WB Marta, First a clarification - 5/16 and 7/16 refer to laminated glass which is two lites bonded either side of a plastic interlayer, those thicknesses are not the actual thickness of individual glass lites. 5/16" laminated glass consists of two 1/8" lites and 7/16" laminated has two 3/16" lites so that the 1/8" difference is really 1/16" x 2. Different glass thickness does not mean different frame thickness, it doesn't even affect the width of the reglet or glazing channel in the sash. Because the vast majority of glass that goes into the sash is going to be a dual pane package that will be the same width (or depth depending who you are talking to), even when different glass thicknesses are used by changing the width of the spacer between the two lites, the overall IG width doesn't change. In other words, if window company xyz has an overall glazing channel of 1" for their dual pane units, then that's what the IG unit has to fill. Depending on the window company the tolerance for the IGU width might be as little as 1/64". Available options might be two 1/8" lites with 3/4" space between, or could be one 1/18" plus one 1/4" with a 5/8" width spacer/airspace. Or if they were manufacturing an impact window with 5/16" laminated and 1/8" mono glass then they would use a 9/16" spacer to once again come out at 1", and so on. In your case Marta, you are being told 5/16 and 7/16 but are they selling a single laminated lite in a frame or are they going to be IG (dual pane) units? Either option is available in Florida, but IG is more common. This part is a bit more complicated..... The advantage of thicker laminated glass in an impact window has to do with wind resistance and potentially the DP rating. Simply thicker glass generally has higher load tolerance (wind and otherwise) than thinner glass, but thinner glass that has been heat strengthened or tempered has a higher wind loading tolerance than does non-heat treated (annealed) glass even when the annealed glass is thicker than the heat treated glass. Need to raise the DP of a given window? Temper the glass and it immediately goes up. What all that means is that if the 1/8" glass in the 5/16" laminated has been heat treated and the 3/16" glass in the 7/16" has not, then the thinner 5/16" heat treated laminated glass has substantially higher resistance to wind pressure and low level impacts than the non-heat treated 7/16" laminated product. However note low level impact resistance. There is no appreciable difference between 5/16 and 71/6 laminated glass when subjected to the 2x4 hurricane impact test requirement. Heat treating glass might protect from an errant baseball but the 2x4 doesn't even notice the difference, heat treated or not. The downside to heat treating is that it can introduce distortion in the glass, distortion that may even be unnoticeable in a single lite of glass can become quite noticeable when two lites are laminated together. I am not saying it WILL be distorted, far from it, just saying that the possibility is potentially greater. And most (but not all) distortion when it does occur is very mild and only visible at acute angles to the glass, often even affected by lighting conditions to see it. Marta as you move forward the first things that you need to find out are, a) monolithic lami or IG unit in the windows b) is the glass heat treated, either heat strengthened or tempered c) if an IG or dual pane, is the non-laminated (also called sacrificial) lite heat treated d) if monolithic lami what LowE coatings, if any, are used in the construction And all else being equal, monolithic can be okay and IG can be okay. Depending on location and application eat treated can be a good option, but non-heat treated might be just as effective. Coatings are a necessity, mono or IG, that one isn't negotiable.

Greetings! I need some advise I lived in South Florida, and I am planning to install high impact sliding door (patio) that is on my master bedroom (HOT room). My master room is my HOT room in the house and receive DIRECT sun light all DAY (10 am to sunset) ! My main goal is to FIGHT the heat. I planning to buy a high impact sliding door with LOW-e 366 or 70XL. Measurements are: 108 by 81 I have couple of quotes but I am confused. Some companies are advising for PGT Windguard 770 series and other CGI Sentinel . Some companies are telling to NOT buy insulated glass (filled with argon) due to possibility of outside glass could break. My questions are: 1. Vinyl vs Aluminum frame. And really worth it 2. If I add tint to an low e-366 or 70XL glass would increase my SHGC factor 3. Insulation with argon gas, will leak? and How common this could happen 4. How easy the exterior glass (thin) of an insulation door fill with argon could break? Does PGT and CGI used stainless screws? 6. How I know that the door I bought has the low-e 336 or 70 glass I bought and not other lower version. Thank you in advance Thank you.

Yes, they are installing all the windows and the front door. My contractor, who is the one that referred them to me, said they would charge a lot to install the sliders cause you have to cut into the stucco. Since he is working with us on various projects, including replacing some facia board before we paint, he said he would do it. I have to call her today and let her know which hardware we want as well. She gave me the Emtek catalog and they have some amazing prices! I will let you know and post pics! Toodlse, L

hi All, Thank you for your questions/comments. I should have expanded more into why I have commented on the SHGC, and the context. Most people do not pay attention to SHGC therefore my point was bring it to your attention so you can research and select the correct SHGC/U-Value that works for your home and climate. In Canada, the earlier conventional wisdom (which some still hold today, but awareness is starting to shift) is that using high solar gain windows allows "free heat" into the homes particularly during the cold months. This may be valid in some homes in some areas, but it should not be blanketed across all homes in cold climates. As our building codes continue to increase in overall energy efficiency and more high performance homes are being built, these builders and the industry as a whole have found heating loads are dropping to very low numbers (20,000-30,000 btus is very common in single family homes (in some areas). In multi's like town homes the numbers can be even lower). With heating loads that low, the home doesn't need the added "free heat" from the high solar windows in the winter. In fact for some time it was difficult to get forced air systems small enough to avoid oversized units and therefore short cycling of the units. We are finding the free heat becomes a detriment in the summer cooling seasons in many areas. With the low load homes, it is becoming common for cooling demands to exceed the heating demands and therefore forced air duct systems that were historically designed for heating loads are now being designed to cooling loads in many cases!! Although the high solar gain windows are adding free heat in the winter which is a marginal benefit, they are actually overheating some homes in the summer, resulting in more demand on cooling units or even having to install larger systems. Every home is different, with unique orientation, window/wall ratios, insulating types and values, size, geographic location, age, etc. Therefore this is why I recommended seeking out professionals in your area to work through what are the best windows for your home to achieve the overall best comfort for you, and to avoid the pitfall of affecting the operation of your mechanical system. Point is, pay attention to the SHGC and the U-Factor because they both make a difference. When you are spending that kind of money on windows, you want to be sure you are comfortable in your home. Again, thank you for feedback. It allowed for the opportunity to expand with more context. And, Happy Fathers Day to all of the dads out there!