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Energy
efficient windows often employ super spacers having "warm edge
technology". (Spacers refer to the material used to keep the
two panes of glass apart while also providing an air tight seal.)
"Super Spacers" keep the windows warmer around the edges
where condensation often occurs. By eliminating aluminum which transmits
heat rapidly (1416 BTU's per hour) and replacing it with a foam
insulator, dramatic improvements are made, both in energy performance
and in reducing condensation along the glass perimeter.
Today
more than ever, homeowners are replacing their old worn out windows
with energy efficient replacement windows. Poorly insulated windows
can attribute to 25 percent of a building’s heating and cooling
loads. As a homeowner, it is just as important to know what type
of window spacer material is being used on the insulating glass
unit as it is to know what type of glass package (or glazing) is
going into the window. The type of spacer material in your windows
can make or break your investment, leading to premature seal failures!
Windows utilizing the warm edge technologies typically outlast normal
seals by 8 or more times, thus lasting the life of the window. As
you can see from the diagrams on the right, the reverse dual seal
is just that...a DUAL seal with double the protection, but it is
more than that. The secondary seal is a thick fill that actually
provides many, many times the amount of sealant typically used in
a normal seal. Your windows seals will last much longer.
NOTE:
Super Spacers do not dramatically improve a windows insulating ability
in the way Low E glass does. Super spacers are relatively expensive
because they are labor intensive to build and install. If you are
seeking the highest level of energy performance with the longest
lasting seals or suffer from allergies, then it is an option you
should consider.
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Typical Metal Seal
Aluminum
transfers heat at the rate of 1416 BTU's per hour. Because of this
rapid heat transfer, condensation and heat loss occur around the
window edges.
Modern Insulated Foam Seal
Foam
transfers approximately 1 BTU per hour of heat transfer compared
to 1416 BTU's per hour of aluminum thus greatly reducing condensation
and mildew growth around the window edge. For this reason windows
with foam seals are also referred to as HEALTH SMART and are great
for people who suffer from allergies.
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The
problem of window condensation and its' relationship with mold growth
and allergies
Winter
is so dry indoors that many people humidify their homes. If they
didn’t, health and complexions would suffer, tropical plants
wither, antiques degrade and even some musical instruments go out
of tune. Increasing humidity has its drawbacks, though, with window
condensation topping the list.
The primary culprit for this is the use of traditional, highly-conductive
metal spacers inside insulating glass units. The metal spacers lead
to lower perimeter edge temperatures, which make the window vulnerable
to heat and cooling loss, condensation and frosting. Many of my
customers say they have even seen ice form along the edges in the
winter.
Besides looking bad and damaging windows, window
condensation causes or contributes to mold growth, a
sinister presence hidden from sight deep inside window and wall
openings.
In fact, poorly built or installed windows are a prime indoor mold
source whose occurrence is more and more being linked to child asthma
as well as increases in general respiratory illness, allergies and
fungal diseases. Today more and more people seem to suffer from
allergies and researchers are just beginning to really study the
bad effects of mold. Preliminary studies are showing molds to be
much more dangerous than earlier studies suggested. Seems like there
is a new study for just about everything daily... But I really don't
foresee a new study saying mold is good for you but you never know.
Personally I'd rather live without it and embrace the super spacer
technology.
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