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tried to get a quote from serious formerly kensington in central texas and no sales reps or installers support them any more
in this area at this time . parts and or warranty service could be difficult here,
They are in dallas but not here,yet.
proteus

I would like to respond to your comment implying that this is the same window as any other window made with an Inline profile, the only difference being the glass options. This is not true. The frame is insulated with a soy based foam, the glass options use suspended film technology that provide the outstanding performance numbers without the weight of triple glazing that every other manufacturer struggles with, and finally the spacer system is stainless steele to the outside and composite to the inside to eliminate thermal bridging.

I would challenge you to compare your quotes by the prices by cost of u-value per square foot.

Yes the pultrusions are made by Inline. But as I mentioned previously Serious insulates their frames with soy based insulation. I also checked Inline out to make sure I'm not speaking out of turn. As far as I can see they do not use suspended film. They list triple glazed options as well as a quad glazing option (I don't know what this is). The IG's made by Serious have a triple seal around the IG to insure longevity (Inline has 2). The spacer that I mentioned previously is patented by Serious as well.

The other notable issue is that the Inline window is made in Canada. For those of us that are concerned with our carbon footprint and want to support our economy, I think you'll agree that Serious Windows is a better option.

I have seen both the inline and serious FG windows. (I saw a serious cutaway) Inline is an A la cart company. Much like softlite, they'll make anything. Their quad is a dual suspended film (HM). They'll also insulate their frames if you like.

The main issue with Inline is logistics. Also the pultrusions leave much tom be desired from a asthetic standpoint. They're wider than many vinyl frames and very square (butt).

The Serious window numbers are phenomenal and I would choose FG over vinyl, just as I would choose HM over low e 99/100 times. They need to make that pultrusion better looking first IMO.

Let's be serious here. The NFRC decided to stop deceptive advertising by making legitimate window companies test and rate their windows by using an "overall" result of their window...not just center of glass or frame.
Notice that serious is selling a window 4 times better than an energy star criteria window..... hmmm but they show their numbers are based on the frame material and not the overall performance of the window.

Interesting. Do you have any proof of that?

There is a lot of mis information floating around, don't believe everything you read.
Serious is very committed to providing this information especially the calculations listed above. Here is a link to their site that is designed for the Passive House community http://index.seriouswindows.com/passive-house.html There is a pdf download on this page that provides the calculations for center of glass, frame, NFRC, as well as structural tests.

Buddy11

I have a Serious problem with what you posted in your last thread(no pun intended).

You mentioned that the Inline frame is much thicker than vinyl and very square butt. The blog before that Kori mentioned that the frame for Serious is protruded by In-Line making that the same frame, no? Isn't that the same frame??? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Wouldn't that make them both butt square? Logistics a problem??? They have a lot of dealers or they will both deal direct.

Kori, if you bought direct from In-Line, wouldn't that make the carbon footprint smaller as opposed to having the frames shipped from Canada to Colorado/Chicago then assembled and reshipped out again, especially if the project is east coast for instance? Wouldn't the carbon footprint be that much greater?? I fail to see your point as protectionism only weakens the economy with false comparisons. I agree with you that fiberglass is superior to vinyl but not like you would like us to think. Both the companies provide a decdent product but are not the solution to every problem...

As far as butt joints go I would recommend reading the air and water infiltration numbers. To debate vinyl vs.fiberglass is a waste of time. The STC ratings for the Serious product will be published soon and are expected to be in the low 30's.
You are correct that the motivations for using various products vary and therefore will lead to different selections. If your primary concern and motivation is carbon footprint and you live on the east coast then you have your answer. If on the other hand you are looking for performance then Serious Windows is the obvious choice!

Not for me. Serious doesn't have good enough performance numbers on their double hungs for me to switch.

A quick search on the NFRC shows that Serious makes two windows in a Single hung variety that have sub 0.18 U-Factors.

The 725 and 500 series. The best of the two is the 500 series and that makes it to 0.16 U-Factor.

That is good number but certainly not anything that is not able to be duplicated or surpassed by several other manufacturers. 0.16 was something special a while back but not any longer.

Their best casement has a U-Factor of 0.13 with the 5 glazing layers. Good number but not worth the money when you see what they are charging for that window.

To get to the R-11 window that they are so heavily pushing, you need a picture window with 5 glazing layers. Nice performance number but at what cost.

I'm not sure who is pushing the 1125 series? Serious knows this window is costly. The best bang for the buck is the 925 series. I think the point to make about this window is the performance in terms of u-value in conjunction with SHGC flexibility. Not everyone wants low SHGC #'s. All of this is achieved without the weight of triple glazing.
There is a series being launched (very) soon that will have a price point lower than the 725 with only slightly lower performance numbers. Also on the forseeable horizon is a variation of the 925 with an even higher SHGC along with higher VT. It is hard to be all things to all people, but it looks like they aren't going to stop trying!

I like the potential of higher SHGC with lower thermal efficiency numbers. Heat mirror certainly plays to this. They have some nice numbers in their casement lines with U-Factors in the teens and a SHGC in the high 0.2's and low 0.3's. To bad the window with a higher than 0.30 SHGC is not Energy Star Qualified...what a joke.

That is a nice option. You issue with the weight of triple pane is kind of moot. Triple pane adds little (+12% to the IGU) to the overall weight when compared to a unit equip with two layers of double strength glass.

I think LEED is a joke (at least on the commercial end of things) but I do like the way that the industry is moving.

That's my understanding. I haven't seen a full serious window, but the Inline is ugly compared to the vinyl counterparts. The Serious cut away I saw looked like the inline. Serious is manufactured in Denver, Inline in Toronto. Both are far from me

I just had a presentation re Serious windows; I had called the rep with an interest in the fiberglass line. I was clear about this on the phone. The salesman came with information about their vinyl line, quoted immediate prices and then proceeded to "What will it take to get your business?" He would not even quote the 725 line saying that it was too expensive (let me decide that) at $2K an opening, which I doubt. I was not terribly impressed with the vinyl frame though from the color chips I suspect they're made by PlyGem.
I had gotten a quote from a Uniframe (from Great Lakes/PlyGem) rep and was impressed with the performance numbers, the block and tackle operation of the sashes and the pricing. There were no games with the pricing (I realize this has to do with the rep, not the window, but from other posts it appears the Serious' marketing gambit is to post performance of their fiberglass line and then switch to vinyl when selling). Incidentally, I have had a bunch of Great Lakes casements and awnings in for nearly twenty years and am every pleased. The Uniframe looks to be a step up and has some astonishing performance numbers. I am replacing 14 large double hung (48" X 65") and Uniframe will make them in their triple-glazed, high performance option. Incidentally, their vinyl is fiberglass reinforced. I'll keep you folks posted as I progress...