Thermally Broken Aluminum Windows Vs Vinyl

I ve been told my a local contractor that no one will install aluminum windows anymore unless i purchase hurricane shutters first or buy vinyl impact windows because of hurricane ivin back in 2004.

Thermally broken aluminum windows vs vinyl.

Thermally broken aluminum windows vs vinyl compared to alternative materials like wood and vinyl thermally broken aluminum windows have superior durability. I live in pensacola one block from bayou grande. The reason being is that they are incredibly energy efficient. While you will recoup some of your money with aluminum windows you will recover more money with vinyl windows.

Aluminum is also softer and easier to manipulate so it could fit unusual windows. Good quality vinyl windows are welded together and not held together with screws. Because it s well known that modern vinyl does best to insulate and maintain in home temperatures often times people assume then that aluminum windows must be completely opposite in this sense. Thermally broken refers to high performance insulator material separating two metal halves aluminum steel or bronze.

Vinyl windows excel when it comes to insulation and improving energy efficiency because the vinyl material minimizes heat transfer. More so than thermally broken aluminum and even most wood windows. Our vinyl windows come in two light colors. White or almond as dark colored vinyl frames gain too much heat in the new mexico climate.

Vinyl windows feature the same qualities but are significantly better insulators against heat and cold. The major drawback to aluminum frame windows is their metal frame they conduct heat easily earning them a high u value. Introduce the broken aspect via thermal insulator and the insulator acts as a defensive line against thermal transfer. Vinyl windows insulate better than aluminum windows.

Aluminum windows are lightweight strong and durable. Aluminum windows along with almost all other windows have a return on investment of around 60 to 80. Insects like termites and carpenter ants won t be attracted to aluminum framing like they are to wood. I recently bought a 1940 s home that have old leaky aluminum windows that need replacing.

Materials used in their manufacturing are also very malleable meaning aluminum windows can be tailored for almost any frame shape. The most obvious and critical difference between vinyl and aluminum is the superior energy efficiency of vinyl. The thermal break aluminum window can also help in noise reduction which some vinyl windows cannot do. For aluminum window frames to insulate well they need what is called a thermal break in which the two halves inner and outer are held together by a non metal insulating material.

Higher is not better here the higher the u value the more heat a frame loses compared with vinyl or wood frames which fall within the 0 3 to 0 5 range aluminum frames can have a u value as high as 2.