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Pella ProLine double-hung windows break when cleaning
Five years ago I replaced all the windows in my house with Low-E double-hung Pella ProLines from Lowes. They seemed like good windows for the price. I've been very happy with the look and energy performance - my heating bill went down dramatically the winter after installing them. However, I have one major problem with these windows and wonder if anyone else has had it: they break easily when cleaning them. I have broken three of them so far.
I believe the reason they break is the design is flawed. Many double-hung windows have little slider locks on the sashes that you flip inward to allow the sash to slide in. The ProLines, however, have an air-tight jamb that you must squeeze to allow the sash to be pulled into the house. You have to press one side of the jamb, fight with the sash to get it lose, then do the other side. This process twists the glass, sometimes causing it to crack. I've broken three of them so far.
At this point you're probably thinking I installed the windows too tight or the jambs are bowed inward. Hogwash, I say! I know that's not true, every one is perfectly plumb and square. The sashes slide up and down without any difficulty; they're just really hard to swing inward for cleaning and often they break. Has anyone else had this problem with these windows?
I should mention the three I've broken have all been narrow windows, I think they're 24" wide. I've never broken one of the wider 32" windows I have.
Continue reading if you want to hear a funny story about dealing with Pella's warranty department...
When I broke the first one, Pella agreed to replace it without me going into much detail at all. Perhaps they're aware it's a common problem. I told them I needed an upper sash for a particular window and they said I'd have it in 10-14 days.
A week and a half later, the replacement sash arrived. It was for the correct window, but it was the wrong sash! It was the lower one. I called Pella to explain what had happened. They apologized and said, “Let me rush the correct one out to you.”
“What should I do with the one I just received?” I asked.
“Throw it away, or maybe keep it as a spare.”
“You’re kidding. You don’t want me to ship it back?”
“Nope. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
Ten days later, the second replacement sash arrived. Again, it was the lower sash when I needed an upper. So now I had two "spare" lower sashes. So I called Pella again to explain what happened - that I had a replacement sent to me under warranty, but received the lower sash when I needed an upper, then called Pella, had another sent to me, but received the lower sash again, when I needed the upper - and to do whatever it takes to have them send me the upper sash this time. She said that her computer system was down and couldn’t look up my information, but would write it all down on paper and get it into the system when the computer comes back up. Uh-huh.
A week and a half later, when no new sash had arrived yet, I had a sneaking suspiscion that it was never ordered. So I called Pella. They had no record of me requesting a third replacement sash. No third order had ever been placed. The guy I spoke with this time put in the order to have another sash sent to me. But before ending the conversation, I just wanted to make sure…
“When I ask for the top sash, that does mean the one that sits higher than the other one, right? Top doesn’t mean the one that’s lower, does it?” I asked.
“The top, or upper sash is the one that is closest to the exterior of the buiding. The one that is higher when the window is closed.”
“OK. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t repeatedly ordering the wrong sash because of some nomenclature issue. So you’re going to ship an upper sash to me?”
“Yes. We’ll rush that out to you.”
A week and a half later, the correct sash finally arrived. It was a good thing I had those spare lower sashes, because some point between then and now I broke a lower one. This past weekend I broke another, only this time it was an upper. I don't have a spare upper sash, so I have to go through this process again. The windows are five years old now, let's hope I can even get a new one under warranty...
I think from now on I'm going to clean the outsides of the windows from the outside on a ladder. I'm done having windows break because of a lousy design.
Five years ago I replaced all the windows in my house with Low-E double-hung Pella ProLines from Lowes. They seemed like good windows for the price. I've been very happy with the look and energy performance - my heating bill went down dramatically the winter after installing them. However, I have one major problem with these windows and wonder if anyone else has had it: they break easily when cleaning them. I have broken three of them so far.
I believe the reason they break is the design is flawed. Many double-hung windows have little slider locks on the sashes that you flip inward to allow the sash to slide in. The ProLines, however, have an air-tight jamb that you must squeeze to allow the sash to be pulled into the house. You have to press one side of the jamb, fight with the sash to get it lose, then do the other side. This process twists the glass, sometimes causing it to crack. I've broken three of them so far.
At this point you're probably thinking I installed the windows too tight or the jambs are bowed inward. Hogwash, I say! I know that's not true, every one is perfectly plumb and square. The sashes slide up and down without any difficulty; they're just really hard to swing inward for cleaning and often they break. Has anyone else had this problem with these windows?
I should mention the three I've broken have all been narrow windows, I think they're 24" wide. I've never broken one of the wider 32" windows I have.
Continue reading if you want to hear a funny story about dealing with Pella's warranty department...
When I broke the first one, Pella agreed to replace it without me going into much detail at all. Perhaps they're aware it's a common problem. I told them I needed an upper sash for a particular window and they said I'd have it in 10-14 days.
A week and a half later, the replacement sash arrived. It was for the correct window, but it was the wrong sash! It was the lower one. I called Pella to explain what had happened. They apologized and said, “Let me rush the correct one out to you.”
“What should I do with the one I just received?” I asked.
“Throw it away, or maybe keep it as a spare.”
“You’re kidding. You don’t want me to ship it back?”
“Nope. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
Ten days later, the second replacement sash arrived. Again, it was the lower sash when I needed an upper. So now I had two "spare" lower sashes. So I called Pella again to explain what happened - that I had a replacement sent to me under warranty, but received the lower sash when I needed an upper, then called Pella, had another sent to me, but received the lower sash again, when I needed the upper - and to do whatever it takes to have them send me the upper sash this time. She said that her computer system was down and couldn’t look up my information, but would write it all down on paper and get it into the system when the computer comes back up. Uh-huh.
A week and a half later, when no new sash had arrived yet, I had a sneaking suspiscion that it was never ordered. So I called Pella. They had no record of me requesting a third replacement sash. No third order had ever been placed. The guy I spoke with this time put in the order to have another sash sent to me. But before ending the conversation, I just wanted to make sure…
“When I ask for the top sash, that does mean the one that sits higher than the other one, right? Top doesn’t mean the one that’s lower, does it?” I asked.
“The top, or upper sash is the one that is closest to the exterior of the buiding. The one that is higher when the window is closed.”
“OK. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t repeatedly ordering the wrong sash because of some nomenclature issue. So you’re going to ship an upper sash to me?”
“Yes. We’ll rush that out to you.”
A week and a half later, the correct sash finally arrived. It was a good thing I had those spare lower sashes, because some point between then and now I broke a lower one. This past weekend I broke another, only this time it was an upper. I don't have a spare upper sash, so I have to go through this process again. The windows are five years old now, let's hope I can even get a new one under warranty...
I think from now on I'm going to clean the outsides of the windows from the outside on a ladder. I'm done having windows break because of a lousy design.
