1.) The windows are Pella vinyl double hung. 2.) The weeps are not in the accessory groove. The installer went out of his way to caulk the weeps closed. He actually argued with me and Pella, insisting that this is how they should be installed. He also claimed, as did Lowe's, that all of Lowe's installers are trained by Pella at the Pella factory. Pella confirmed that they DO NOT TRAIN LOWE'S INSTALLERS. 3.) If water is not able to exit through the weep holes, it will pool in the hollow extrusion of the sill. It will eventually find its way into the wall cavity through any small opening in the extrusion. 4.) Lowe's walked away from the problem. They still employ this installer and he continues to caulk weeps. He admits that he has been doing this for years. Lowe's knows this, and they still give him jobs. 5.) I have contacted via telephone and mail; the Lowe's store manager, Lowe's regional manager, Lowe's consumer relations, Lowe's customer service, Lowe's chief counsel, Lowe's CEO, Pella regional distributor, Pella corporate customer relations, Pella CEO. Pella's reaction was that the windows were installed incorrectly. They have been the only ones interested in resolving this problem. 6.) I was told by Lowe's that they could not afford to lose this installer, because he works cheap. I have no idea what they tell one installer about what they pay another installer, but since they have lied to me throughout this ordeal, I assume they lie to installers too. 7.) Mold can grow in DAYS. I have seen new drywall exposed to moisture and under the right conditions of temperature and humidity grow to the point that it is visible in less than one week. There were no "issues" before the windows were installed. 8.) This is what happens when the housing industry is booming, as it was the last few years - there is such a shortage of labor that any putz with a Sears charge card can buy a hammer and call himself a contractor.

This is an old thread but may I resurrect it: I just inherited my mother's house in No. MN. For many reasons I will keep the house. The original Andersen casement windows (exactly 60 years old) are difficult to close and I was expecting to have to buy either new Andersen 400's or Marvin Integrity with wood interior. Then, my brother said, "I can have someone just repair them--lots of extra paint, gunk, to be stripped off, some wood may have to be repaired." And I would save major money--my mom had a lot of windows in that house. Secondly, the hardware is so much nicer than the new windows. Any opinions on this? I could afford a lot of maintenance with the money I will save.

Purchased a home in 2014. The windows were Pella proline aluminum clad/wood. the home was built in 1999, so at the tie of purchase, the house was approximately 15 years old. we received a $1500 write off for the 2 windows that were rotted at closing. the home inspector stated that the pella proline was probably one of the worst windows ever built. the class action suit closed in 2013 , so we could not take advantage of the settlement. we are now looking at a couple of other windows that have severe rot in the bottom rail. I have already replaced several of the cranking mechanisms. My question is , is there a none Pella version of the sash that I could have installed ? the frames are (to my surprise) in fairly good shape. A sash replacement is more cost effective this point in our lives. we are both retired and on fixed incomes. Thanks Art and Helen

FYI, one of the installers came out today and sprayed foam insulation at the bottoms of two of my windows (to test this approach before doing all of them). On one of them, he took off the bottom cap and sprayed, then put it back and recaulked. On the other one, he left the cap on and sprayed the foam in through about six or seven drilled holes (at the caulk line), every five inches or so. He then removed the excess, although after an hour there's still a bit oozing out. That'll be broken off later and recaulked at the holes. I'll now wait for super cold temps again and see if these windows have any frosting on the inside, and whether one approach works better than the other. I'll keep you posted.