Custom Window Systems - John Cwik replacement windows ocala, Florida

I am a Florida State Certified General Contractor, since 1992. 

Over the past few years, our company has installed quite a few impact windows and sliding glass doors manufactured by CWS. 

We have had one complaint from a customer who had water come into their home after we installed a window manufactured by CWS. 

After personally visiting the installation, I realized that our installer had made an error in the installation. The Building Inspector had also missed the error. The installer had not used the specified washer with the tapcon at the sill, and had also forgotten to use the correct caulking. The water had leaked in from the screw holes. 

I personally have repaired the damage to the customer's home and re-installed the window correctly; and have also personally come to the conclusion that if installed correctly, it is about impossible for these windows to leak inside the home. 

The window that leaked was a Vinyl Horizontal Slider Impact window, which we had installed on the 5th floor of an ocean front condo. 

Sir: 

I am a Mechanical Engineer with CWS, Inc. 

1) With that preface, it is clear that this email should be directed to your INSTALLER rather than the MANUFACTURER.  Windows, while somewhat basic to the lay-person, require installation to the MANUFACTURER CERTIFIED INSTALLATION DETAILS (see www.floridabuilding.org, for example use FPA #5823.1 for a typical PVC Impact SH-8100 installation detail, CWS-155A).  Contractors must be LICENSED. 

2) Upon speaking with our service technicians, it has been brought to my attention that this installation was done by a non-licensed installer. 

3) Weepholes are supposed to be installed facing the outside of the window, as shown on all MANUFACTURER certified installation details.

4) This complaint was dealt with by the head of our Service Department, Russell Peck, who took pictures of the incorrect installation (i.e. not to CWS Installation Instructions as posted on the Florida Building Approval site).  In addition, CWS agreed to replace these windows for the customer at our expense as a courtesy. 

A discussion of weep hole physics:  The exterior low point of a window generally is equipped with a weep hole cover which is designed to remain closed in normal operation.  If water fills the frame cavity during a heavy rain event, this will put pressure on the cover from the inside, forcing the cover open before water evacuates to the inside of the home.  This is a standard practice throughout the window industry.  Please remember that a window sill may hold some water at the end of a storm (there are, after all, no mechanical techniques used to remove standing water).  A successful water weep prevents what water comes in from breaching onto the inside of the home.  Since windows are designed to open (unlike, say, walls), water will always find a way across the theoretical home barrier.  Because of this, weep holes are designed to allow that water to build up pressure and drain to the outside without damaging the home.

As a window manufacturer, we do not generally install windows directly into homes. Our sales are to distributors, such as the mentioned Town and Country Industries. These distributors may install themselves or resell those units to subcontractor installers. As we do not install units in individual homes/businesses, we do not have a large service technician network and prefer to deal with the distributors.  Customers demanding CWS personnel inspect their product may incur large fees and wait times, as our service technicians must cover the entire nation from our Ocala, Fl, facility.

CWS, Inc. has a vested interest in proper installation for every window that leaves our plant.  Our Engineering department, Sales, and Quality technicians take our jobs very seriously and attempt to help every customer to the best of our abilities.  Please refrain from slandering the good names of a manufacturer when they have done nothing wrong.