We are planning to replace our 30 year old windows. Most are casement and some are casement/piture combo. The 2 that are casement/picture combo are in guest bedrooms in the lower level and they are at ground level both inside and outside the house. Do the windows need to be tempered on both sides or just the inside. I also have 2 casements that are at ground level on the upper part of the house both in and out. Do they need to be tempered on both sides? One is in a bathroom and the other is less than 2' from the front door. BTW, the mfr of the replacement windows is Farlay. Any comments on this mfr. Thanks

 

Yes, if anything is that close to the ground, it needs to be tempered, and to my knowledge, you cannot get an IGU that is only tempered on one side. Either both pieces of the IGU will be tempered, or both pieces are not tempered.

 

Thanks. What is IGU. Also, the window contractor said it would be $99 per side to temper. I have a total of 6 windows that are at ground level which wold equate to an extra $1200. Are you saying that if I temper just the inside that in actuality both inside the house and outside the house will be tempered automatically by the mfr. Possibly the contractor is trying to double dip if that is the case and maybe I should only pay $600 and I would get both sides of the window tempered unless $200 is realistic per window. 2 Casements are about 20" wide by 6' tall, 2 casements are 2'x5' and picture is about 4' x 5' tall. Seems odd that all windows are $99 per side when they are different. Please advise. Thanks

 

IGU = insulating glass unit, or Thermopane. Two or three pieces of glass separated by an air space and sealed together to form one unit that has better insulating properties than if there was no sealed space between them.

What I am saying is that I have never heard of any IGU that has tempered on one side and non-tempered on the other. I would be very suprised if that was even possible. I couldn't advise you on the prices he is quoting. Prices and markups vary widely. $200 per window for tempered sounds a little high but truthfully I wouldn't be suprised, since tempered glass sometimes has to be outsourced- ordered from a separate vendor, whereas they may make their own IGU's that are not tempered. Its really hard to say, since it depends totally on their costs and markup.

Possibly, he is quoting per side because their window factory gets the pieces of glass delivered individually and then have to assemble them into an IGU as they usually would... but $99 represents what they pay for each piece of tempered glass, plus markup which does not sound unreasonable.

When it comes to window safety codes, you really don't have a choice, so I'm not quite sure why he is even giving you one. If someone gets hurt the liability would be tremendous. The other day I saw someone on TV who got injured by one of those carts that drive around inside the airport terminal. The cart hit them as they walked next to a window, pushed them into this full-to-floor non-tempered window (which, by code, should have been tempered) and they suffered severe lacerations from the shards of glass. Had the window been tempered it either 1). would not have broken or 2). the small bits of shattered tempered glass would have only cause minor abrasions. I was amazed. I'm sure someone is paying through the nose for that blunder.

I'll have to check into whether or not IGU's can legally be made tempered on only one side. It's an interesting question. One phone call to a local glass house should be all it will take.

 

Thanks. Makes sense that both inside and outside would be tempered. Finally, any commet on Farley casement window replacements. They have a new line out for replacemtn windows. 3000 series. Not on their website yet but contractor gave me the brochure. 100% lifetime warranty on seal failure, glass breakage, frame failure and it is transferrable without any paperwork. Warranty seems great but I don't see much discussion on window replacement boards about Farley. Most are Simmonton, Pella, etc.

 

Never heard of Farley. But that doesn't mean much. There are literally hundreds of window companies out there, and some of them make good products. One important factor with any company is service after the sale. Will they be there to service your windows when you need them, or are they a small company that will go out of business or be gobbled up by some competitor who will not be willing to give you the service that you expect?

This is one reason why many people will pay a little extra to stick with a name brand that is "perceived" as being reputable and trustworthy. I'm not trying to sway you either way, but it is something to consider. Any company can say they are giving you a lifetime warranty- the question is, how long have they been around- and how long WILL they be around in the future to care for you, the customer?

If they have a long history in the window business with plenty of locally satisfied customers, then I'm sure you will have nothing but good success in dealing with them. The companies to stay away from are the ones that sweep into town, have high pressure salesmen, and who seem to disappear just as quickly. They are the ones that give our business a bad reputation.

Additionally, one problem that we have encountered in the replacement window business, are window vendors that sell us on their "new line" of windows, which means they are "phasing out" their old line. What this means is that parts slowly become out of stock- leaving us (and our customers) high and dry when we need parts and service 10 years down the road. So on the plus side, it sounds like you are looking at a current model of window. On the negative side, sometimes the new products have bugs that need to be worked out. Why am I telling you this? I don't know- my advice is only worth what you're paying for it, I guess. Just giving you some real life feedback from the window industry. I guess what I've learned is that some of the larger companies do less of this sort of changing of the guard... if that makes any sense.

 

I don't often disagree with sleeper, but check local code about tempered glass. It is usually only required in things like doors, patio doors, very low windows, egress windows, etc. That is an expense that may not be needed.

 

JustBill, glad you always have my back! But I'm not sure why you would disagree about all the windows since they all seem to fit the same criteria, requiring tempered...

Cecilt wrote:

>>they are at ground level both inside and outside the house.

I think that means the glass is very close the floor, requiring it to be tempered. In addition, any windows within 18" of doors also need to be tempered. Anything within 60" of a step (tripping hazard) as well, I believe... but Cecilt didn't mention anything that would fit into that catagory.

 

Called my county building inspector today. He said that only the interior needs to be tempered even though the exterior of the window is at ground level as well. Checked with Farley, the window company my installer was recommending and they said I had the option of tempering 1 or both sides so it appears my installer was on the up and up. Still have not heard many on these forums have experience with Farley but my installer installed over 40 replacement casement and picture windows in his hous with Farley so I told him I wanted to look at his house. Thanks for the feedback.