Thread: Double Glazing Salesmen

Note, in some areas you may require permission from your local authority to replace your windows, especially with traditional box sash (vertical slider) casements.

You may be required to replace like with like or repair the originals, and that isn't cheap! Just because your next door neighbour has replacement windows, doesn't always mean you can do yours, some councils are getting a bit 'funny' about maintaining the original look of an area.

Originally Posted by Filbert Fox

Originally Posted by bcsack

Vertical Sliding Sash

Windows similar to these can be bought in the UK 1000 x 1600 supply only
about £320 each - they only cost a fortune if you buy them from a rip off merchant !!

Are the windows gas filled with argon? that cuts down on heat loss by convextion and radiation. How much would it cost on top of this to remove the old windows and box and then install the new box and how much is the new box? before the actual window can be installed?

If you have original box sash, in a nice house look at repairing, they are very fashionable with buyers.

If you are going to replace look for specialists, it's not an easy job to make it look neat, and easily cocked up by the inexperienced.




Argon gas fuccks off after about 18 months, but it's the 'in' thing at the moment, moving to krypton soon.

Oh my, gas How about some lateral thinking class.......what do the Scandics do? Commonly they go for triple glaze, a sealed unit with three panes of glass and two internal spacer frames. More expensive, yes, and heavier yes, but measurably more efficient and quieter than double glaze. Do you need it? Your decision :D

And, the frame? In many cases, wood Yes good old fashioned decent timber frames. You have to get into a lot of cost and technology to come up with a profile as good as NOT transmitting heat as wood ;)

No.9

ps. If you think your windows are good but the units are naff, you can just replace the units. Thing here is to determine the overall thickness of your old units, so you get a 'click-in click-out job, or, ask the manufacture of your system what the rebate tolerance is and what fittings are still available if you change the SU thickness.

You can get triple glazing here in the UK too, costs extra but doesnt it always when you want to upgrade! and also means you lose more of your window sill, its recommended if you live near a busy road or an airport runway.

Argon gas leaks out within 18 months? where did you get your info from? Link? The leakage is estimated at 1% per year and tests have shown that if an argon-filled window leaks five percent of its gas each year, it will lose only 12 percent of its R-value after 20 years.

What you should do if you are considering double glazing is check the web for a few quotes, then make an appointment with about 5 salesmen at the same time. Conduct an interview of them all sat down and ask what they can do for you. See what price you get then.

that would be so funny! How many do you think would bottle it and say that they will only do 1 to 1?

Originally Posted by RoyogtheRovers

If you have sash windows and want to replace them with uPVC double glazed windows then youll need to remortgage your house, the windows themselves are bought in by companies such as Anglian & Everest from America (and they are heavy as fcuk!), so they cost more, you are charged extra to have the existing box removed, then another charge to have the new box put in.

New sash windows (lower window) open outwards as well as the usual up and down, this makes cleaning possible.

If your local business has a good reputation and has been going for years then do it, but if they go out of business you are buggered, if one of the biggies goes t1ts up they are all part of an organisation that means your warranty will be taken over by another of the biggies.

At the end of the day its usually down to a couple of things, whether or not you like the sales man and the price. If you take finance, then try to pay off additional installments whenever you can, this brings down the amount of interest you pay and if you take one piece of advice take this one, if you have the money to pay cash for your windows, dont, take the finance with its 10% off the starting price, and follow my advice in my first post in this thread. Itll save you alot of money.

The big guys are expensive because their sales process is expensive, big pricey national advertising programmes, lots of canvassers who have to be paid for and then the salesman. Local companies tend to work on a much lower overhead operation, no factory, they buy in from some one who has a local factory and only send salespeople out to people who have asked them to all so no wasted effort there. My chap is quite open about where he gets the stuff from. Equally one of the larger regionals has a 'trade center' on a back street not far from me where he supplies some of the smaller local firms from.

Windows are covered by building regs and they should all comply, the bigger companies can self certify and the smaller ones need a building inspector.

A failed (condensation inside) double glazing unit can be easily replaced, your local repair man will probably do in in about a week. One of the majors though will suggest you need to replace every window in the house because one unit has failed.

good post maxi, however my point is, if your windows (fitted by a local trader) go pearshaped and the trader is no longer in business then youre buggered, the biggies cover each other.

The biggest home improvements company in the UK (who I worked for) will try and get you to replace the whole house if it was fitted yesterday by anyone other than them!

Originally Posted by RoyogtheRovers

good post maxi, however my point is, if your windows (fitted by a local trader) go pearshaped and the trader is no longer in business then youre buggered, the biggies cover each other.

Depends on just how his warranty is arranged, but on the otherhand if one of the national decides not to cover your clain you are equally stuffed. With the money you save going local you can have your own 'insurance' fund and still have beer vouchers left over.

Lets face it at the end of the day, there are only a few suppliers of the extrusions, equally the same applies to the glass and the sealed unit kits. Just how much over the odds is it worth paying just in case something goes wrong. I have not had a double glazing unit fail within the guarantee period

In my present house the windows are old so they have needed some maintainance, my local chap does this for very sensible money, and when I wanted a new front door, his price would have made Everests eyes water. Did a good job, usually turns up when promised or phones.

I did a quote for 2 new doors for a really nice couple just before I left the company, I told them I wasnt going to sit there and make a display about how much of a favour I was going to do them in the hope theyd buy early on, I showed them exactly what discounts I could give them and worked out the price. Dead cheap in the end, my manager rang on my way home and asked how it went, I told him the price offered and he went mad (his commission is worked out on my sales as well, I would get 15% & he would get 5%)

3 days after I resigned the customer rang me to ask why another rep had turned up last night, he said the rep went through the whole 'I can do this for you' spiel but didnt offer a couple of the discounts saying those discounts were no longer available (they were as the company continued to text me with the discounts available for 2 months) and they had withdrawn their order because of the new price.

The kit is good but the price usually isnt, as you said earlier the big companies pay out a lot in commission, £50 for the foot/tele-can per lead that gets a rep visit, £30 per visit for the rep regardless of a sale (max paid visits of 5 per week), 15% sales commission (after VAT removed) to the rep, 5% sales commission for the sales manager.

Originally Posted by RoyogtheRovers

You can get triple glazing here in the UK too, costs extra but doesnt it always when you want to upgrade! and also means you lose more of your window sill, its recommended if you live near a busy road or an airport runway.

Argon gas leaks out within 18 months? where did you get your info from? Link? The leakage is estimated at 1% per year and tests have shown that if an argon-filled window leaks five percent of its gas each year, it will lose only 12 percent of its R-value after 20 years.

It's a load of old cobblers, the chances of it staying in the unit are slim, the leakage rates is just a bit of guff spouted by Pilks/SG/Guardian.
It's only a £1 per unit extra or less, and I think it may vanish, with solar gain being the new rule, so Suncool, and warm bars will take over.

Originally Posted by leveller

Originally Posted by RoyogtheRovers

You can get triple glazing here in the UK too, costs extra but doesnt it always when you want to upgrade! and also means you lose more of your window sill, its recommended if you live near a busy road or an airport runway.

Argon gas leaks out within 18 months? where did you get your info from? Link? The leakage is estimated at 1% per year and tests have shown that if an argon-filled window leaks five percent of its gas each year, it will lose only 12 percent of its R-value after 20 years.

It's a load of old cobblers, the chances of it staying in the unit are slim, the leakage rates is just a bit of guff spouted by Pilks/SG/Guardian.
It's only a £1 per unit extra or less, and I think it may vanish, with solar gain being the new rule, so Suncool, and warm bars will take over.

What's the advantage of Argon gas then? I've actually made double-glazing units and all we did was put the panes through the "washing and ironing machine" (which heats them up in the process of drying them), cut the edge profiles, filled them with silicone dessicant, bunged everything on the turntable and sealed it all round with the sealant gun. Finschd! No gas.

I believe the Velolux attic units are filled with gas (or is it that air's pumped out of them?) but they're a completely different system anyway.

MsG

Originally Posted by Bugsy

Originally Posted by leveller

Originally Posted by RoyogtheRovers

You can get triple glazing here in the UK too, costs extra but doesnt it always when you want to upgrade! and also means you lose more of your window sill, its recommended if you live near a busy road or an airport runway.

Argon gas leaks out within 18 months? where did you get your info from? Link? The leakage is estimated at 1% per year and tests have shown that if an argon-filled window leaks five percent of its gas each year, it will lose only 12 percent of its R-value after 20 years.

It's a load of old cobblers, the chances of it staying in the unit are slim, the leakage rates is just a bit of guff spouted by Pilks/SG/Guardian.
It's only a £1 per unit extra or less, and I think it may vanish, with solar gain being the new rule, so Suncool, and warm bars will take over.

What's the advantage of Argon gas then? I've actually made double-glazing units and all we did was put the panes through the "washing and ironing machine" (which heats them up in the process of drying them), cut the edge profiles, filled them with silicone dessicant, bunged everything on the turntable and sealed it all round with the sealant gun. Finschd! No gas.

I believe the Velolux attic units are filled with gas (or is it that air's pumped out of them?) but they're a completely different system anyway.

MsG

It's 'pumped' in as it's heavier than air it replaces forcing air out. It does not vibrate on as high a frequency so retains better heat.

The rest you would be familiar with just the ali spacer bar is being replaced with plastic, or warm edge spacer, which reduces heat transmission further.

Originally Posted by leveller

It's 'pumped' in as it's heavier than air it replaces forcing air out. It does not vibrate on as high a frequency so retains better heat.

The rest you would be familiar with just the ali spacer bar is being replaced with plastic, or warm edge spacer, which reduces heat transmission further.

Cheers for the reply, Leveller. :D

MsG

Originally Posted by leveller

It's a load of old cobblers, the chances of it staying in the unit are slim, the leakage rates is just a bit of guff spouted by Pilks/SG/Guardian.
It's only a £1 per unit extra or less, and I think it may vanish, with solar gain being the new rule, so Suncool, and warm bars will take over.

So you made the 'itll have leaked out after 18 months' bit up then?