Pella Impervia double-hung windows
Written: Apr 19 '07 (Updated Apr 20 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Professionally installed. Energy efficient.
Cons: Expensive. Product quality is disappointing.
The Bottom Line: Pella can't be trusted to honor their promises in terms of product quality and warranty. I shouldn't be this unhappy about windows that were installed only 2 months ago.
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| dglowny's Full Review: Pella Windows and Doors |
We recently had several windows in our home replaced with Pella Impervia double-hung windows. The installation work - arranged by Pella - was very professional. The team arrived on time, as promised, and completed all their work in a timely manner.
But the actual product quality of the Pella Impervia windows is already quite disappointing for the money we've spent.
The baked-on paint finish, which is laid atop the Duracast material (used for strength and energy efficiency in place of more traditional materials like aluminum or vinyl), is unevenly applied and in some spots fails to completely cover the material. The result is flecks of black or silver are visible where the window frame should be completely white. The painted finish is also rough and jagged along edges, rather than smooth to the touch. It appears that all of this results from poor quality control in the factory that makes these windows.
One of the windows had a deep scratch in the glass, several inches long, when it arrived from the factory. This was noted by the installation team, and although the window was still functional (in the sense that it keeps the cold air out) it was nevertheless an undeniable and serious cosmetic defect. The folks from Pella originally promised to replace the window. But it took a very long time (about a month) for them to arrange a replacement to be shipped from the factory.
After the replacement sash arrived and was installed, I was surprised to discover that it did not match the other sashes in the same window (a 2x2 unit in our dining room) because the replacement sash had a highly visible Pella logo that was deliberately etched into the window glass. The nature of this etched logo (which you can feel as grooved and deeply engraved, when you run your finger along the surface of the glass) is such that when sunlight strikes upon it, the light tends to refract in a way that draws your eye right to that spot. None of the other windows originally installed, just a month beforehand, have this logo on them. So now instead of an unsightly scratch, I have an unsightly Pella logo that obstructs the field of view near the middle of that 2x2 window unit.
I explained to the local representative from Pella that their replacement sash should match the others they so recently installed in my house, none of which has this unsightly logo. While he initially seemed apologetic about the problem, yet another month went by with no resolution to the problem. Finally he did call back to say that they refused to do anything about this problem. Moreover he says that all Pella windows are now being made in this way, with the etched logo. With this in mind, I don't know why any customer would want to purchase Pella windows. Other window manufacturers place their logos upon the glass in a way that is much less visible and bothersome.
You can read what Pella has to say about these windows at http://www.pellaimpervia.com/
But based on my experience with this product, I would not recommend it to others.
Update: You may also want to read http://www.pellawindowsleak.com/ to learn about what others are saying about the poor quality of the product.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dglowny
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Member: David Glowny
Location: Milford, CT
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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