Fogged windows - looking for recommendations in Raleigh area

[Vikram Arora]

Hi,

We just bought a 2006 townhome for renting out. About 9 windows are fogged up..got a few quotes..one from HD..coming to about 7k ..most folks are recommending replacement. Do these prices seem reasonable? Any better/smaller contractors in the Raleigh area who aren't this expensive. We are also going to get a quite from a glass repair company to see if they can fix the window seal issue..but not sure if repair would be successful and we are anyways heading towards a replacement anyways...thoughts?

[Mike Reynolds]

Originally posted by @Vikram Arora:

Hi,

We just bought a 2006 townhome for renting out. About 9 windows are fogged up..got a few quotes..one from HD..coming to about 7k ..most folks are recommending replacement. Do these prices seem reasonable? Any better/smaller contractors in the Raleigh area who aren't this expensive. We are also going to get a quite from a glass repair company to see if they can fix the window seal issue..but not sure if repair would be successful and we are anyways heading towards a replacement anyways...thoughts?

You need replacement windows if it's what I think it is. I assume you are talking about fogged all the time and not fogged just when the AC is on? 

If fogged just when the AC is on you have a whole house ventilation issue. Think of a cold coke bottle sweating on that walnut heirloom table without a coaster under it. 

If fogged all the time then your windows have lost a seal and the argon gas in them have gone and now they are etched from the o2 leaking in. 

Now, make sure the replacement windows are for your area. In the south the coating is on the outside to block the heat from the outside. In the north it is on the inside so to block the heat from escaping from the house. Seems like someone would come up with a window that was coated on both inside surfaces so they would work on either side of the equator and no matter where you installed them. 

That will be in my next life I guess. But if you really care (or your contractor does) it does make a difference. Most window salesmen dont even know this info. They just want to sell you a window. Ask them anyway. If they dont know then run and find one that does.