Simonton 5500 Replacement Window Review

You have decided to refresh the look of your house. Now you want to shop for the new windows. There are many replacement window brands available on the market. We want to review one of the popular Simonton 5500 series replacement window.

General Specifications of the window

Let us start from specifications of this window. Simonton 5500 replacement window boasts U-Factor at 0.29 and SHGC 0.18. This gives not bad energy efficiency rating for this window. It qualifies for Energy star Rating in most states. The glass of the window is double pane and comes with Low-E and Argon Gas between two panes. The DP rating for this window is 25. It means that the window can withstand winds of up to 75 mph.

Interior of the Window

Both the window frame and sashes are fusion welded. It means that the window performs like solid piece. No screws used to hold together the parts of the frame or sashes. This window is double hung, so both sashes are moving for the ease of cleaning and venting the room.
On the top sash there are two vent laches. When you want to vent just three inches on the bottom you can use these vent latches. The thickness of the frame and the sash is a bit too wide. It measures 3” 5/8. You should not be worried about that if you have wide windows in your house. But if you have smaller windows then the thickness of the frame steals viewing area and your windows look smaller. Simonton 5500 does not have balance covers, which annoys some people.

Exterior of the Window

Simonton 5500 replacement window comes with half fiber glass screen. It is made with fully extruded aluminum. The screen is of a high quality. The only downside of the screen is that does not lock into the window frame. It means that with a strong wind the screen can be blown off.
At the bottom of the window there are two weep holes. They drain all the water that gets into exterior frame of the window. We believe these weep holes are located somewhat too low. There is a high chance of weep holes clogging. If that happens, the water may find the way into the house.

Weather Striping

When you open the window, you can see that the bottom and top sashes have double weather stripping. On the bottom of the sash there is a double rubber weather stripping as well. It means when you close the window no air leaks can happen.

Simonton 5500 Double Hung Replacement Window Conclusions:
Positives:
— High Energy Efficient Window
— The Frame and Sashes are durable
— The Acceptable Design
— Aluminum durable extruded screen
Negatives:
— No Balance Covers
— Weep Holes are too low
— The frame is a bit too thick
—The window screen does not lock