Vinyl Replacement Windows

Alpha Windows:
www.alphawindows.com

In my experiences, if you were to customize your own vinyl windows, I'd have to say Alpha Windows are the way to go. They have an aesthetic design and they pass NFRC standards and are approved by Energy star. They are energy efficient and will save you tons on your heating & a/c bill. Once you see an Alpha Window, you'll notice a great difference between its competitors.

They are not Energy Star approved because theyt are not even NFRC tested

I also went to their website and noticed they've got a different warranty than what they show in their newspaper ads. What's up with that? Which is it?

Anyone got a recommendation for a Long Island company that sells triple paned windows? Also does anyone have any comments on them.

Thanks.

I got mine from Tri-State Window Factory in Seaford. Their great. Triple panes and best ratings in the industry. I back up to a busy highway and I can't hear a thing since I put the new windows in. With my old double pane windows I heard every car and truck going by. BIG difference in my heat bill last winter also.

I haven't deal with them myself but I hear they're good. Stay away from Unified. They sell cheap windows that are shoddy, but at least they sell them cheap. REALLY STAY AWAY from Thermo Tite who sells the exact same windows - made by Ideal - at top dollar. BAD DEAL.

Mike wrote:

I got mine from Tri-State Window Factory in Seaford. Their great. Triple panes and best ratings in the industry. I back up to a busy highway and I can't hear a thing since I put the new windows in. With my old double pane windows I heard every car and truck going by. BIG difference in my heat bill last winter also.

Thanks. Expensive?

i've researched vinyl windows and would agree unified and thermo tite make shoddy windows. they feel relatively unstable if you shake them, don't ask why i looked at that, but how safe would that make them?

i would agree if i were looking for a vinyl window, i'd choose either alpha or tri-state, both make sturdy and reliable windows

they're the best option for what they give you price wise as well, i dont know the current estimates per window but i looked at both a few years ago and tri-state's were more expensive than alpha's, maybe they're the same now

i never thought there was much of a difference with triple pane, as long as they're low-e which they both are, you get UV protection from sunlight, plus i think they both use warm edge spacers for energy efficiency, other companies still use aluminum spacers

Frank wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks. Expensive?

Not inexpensive, but I'd say reasonable. Nothing's cheap these days. They were about the same price as Alpha and Thermo-Tite. Alpha's
are only double pane. Tri-State's are triple with two low-e layers. That's why their Energy Star ratings are the best. I also thought they were better made and better looking with the white spacers.

I agree with Michael C about the Thermo Tite windows. They really looked and felt cheap in comparison. I shopped around quite a bit before deciding who to go with.

Does triple paned provide much more of a barrier against noise than double paned?

Frank wrote:

Does triple paned provide much more of a barrier against noise than double paned?

Yeah - it makes a BIG difference. I had double panes on the back of my house and they cut down the noise some. But then I got the Tri-State triple panes and I can't hear any noise. It's like living in the country instead of in Nassau County.

The difference between a double-pane and a triple-pane is the thickness of the glass. Would you prefer two panels of 1/8 inch each (1/4 inch of glass in window) or would you prefer three panels of 1/16 inch each (3/16 of glass in window)?

Personally I prefer the Alpha double-pane window because it provides thicker glass in total, that would make the difference in noise elimination.

Window World in Freeport installed my windows. Ive never been more pleased with a product or service in my life. The whole process was perfect.

Just finished shopping for Windows. I had 3 dealers present their product to me. Thermotite, Pella, and Tri-state(Seaford LI). I am doing 22 windows and a Patio Slider. Tristate was asking 13k for their double hung dual glazed Low E with Argon. This item was good, but Thermotite misrepresented the fact they do not make this window themeselves.After some research i became aware that this window infact is made by Ideal, so if I really liked this window, why wouldn't I just call Ideal come give me an estimate and cut out the middle guy?.. any way I then contacted Pella, beacue I saw an add for the Pella impervia at 600 per window. The rep came and told me that he cant give me the 600 price, not sure why, but his quote came to 24,000 for my windows. I said thank you and have a nice day. Tri-State came in with their product, and it was triple pained with krypton gas, they also gave a qoute around 13k, but after thorough negotiations we settled for the higher 10k region. I decided to go with TriState. Hope I made the right choice. My neighbor just did his whole house with Pella Lowes stuff: Thermostar.. he paid much sheaper than all of my quotes...like he paid 8k total. I am hoping I get what I am paying for..a better product.

I have been to most of Long Island's Window Companies to research what product is best. Here is what I have found Unified sells Ideal which is cheaper than Thermo-Tite's Ideal but still Ideal, so why bother replacing your windows. I went to Alpha and was not too impressed, they have a black strip in their window which my wife was turned off from right away, also their price was higher than Tri-State Window Factory. I went to their factory in Deer Park and my wife and I were very impressed with their quality. Our recently purchased fixer upper has been redone by them with doors, roofing, and siding. We are very pleased in fact we just recommended them to our my parents and they are doing their windows too.

joefromsmithtown wrote:

I haven't deal with them myself but I hear they're good. Stay away from Unified. They sell cheap windows that are shoddy, but at least they sell them cheap. REALLY STAY AWAY from Thermo Tite who sells the exact same windows - made by Ideal - at top dollar. BAD DEAL.

Hi Joe, you sond very knowledgeable when it comes to replacememnt windows.
I got an estimate from Home Depot for their Simonton bay window. Who else should I call? Upstate NY

joefromsmithtown wrote:

They are not Energy Star approved because theyt are not even NFRC tested

NFRC Rated: http://www.nfrc.org/participantlist.aspx - listed under A

Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm... - just type in your zip code, it comes up towards the beginning

please try and check your research beforehand

To Rick from Brighton, MA:

Those links you show are only updated periodicly. Go to the NFRC Certified Products Directory and see if you can find them listed. I can't. If they aren't listed, their not certified and they don't qualify for the new IRS tax credit, although their web site claims that ALL of their windows qualify. I think that could get them in trouble with the IRS if their misleading their customers about the tax credit.

Ideal makes several windows some better than others. Their Customweld 4500 series is foam filled triple pane with low e glass and is excellent I've sold them for years without any negative feedback.
Thermo tite also sell Gorrel too along with I deal which is also an excellent product.

Novice wrote:

Just finished shopping for Windows. I had 3 dealers present their product to me. Thermotite, Pella, and Tri-state(Seaford LI). I am doing 22 windows and a Patio Slider. Tristate was asking 13k for their double hung dual glazed Low E with Argon. This item was good, but Thermotite misrepresented the fact they do not make this window themeselves.After some research i became aware that this window infact is made by Ideal, so if I really liked this window, why wouldn't I just call Ideal come give me an estimate and cut out the middle guy?.. any way I then contacted Pella, beacue I saw an add for the Pella impervia at 600 per window. The rep came and told me that he cant give me the 600 price, not sure why, but his quote came to 24,000 for my windows. I said thank you and have a nice day. Tri-State came in with their product, and it was triple pained with krypton gas, they also gave a qoute around 13k, but after thorough negotiations we settled for the higher 10k region. I decided to go with TriState. Hope I made the right choice. My neighbor just did his whole house with Pella Lowes stuff: Thermostar.. he paid much sheaper than all of my quotes...like he paid 8k total. I am hoping I get what I am paying for..a better product.

Sounds like you did your homework. So, how did it work out?