Argon "leakage" more withe aluminum clad wood replacement windows?

[patrsumner]

I am in the final process of deciding which type of replacement window to purchase. Some postings state that argon gas dissipates from double-paned windows within 5 to 7 years. Does it dissipate faster in wood clad aluminum vs vinyl or fiberglass replacement windows.

I live in the midwest with cold winters and would like an energy efficient window that will last for 20 years. Since I have an Arts and Crafts style home I would like windows with wood on the inside. I have been looking at Marvin aluminum clad wood windows and Mavin Infinity fiberglass with wood veneer inside. The aluminum clad are less expensive but I read one posting that said the argon dissipates much faster with this type window. Does anyone know if that is true?

[jtnospam]

I don't see that Argon gas would give you any special advantage over other gasses, at least not a significant one. The absence of moisture is obviously important, and if you could hold a vacuum you would get even more insulation value than a dead air space.

[nicksanspam]

It does, until it leaks out. Krypton's better, but more expensive.

Nick

[jtnospam]

Do you have a published scientific study to support that claim? It sounds like advertising hype to me.-Jitney

[Goedjn]

Well, you need a gas, it has to be transparent to visible light. It should be non-reactive, it needs to be in molecules that are big enough not to migrate through your seals, and it should be lightweight, so as to limit heat-transfer, which generally means monatomic, which in turn generally means a noble gas. There aren't all THAT many choices...

--Goedn

[Chris Lewis]

According to :

It really shouldn't make much difference. The double-pane module is the same (given the same manufacturer) in all cases. It _may_ be that the outside of the window will heat up slightly more depending on frame material, which might accelerate leakage a bit, but the effect should be small.

"Cheap" (non-thermal break) aluminum _might_ make a moderate difference in argon leakage, but, using argon on such windows would be stupid, because the frame is conducting far more heat than any fancy glazing (argon, low-E, triple-glaze etc) could possibly "save" in the first place.

I really don't think Marvin makes windows that crappy.

[Duane Bozarth]

"George E. Cawthon" wrote: ....

Who was "they"?

"...And if you are concerned that the argon gas will leak out of the window, all indications are that a properly constructed seal will easily last 20 years. Check the warranty."

[George E. Cawthon]

What does cladding have to do with anything? You mean aluminum framed as in aluminum frame and vinyl frame?. The answer to either is that none have anything to do with argon loss. You have two sheets of glass between a spacer of probably aluminum) regardless of the cladding/framing.

Don't know if it is true but when I bought my windows they said the argon only lasted about 5 years in any window make.

[do_not_spam_me]

How do you get a monatomic gas with molecules big enough to not leak, let alone molecules at all?

[Goedjn]

You use a definition of molecule that doesn't spuriously require more than one atom, for starters. And then you pick something that's bigger than helium.