Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

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slaybalj
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Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:41 pm

Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#1 Post by slaybalj »

My husband and I are looking for some replacement windows, and we just finished talking to a salesman from Ameritech. The guy spent a lot of time talking up how great the vinyl triple pane windows he sells are, and they do have some features that seem to be pretty nice - metal interior reinforcement on the vinyl, rubbery seals around the pane as opposed to metal spacers, etc. Compared to just looking at what's available at Lowes or Home Depot, they look like better construction.


but I have a couple problems:

On their website, I have trouble finding any information the windows to double check what I remember.

They have _very_ strong-arm tactics to try to get you to sign immediately, which makes me distrustful of the product.

We have some older ameritech double paned windows upstairs, and while we're pretty satisfied with them, gosh are they ugly on the interior side - no character at all.

I really have no idea on whether any of those features the salesman touted are actually useful or worth the cost vs. more economical windows.


Any thoughts,
Laura

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Windows on Washington
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Location: DC Metropolitan Area-Maryland/Virginia/DC

Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#2 Post by Windows on Washington »

Steel on the inside of a well built vinyl window is a complete waste of material, energy efficiency, raw materials.

What is the performance of the unit (thermal, air infiltration, design pressure)?

slaybalj
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Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:41 pm

Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#3 Post by slaybalj »

The only metric I have on the window is how well it blocks heat from a heat lamp (something like 6 percent pass through, according to their demonstration). They didn't provide any information on any other metric. I take it these three are the big ones to look at?

Laura

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#4 Post by Windows on Washington »

Laura,

They should have left you with some sort of marketing materials.

Call the sales rep and ask them for a CPD# (Certified Products Directory Number).

Once you have the number, you can post it up here and that will tell us everything that we need to know.

If they don't go completely flat-line when you as them for that, ask them for their structural report on that window. They should want to promote that aspect of things given the marketing of the steel inside the window. That will tell you what the air infiltration number is.

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HomeSealed
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Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#5 Post by HomeSealed »

+1 to all of those points. That heat lamp statistic is utterly irrelevant, and possibly even detrimental to overall efficiency depending on where you live ( you do not want to block out all of the solar heat in cooler climates). The performance ratings that WoW mentioned will give you a great indication of the overall quality and performance of the unit.
I can't comment on the specifics of the dealer or product, but I am not at all a fan of the high-pressure tactics that you've described (or the deception that comes with trying to sell features that are unimportant at best), so I'd probably move on.
Last edited by HomeSealed on Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

slaybalj
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Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:41 pm

Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#6 Post by slaybalj »

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't forgotten this thread, but between the holidays coming up and a number of other things, we haven't had a chance to track down the info. When we get to it, I"ll post it, that way at least it's here for other folks to see.

Laura

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TheWindowNerd
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Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#7 Post by TheWindowNerd »

How much strength is needed in the frame? Nough to give it the strength.to maintain its structural and thermal performance for the life cycle of the product. So typically well made vinyl is the most you need to get 20, 30, 40 years of life. If due to size or other considerations fiberglass such as InLine would give another level of material strength. If you need more then it may need to be engineered support such as support mulls etc.

TheWindowNerd.

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Re: Anyone have any experience with Ameritech windows?

#8 Post by Window4U (IL) »

fifaone1 wrote:pane as opposed to metal spacers, etc. Compared to just looking at what's available at Lowes or Home Depot, they look like better construction.
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