flange, and the siding is installed over it for a good seal, Solomon said during a Microsoft Teams interview.

Then, years or decades later, when the windows need to be replaced, contractors will cut through the nailing flange to access the window, and pull it out of the house.

"In doing that, they're breaking the seal," Solomon said. "Then they replace that window with a pocket window. The contractors can't really seal that properly without disturbing the exterior cladding around the window."

To achieve the right seal, some cladding needs to be removed with the old window and then it should be replaced with a new window that has a nailing flange, Solomon said.

"The problem contractors have is being left with a gap around the window," he explained. "How do you finish that off? That's where our trim works system comes into place. You can snap on our trim works to the exterior of the window. That will finish off that edge."

Otherwise, contractors have to trim around the window with a wide J channel or PVC trim board, which takes additional time, material and labor.

"We're eliminating the need for that additional time and material by providing a nice system to finish off the window while providing a good overall value to homeowners by replacing their vinyl new construction windows from 20 years ago with a better solution for them," Solomon said.

The Mezzo replacement system is on the market and has been resonating with the segment of contractors doing a full frame window replacement, according to Solomon.

"They saw the value in the product instantly but there's another segment of the industry still doing the pocket replacement," he said. "We're working on bringing them along."

The vinyl window replacement system is available in most of the U.S. with plans to expand the offering to the western part the U.S. and Canada.

"There's a real opportunity with remodelers not using a full replacement system," Solomon said. "We made the process simpler and easier for them to do while saving them time and cost."

Alside is a subsidiary of Associated Materials LLC in Cuyahoga Falls. With an estimated $320 million in annual sales, Associated ranks 15th among North American pipe, profile and tubing extruders, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.