Thank you for the feedback.. FYI - These are not heat Pumps - Strictly straight A/C units w heat strips. The old unit ran fine in its earlier years and in its later years was nursed along and did not cool as well. I believe 3 tons will work fine as the old unit did the job in the early years and had to work in the summer when the sun came in during the late PM in the later years. There is a lot of heat that scomes through those windows in the summer. The efficiencies in todays units probably deliver much better cooling than I was getting.. Especially if they are sealed. I do have a second unit taking care of the living quarters and the Den area which are alongside this main room - when I sealed the unit 2 yrs ago - what a difference.. Another proposal came in today with 2 different A/C units w strips and 2 different Heat Pump quotes from the current Lennox servce provider who services the equipment. 1. Lennox XC14-036 Condenser unit (14.20 SEER/12.00 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Lennox CBX26UH36 Fan Coil with Thermostatic Expansion Valve · Lennox ECB26-10CB Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser 10 year compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year - $6986.00 Installed w existing Thermostat 2.· Amana ASX14-036 Condenser unit (13.50 SEER/11.80 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana ARPF363616 Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $7080.00 Installed 3. · Amana ASZ14-036 Heat Pump unit (15.00 SEER/13.00 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana ASPF303616 Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $8168 installed - and qualifies for Tax credit 4. · Amana ASZ16-036 2- Stage Heat Pump unit (16.00 SEER/12.50 EER) using the new 410A refrigerant · Amana AEPF30361A Fan Coil with Flow-rater Valve · Amana HKR-10C Heat Strip with circuit breaker · Manufactures warranty Condenser Life Time compressor & 10 year parts, Fan Coil 10 year $ 9,442.00 Installed SEERs look a little low compared to the earlier quotes.. I am not familiar w Heat pumps only straight A/c and Heat strip units.. I feel that running that compressor unit in the winter just creates wear..That is why I'm slanted toward heat strips. Can one get a manual J from an independent source or does it have to be a contractor? I hear they are some work to work up and obviously I will pay for it. How much are they. If you have suggestions on specific units / condensor / air handler combinations I'd be happy to check them out as well. This is a big expense and i want to do this right. Thanks

I have decided to go the full frame replacement. I have been looking at various types of sill pan flashing. One product that I like (at least the idea behind it) is the Protectowrap Sill Pan Drainage System. It is installed over flexible membrame flashing and it is layer of sloped foam covered in a water wicking material designed to draw any moisture into the flashing and away from the interior of the structure or so it seems. Most methods I have read about use either a metal sill pan, liquid flashing or flexible membrane. The Sill Pan Drainage System seems like an added bit of security assuming your initial flashing and window sealing is done properly. My question is: Is it worth it? I got a quote for 100' (of which I will likely need about 50') for just shy of $250. Most flexible membrane flashing and liquid flashing is about $40-60 for 50-75' depending on width. Any thoughts or perhaps other practical ideas for making the best possible water tight/ optimal draining sill pan? I'm not trying to be cheap, just practical. This product must be special ordered whereas most of the other protecto wrap products can be bought off the shelf leading me to believe that the Sill Pan Drainage System is not commonly used in my area ( Austin TX) either because it is not needed or due to cost or better alternatives .

Hi, Over the last 3 years I have installed the following casement windows. Summary: Of the 3 windows I have now installed I would probably go with the Marvin "Essential" All Ultrex windows if I wanted an All Fiberglass double pane window. Unfortunately they do not offer a triple pane option for the Essential series. If we ever build new or have to redo windows in our next home, I will likely go with the Marvin "Elevate" Wood Interior / Fiberglass Exterior Triple Pane windows. Or I would further investigate the other higher end triple pane fiberglass options on the market. Since I live in MN and Marvin is based in MN and they are really nice windows, I would probably pick the Marvin Elevate's triple pane still. The other higher end fiberglass options may have better thermal glass spacers, but I think with a triple pane, this likely matters much less compared to double pane glass spacers for condensation resistance. The real advantage of a triple pane window is you can use any window blinds/shades you want and still have no condensation. For my double panes I have to open our blinds around 12 inches so the bottom of the window is exposed to the room otherwise they get pretty bad condensation on colder nights which completely defeats the purpose of having fancy thermal efficient double cell cellular blinds. Crestline Acclaim Triple Pane with 366/272 coating Good Excellent condensation resistance, virtually zero even at -20 deg F Nice wood like side jamb visual design look Stiff frame that doesn't move based on summer vs winter Nice gaskets Cheap Bad Single Operator cranks are pretty bad, especially for a heavier triple pane Gives off a greenish hue tint due to the 366/272 coating I really wish they would update to a double operator crank and give more glass coating options, could be an excellent window with those updates!! Marvin All Ultrex "now called Essential" Double Pane with 180 coating Good Stiff frame that doesn't move based on summer vs winter Double operator cranks are nice and smooth Option for 180 coating Okay Mediocre condensation resistance, typical double pane Jam visual design Bad Kind of expensive No option for high transparent screens No option for self clean glass Anderson 100 Series "Fibrex" Double Pane with 272 coating Good Cheap Double operator cranks are nice and smooth Okay Mediocre condensation resistance, typical double pane High Transparent screen option very expensive Can't remember if a self clean glass was an option Bad Frame gets smaller in cold weather and larger in warm weather. I installed in summer and windows opened and closed great, then winter came and they would get slightly stuck due to the outer frame shrinking enough for gaskets on sash to get slightly stuck on fixed window frame. Likely due to the fibrex material's coefficient of thermal expansion and mediocore frame design that allows the thermal expansion/contraction to deflect the frame.

WoW, If that is true you assume the seals in your hypothetical window are still "perfect" at 30 years. Very questionable. Further, U value is mainly important in northern climates while SHGC is much more important in southern climates. Modern films can also often be applied to single pane windows to bring many performance factors (especially SHGC) very close to double pane (or better) for a fraction of the cost. -"Regularly refurbished"? In my experience, good putty on a painted wood single pane window will last ~50 years. When the time comes, a quality contractor can perform the service fairly quickly. Last I checked about $200 a window, maybe less. Track and lock maintenance apply to new and old windows. What do you charge to install a high quality name brand double hung double pane? -I've had no trouble with storm windows. They have all been easy to remove, install, and clean. Very durable. Never had an issue with condensation damage to the wood either. -Most of your "drawbacks" are non or very minor issues considering the typical cost savings of maintaining existing single panes. Film and/or storm windows can bring single pane energy efficiency very close to new double panes. Wood Single pane: $200 every 50 years for putty plus the cost to paint and maintain single pane locks and tracks (optional- plus perhaps $70 per window every 20 years for film). Double pane: perhaps $600-$800 every 30 years for new quality double panes installed. It's clear that it's usually cheaper to maintain existing quality single pane windows, even though energy performance may not be quite as good. Consider complete lifecycle cost. WoW, sure I'm happy to provide data. I'm waiting for yours. Respectfully your post sounds just like a double pane replacement marketing pitch. Lots of talk but little to nothing to support it. A recent study and some data on clear single pane, double pane, and film performance. https://cdn.llumar.com/drupal/na_arch_solar_specs_l2278.pdf https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/5/731/htm Not sure about the condition, size, access, or location of your friend's casement windows. Ex- If the casements open into a sunroom and still work well, why even consider replacing them (except for aesthetic reasons)?