Question from cymering
Dear Debra:
I am trying to decide what replacement windows to use in my house. My first choice would have been wood inside aluminum outside, but now I know about Fibrex, from Andersen
http://www.andersenwindows.com/servlet/Satellite/AW/Page/awGeneral-3/1200437179662
It sounds good on their website. Do you know anything about this material?
Thank you!
Debra’s Answer
Well…I have no personal experience with Fibrex as a material, but it looks great on paper: Anderson Windows: Fibrex Material.
The only thing I don’t know about this are the possible emissions from the thermoplastic. Could you do a little more research on this?
Ask them what type of thermoplastic. It could be something of low toxicity like fiberglass.
I chose Marvin windows. They can do a special order of wood windows without fungicide which is normally added. You need to request it and talk to the special order team. Also there is a time lag for them to get new wood in stock so as to not use the treated stuff. (So it depends on when they run out of wood…ie you can wait up to 2 months.) I felt it was well worth it, aluminum is a poor choice if you live in a cold climate. You can go with mahogany which is rot resistent…but very expensive. Or pine and treat it with some waterproofing agent that you tolerate yourself…I am using Silicone Magic.
I also first looked into their fiberglass windows…and found that the paint required is a polynmer and lasts 50 years! Highly toxic for me!
First, about the polymer, note that in the Wikipedia link it lists a number of different plastics that are all thermoplastics. The list includes everything from polyethylene that is not very toxic, to PVC which is very toxic.
If they say the polymer is “vinyl” I would stay away from it. It’s no better than a vinyl window, except there is less vinyl becuase of the added wood.
I would go with the other option of aluminum-clad wood. Ask them if the wood has any preservatives, and if so, what.
Dear Debra, I could not get a lot more information about the polymer, emails were not clear enough, at least not to me. I found a few articles on the Internet, tough, that say that the polymer is vinyl… So, I guess my option is aluminum clad wood.
Now, I will have to ask again, but I think that Pella windows are made with wood, aluminum, and I think steel. I think that some Marvin windows styles have some fiberglass between the wood and the aluminum… Does this makes a big difference? What would you recomend?
Thank you very much!
Dear Debra, about the polymer, the answer I got is that it si “the vinyl component”, and I was referred to the same link that it is in the first question and this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoplastic, that gives a general description of thermoplastic.
Now, about the other two options I have been considering, the aluminum is on the outside, wood on the inside. What would you do? And, what other questions should I be asking? Thank you!
It’s difficult to evaluate products when you can’t get all the information. Vinyl is not a “special polymer.” Tell me what they said in the email. I have not recently researched the materials to make all windows. If a window is aluminum or clad with aluminum, the aluminum would block emissions from anything behind it.