 OKNA Windows and Doors Company is a relatively small manufacturer located in Bristol Pennsylvania. The company was started in 1994 by two friends who worked together as installers and business partners. They had to start a window manufacturing business, because a local supplier was not able to meet their window demand. So these two owners are still together running the business. It is a plus that they come from the installer’s world. They can understand the needs of an installer and what does the customer wants and combine them together into a product that performs well.
OKNA Windows and Doors Company manufactures a wide range of windows and doors for the residential and commercial markets. We are gonna post reviews of their windows here, just click on the link when it is blue color:
The base model Precision Weld Series replacement windows has many good features, that many other larger manufacturers do not have in their base window offerings. These windows can be customized with different type of lock, screen and color options, which are usually unavailable with other window manufacturers. Next two levels in their model row is Insul-Tec and Eco-Pro Series replacement windows. These windows have wider selection of different options. Better frame and glass options. The top of the line OKNA offering is Enviro-Star Series replacement windows. These windows have unsurpassed energy efficiency and come in different colors and frame variations. The OKNA company is about 23 years in business. They had some ups and downs. In 2011 they settled a lawsuit brought against them and their dealer by some NJ angry customers. At this time the company is growing and expanding into midwest of the United States. The last time we checked OKNA windows boast strong support and good customer reviews online. We offer OKNA windows to our customers as well. We like working with smaller manufacturer. Sometimes it is easier to get things done with them, than with a bigger manufacturer of replacement windows. Some people say that a bigger company is better, because there is a higher chance that the warranty is gonna be honored. It is true to some extent, but we never know what can happen to a big well known company as well. Smaller window companies very often trying harder to please the customer and offer acceptable price, than bigger manufacturers. We think it is worth to give them a chance.
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 When you have old windows in your house and tired of wearing thick sweater, then you should listen to the simple truth about vinyl windows. In Hamilton or Willingboro New Jersey, there are many houses with old wood windows. When we get to these houses to make estimates, many people complain that they have ten windows in the house and can open only one or two. Especially with the fall around the corner, right now might be the best time to make your windows working again. On the picture below, from one of our window projects in Willingboro NJ, you can see the look of the old wood windows with aluminum screen windows. The paint is peeling off, these wood windows no longer can be opened, draining energy of the house and your wallet.  We replaced them with new Harvey Slimline double hung replacement windows. Right away you can tell what a big difference. This house in Willingboro NJ changed the whole look. When we pulled out the old wood windows, the exterior old wood frame we capped with luxurious aluminum casing. The glass of these vinyl windows has Low-E coating and argon gas between the two glass panes. It adds to the energy efficiency of a window, as well as makes it more shiny and beautiful.
The bottom line you should know, that the windows of the house is like the eyes of person. They have the greatest impact on the appearance of the house. Sometimes replacing the windows is the cheapest way to make your house shiny again. The homeowner in Willingboro NJ is going to enjoy these windows for many years and then if he sells the house, the value is gonna be there. We get a lot of questions about the these two windows. Harvey Slimline and Classic replacement windows are the most affordable high quality windows on the market. So we would like to show what is the difference between these two windows Let’s have these windows side by side and have a closer look at them.
You can see from that comparison chart, that Harvey Classic replacement window is slightly more energy efficient than Slimline window.
The main difference is the style of cam lock and the locking half screen in Classic window, while it is not in Slimline. The frame of the Classic replacement window is thicker by 1/4 than Slimline. When you get Harvey vinyl replacement windows, you get Limited Lifetime Warranty. We all love that word Lifetime warranty, but some people are worried about the other word “Limited”. So what does it mean to have Limited Lifetime Warranty? It means that warranty covers some specified parts of the window for the original purchaser of the windows. As long as you own the house, you have the windows covered. If you sell the house, the warranty is transferable for the next homeowner for 20 years from the date of manufacture.
When the windows were installed for the commercial application the warranty is 10 years only from the date of manufacture. Bay and Bow windows are covered under the same warranty, but any wood components are covered for 10 years only. If you purchased Garden window, then this warranty does not apply to them. There is a separate warranty for Garden windows. How to locate the window warranty sticker? With Harvey vinyl windows it is easy to find the warranty sticker. It is located inside the channel of the frame of the top window sash. You can see on the picture where to look for it. Under the Harvey Lifetime window warranty is covered : —Balance systems — Tilt Latches — Sash Locks If anything happens all these parts are gonna be repaired or replaced with new ones for free The glass of the Harvey Replacement window is covered for 20 years only. If the glass fades or moisture accumulates inside the two glass panes, the glass is gonna be replaced for free as well. If you have further questions, you can always post comments below or read the Harvey Vinyl Warranty on their website.  There are different types of Windows on the market with different price levels. The price of a vinyl replacement window depends a lot on a color of the window.
If you pick white color then the price is the most reasonable, but by changing the color to brown or bronze, the replacement window price zooms up by $100-$150. So let us see why brown windows are more expensive. Brown color absorbs heat The sun's radiation contributes to the majority of heat build up, which can increase the chance of window frame failure. Dark colors absorb sun's radiant energy at a higher rate and vinyl begins to deform or warp, if the temperature goes above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Reflective Pigment Technology Until fairly recently, most of the vinyl replacement windows came in two colors white or tan. However, when the reflective pigment technology was invented, it changed the vinyl window industry. RPT uses colors that reflect the infrared spectrum of the sun. This technology prevents the dark color frame of the window to reach high temperatures. So to make the vinyl replacement window in brown color the manufacturer has to use more pigments in a frame of the window. The reflective pigment technology is more labour and capital intensive. All the manufacturers guarantee the dark colors for the life of the vinyl window. That's why when buying brown colors you have to pay extra just for the color. At the same time you can be sure that brown windows will stay brown for many years to come. Most of the vinyl windows come in white color. That's the most popular color and the cheapest one to get. Today replacement windows are available in many other different colors. Let us see what is the most durable color of vinyl replacement window.
Solid vinyl Color is achieved by added pigments to the window profiles. Vinyl windows made this way are not painted, but they have the true color of vinyl. Most of white, tan and bronze windows are made this way. The replacement windows with solid vinyl colors are not subject to peeling, chirping or warping. That's the most durable colors of the windows. Painted vinyl When the window has to have double color, let's say bronze outside and white inside, then the outside part of the window has to be painted. The downside of this color is that it is more labor extensive and more expensive. If the paint applied improperly, it can peel off after twenty years or so. Laminated color These colors are hot glued to the profiles of the vinyl window after extrusion. In other words the color is added by gluing the special film to the frame of the window. This technic is mostly used to the interior of the window frame. If done properly it adds shiny and durable look to the window. Aluminum cladding color Usually the color is added to finished windows to achieve superior coating performance. This technic is usually used when the window has wood exterior. So the exterior of the window is made from aluminum for extra durability and beauty. Usually windows with aluminum cladding can be painted into more than 28 colors. Aluminum cladding colors are durable and stay unchanged for the life of the window. When you buy new windows you look at the overall window design and beauty. Very often you do not look at the small details of the replacement window. One of the smallest parts of the window are weep holes. Let us see why are they important.
Window weep holes are located on the exterior of the replacement window in the bottom of the window sill as you can see in the pictures. Water drainage The most important job weep holes do is draining all the water that gets into the frame of the window. When it is heavy rain, some of the water gets trapped in the bottom of the window and then it comes out from these weep holes. Problems with window weep holes When you buy your windows, make sure that weep holes are one inch higher from the lowest point of the window. This way you can be sure that they are not gonna be accidentally caulked or clogged with dust. If the weep holes get clogged with dirt or spider web, then the water is not properly drained from the window. After some time water is gonna start leaking into the house and destroy two by fours and eventually cause mould build up in the house. Weep holes maintenance So you bought vinyl maintenance free windows, but here we go I have just used this nasty word Maintenance. Yep, if your Windows have weep holes, you will have to clean them from time to time. If you have in your house twenty windows, it doesn't mean that you will have to clean weep holes in each one window. Clean the weep holes that you can visually see are dirty. May be on the side of the house where you have a lot of trees and spider nets. How to clean weep holes Take some piece of wire and gently insert into the weep hole and move back and forth till you pull out dirt or spider web. Then pour water on to the sill of the window and see if it is flowing out from the weep holes. How to eliminate completely weep holes problems When you don't want to do any kind of maintenance, then when buying your new replacement windows make sure that a window does not have weep holes. Yep all the windows we sell are without weep holes. It means the whole frame is fusion welded and the bottom sill is sloped. So all the water does not get inside the frame of the window, but diverted away from the house. When you are planning to replace your old wood windows with new vinyl replacements, you are wondering how it is done. So we are presenting to you this short video, so you can see how wood window replacement is done. Please enjoy watching and if you have any questions feel free to let us know. When you buy new replacement windows, you want to get the best quality. But to know what is the best, you should should know how the old vinyl windows looked like. Just the same way when you buy your new car you know why is it better. In the window world believe or not, progress moves forward as well. So to give you some ideas what should you avoid in your new windows. We presented this short video about old vinyl window.
Balance System of the Window You want to replace your existing old windows with new ones, because you want to use them. Simple as that. You want to be able to open and close them when you need . That’s is why the balance system of the replacement window is one of the important parts of the story. In this old vinyl window the balance system is spiral. This type of balance is not the best one, because it needs maintenance and adjustments. So when you buy your new replacement windows, make sure that you get something better. Like block and tackle or constant force balance systems. Window Glass Spacer In this old window, the spacer between the glass is aluminum. In most new windows, new technology is used which is warm edge spacer. Why is that important? Well, because aluminum is a good conductor of heat. In summer time the spacer overheats and may break the seals around the glass. If that happens, the argon gas is gonna escape. The moisture will start to accumulate between the two glass panes of the window. That will reduce energy efficiency of your windows. Fading will obstruct the viewing through the window glass. Fusion Welded Frame and Sashes The last point, but not the least is the frame of the window. Your new replacement windows should have fusion welded both the top and the bottom of the window. When you watch the video, you can see that the top of the window frame is fusion welded. While the bottom is connected together with screws. This makes the window shaky and not durable. When some years pass, you may have problems in operating the window. So make sure that in your new windows you are going to have fully welded the frame and sashes. The bottom line. Be prepared to ask questions about new windows that you are considering to buy. Now you know what should be new in your replacement windows.  Every part of the replacement window is important. In many cases you replace your old windows, because you couldn't open or close them. Every window is as good as it balance system. So let’s have a look what types of balance systems are used in replacement windows. Block and Tackle Balance System This type of balance system uses composite cords to connect the coil spring to the balance shoe. Many manufacturers guarantee, that you can use window sashes for about 28000 times. The big plus of the block and tackle balance system is that it does not need lubrication. So you don't have to worry about your window sashes getting stuck. The minus of this system is that it can be used in double pane glass windows. It can’t be applied to triple pane glass windows.  Constant Force Balance System This balance system works by utilizing a rolled coil steel spring to counter the balance of the weight of a window sash. Constant force balance system is widely used. Both in double and triple pane replacement windows. Many manufacturers guarantee that both sashes can be opened and closed for up to 15000 times. The negative side of this balance system is that all the dirt and dust accumulates in spring casing. It makes the operation of the window harder. Replacement windows with constant force balance systems may need maintenance after 20-25 years.  Spiral Balance System
The spiral balance relies on tension applied to spiral rod inside a balance tube. When you open or close the window, some tension is applied by turning the spiral rod that extends out from the bottom of the tube counter clockwise. Spiral Balance system was widely used in replacement windows. Lately most window manufacturers switched to constant force or block and tackle balance systems. The main problem with this balance system is that it provides of up to 1000 cycles of usage. The more you use the window the weaker the spiral spring becomes and sashes are not stay open, they fall down. The other negative side of this balance system is that it needs lubrication from time to time. |
At Siding & Windows Wizards LLC we like to take care about people's houses and like to share ideas about vinyl siding, replacement windows, fiber cement siding, roofing, or anything else that can make people's life easier. Categories
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