Ask six architects what the best window is and you will get seven different answers.

Look for one that has very low air infiltration numbers as the prevailing winds come from this direction.

I would recommend against vinyl if you’re going to have a lot of west facing windows

I agree with the above poster about looking at air infiltration. Why would you recommend against vinyl windows for West facing windows? Heat of deformation for vinyl is a bit over 160 degrees. Are we thinking that it gets higher than 160 in Wisconsin?

+1 on looking for windows with low air infiltration, I'd add that a numerically low U value and high condensation resistance rating are highly desirable for WI as well. Triple pane glass should be a consideration... To WoW's point, there is no reason to remove quality vinyl windows from consideration. They generally have the lowest air infiltration ratings which makes the previous advice a little puzzling. Main (and really only) reason to go wood is for the rich appearance when stained.

When a vinyl window is exposed to direct west sun during the summer the heat builds up within the frame - temperatures will well exceed the air temperature.

If you have a huge wall of windows (typical for lake view) with west exposure you may want to consider a different material.

You can check out Zuern Building Supply - they would be a good one to start with.

Great advice about vinyl windows circa 1982 whaas.

All of the other points are pretty solid for consideration today. Wood may be a better choice in a big fancy house for big fancy people. Vinyl does a nice job for performacne.

My Okna casements do this today - It’s difficult to open and close them at this time of day.

Although construction methods have changed the material properties haven’t changed.

Vinyl windows are a great option but one may want to consider a different material when using a large expanse of windows for direct west exposure

If that’s the truth whaas, then you probably have an installation issue in need of correction. Vinyl formulations and extrusion designs have changed tremendously Over the years. Even crappy vinyl windows (let alone good ones) won’t be “difficult to open and close” at any time of day if properly installed. You are giving poor and innaccurate advice, and it sounds like is based only on your personal experience and misdiagnosis of it. Other window materials are very valid as well, I’m not going to say that vinyl is the only good choice, but you are wrong that anyone should have to worry about vinyl windows on a western exposure. A quality vinyl window will perform well and problem free on said exposure in the heat of Texas or Florida, let alone Wisconsin

Wood may be a better choice in a big fancy house for big fancy people.

That is simplistic, and not true. I chose wood-clad for my 2100 s.f. middle-class home, and I am not big fancy people. I realized that the wood-clad would cost a lot more than vinyl, but I strongly preferred how it looked and felt for my home. That is not to say there are some good-looking vinyl windows, but it would be wrong to imply that wood-clad is just for a big fancy house for big fancy people.

That comment was addressing another Specific statement Miranda. M Miller cited an affluent area as a reason for choosing wood with which I agree. The reason that you chose wood windows is valid as well, although typically at the expense of performance, lower maintenance, cost(you acknowledged), warranty, etc. Still valid tho.

Many middle class people can’t or don’t want to afford replacing windows again in 10-15 years when many of today’s wood windows fail, but maybe you are the exception. Or maybe you are vigilant about maintaining them so that they will last, that’s cool too.

Hi Fridge, I just used one example from my personal home. I’ve had these discussions with material engineers as well.

I just wanted to point out that - of course I’m assuming here - that a lake view likely will have a large expanse of oversized windows. Not sure if vinyl would be a good choice in this specific scenario with west exposure. I don’t have data it’s just an opinion based on the experience with material properties.

I invite you take temperature readings of the vinyl surface at the peak of summer with west exposure. One may think twice about putting a large expanse of oversized windows in this case.

I have to agree with fridge here whaas. Data as well as millions of windows in service would back that up. There are certainly cases where quality is more important to avoid issues such as extreme climates, but there is no basis to the thought that vinyl windows shouldn’t be used on a given exposure. We install thousands each year.

As far as your issue, you should call the company that installed those. You should be able to have some adjustments made.

Hi Home sealed as mentioned above I’m not referencing the typical sized vinyl windows - just oversized windows with western exposure.

As for my installation I already had two manufacturing reps over that verified correct installation and no adjustments needed. They where still puzzled at the end. Once I asked a materials engineer they said it’s simply the thermal expansion and contraction of the material and exaggerated with an oversized footprint

Just sharing my experience.

If these units were install new construction, it more more likely a framing issues than it is a window issue. The manufacturers, i.e. the reputable ones, are pretty savvy about knowing the size limitations of their materials. I have never seen a casement that has had operational issues due to the normal expansion and contraction of the material. Won't happen as there is more than that amount of space built into the weatherstripping tolerances. I don't know who looked at it, but it would be easy enough to take some measurements and confirm those clearances.

It sounds like the siding or window trim might be tight to the window. This is not a normal problem with vinyl windows.

"Many middle class people can’t or don’t want to afford replacing windows again in 10-15 years when many of today’s wood windows fail, but maybe you are the exception."

It depends what you buy. Can you post which windows only last 10-15 years? It would be good to know those wood-clad brands so that people can avoid them. I first installed Marvin Ultimates sliding glass door 14 years ago. I live in climate zone 5a, and the sliding glass door faces NW. Today, it looks and performs like the day it was installed. Then 5 years after installing it, I replaced the rest of my home's windows with Marvin Ultimates (casements). Now, at 9 years old, they also look and perform like the day they were installed.

I agree, this was an expensive investment in windows. But given what I am seeing so far, they appear like they will have lives of 20 years at the very least. In addition, the previous windows of my home were wood-clad, were 30 years old, a no-name brand that we believe were manufactured locally, and only started to fail about the 28 year mark (except the sliding glass door failed about the 23 years mark but it gets more wear and tear). I don't think people can expect only 10-15 years lives for wood-clad windows if they buy good ones to begin with. Expensive, but over the lives of the windows, less expensive than buying poor quality which, to your point, will likely need to be replaced sooner.

I won’t speak for others, but I’ve replaced many Pellas in the 10-15 period, some Andersen’s at the later end of that, and many other lesser known units. Today‘s wood windows are generally made of fast growth pine which absorbs moisture. The better products isolate that as much as possible from the elements, however interior maintenance is crucial as well to prevent damage from condensation.

@whaas_5a, I’ve seen no issues with large units either. Vinyl has been around for a long time, and as WoW was alluding to, the engineering of these products takes the thermal expansion and contraction into account. You shouldn’t have issues with them in certain conditions. Can you take a pic of two from the exterior showing the reveal from frame to sash on the problem units ?

Hey Guys,

Take a brand new properly installed vinyl patio door. It will glide like butter when the temps are 60 degrees. How does that patio door operate when its 10 degrees? Its much tigether due to the contraction of the material.

I'm not implying the quality of the winodw is inferior or that it will even fail - simply put the material properties of vinyl have more contraction and expansion.

I do agree that framing or trimming too tightly around the window will likely exaggerate the issue.

A summer home in SE WI facing a lake to the West? I would say double hung. Particularly if you want to have your windows open to catch summer breezes- I think double hungs are better than casements for that. If you are a sometimes windows open person, like when airing the place out in the spring, and otherwise keep the windows closed and the AC running- casements can be the nicer option sometimes visually. Casement windows can also be more prone to bird strikes, if you are into birds or if there's a lot of birds in your area.

I've lived in the area and am familiar with some summer vacation home action- plan your windows for when you will be there using them. Along with planning the actual windows, perhaps also try to plan for shuttering those windows for during the off season when you aren't there. Double hung or casement, and vinyl or wood aside- a winter shutter over west windows can be a good idea. Some folks fully shutter all their windows. Got a few houses around where I live now that have full sheet wood nicely painted up panels that get attached to the outside of the house.

Also kind of depends on the lake too. Lake Geneva was already mentioned, and if building there, there might be different codes and/or aesthetics involved than if on one of the many other smaller lakes scattered all over the place.

We just built in the same area and went with Anderson 400 series casement. Granted, I will be honest that our selection was driven by wanting black interior & exterior - and we had to upgrade to get that. So for us, function followed form. We just got lucky in that we got a higher grade window because of the look we wanted. I have no idea how Anderson 400 series compares to other windows... just that it was an "upgrade" from the builder. (Which I know isn't saying much!) I love the casement style windows.... but I would also agree with beesneeds that if I'm imaging a lake house... I'd want windows that I could open and get lots of cross breeze and fresh air. In my short experience (been done with constructions 6 mo) we don't get a lot of that cross breeze with casement windows. Double hung may be a better approach if that's something that's important to you!

And how about the moisture content in that 50 degree temperature shift that effects the framing?

The reality is the coefficient of expansion in vinyl in that 50 degree swing will not account for any material shrinkage that cannot be accommodated by the weatherstripping. Its like there are other factors at play. Even in the case of a fully "captured" weatherstripping design, the measurement variance would be so small that it would likely be the thickness of a 3x5 card.

Is the weatherstripping more stiff at that temp, sure. Could that contribute, yes. The stiffness you are feeling is not due to the lineal of vinyl shrinking though. Sorry, but if the door was installed and designed properly, that is just the facts.

Simplest... the company that you choose matters more than the material that they use.

There is a reason you don’t see many if any post saying my windows dont operate the same in winter vs summer.

Hey Guys, appreciate the dialog (even though its not my post! lol).

I recognize several of the screen names from that old school window replacement forum almost a decade ago when seleting Soft-Lite windows so I respect the wealth of knowledge and experience here.

I'll run a little experiment and report back for feedback in a seperate post.

Hi Toddinmn,

Generaly most homeowners and building owners know that windows, doors, building materials, etc contract and expand with temperature extremes. I wouldn't expect folks to generate posts on a minor operational nusiance.

Whaas, I would expect people to complain if they said there windows were difficult to open and close and most would consider this more than a minor nuisance. Perhaps. I’m not understanding you’re meaning of difficult or minor?