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Show Notes:
PELLA PROLINE VS MARVIN INTEGRITY WINDOW COMPARISON
Hello and thank you for joining me for this episode of the whitewash studio podcast.
My name is Marc Sawyer and I’m your architect. My goal is to give you the knowledge so you can advance your dream of creating the ideal home for you and your family.
Today we are going to get into a little bit of a competition here. Who or which is better? Marvin vs Pella. This is not something that I take on very frequently. Pinning one product against another, but you know this is a legit question and I think it really needs to be looked at and examined.
This question comes from D on Houzz.com.
D asks,
“I am currently trying to decide between the Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex windows versus the Pella Pro-Line. Any thought?”
I can see why you might be questioning which is better because when you really get down to the numbers each manufacturer uses a different rating systems and standards to prove their worth or to describe their features. Basically both the Pella Proline 450 series and the Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex Series windows both of them are clad wood windows.
Which means that the window is made from a majority of wood and the exterior has an extruded aluminum fastened to the exterior in the case of the Pella and it has a pultruded fiberglass in the case of the Marvin. This provides that extra durability and weather protection on the exterior.
Marvin Product Performance Guide
Pella Product Performance Guide
Pella’s highlighted feature is the EnduraClad Aluminum-Clad exterior that comes in standard and feature (or more expensive) colors. This is a trademarked protective finish. It’s a baked-on finish that’s applied to the aluminum. Which means that it’s not like paint it will not peal and you shouldn’t see any fading or need to repaint in several years.
The product lines that Pella offers are the vinyl 350 series, the Impervia, which is a fiberglass window, the Proline, then the Designer, Then the Architect Series. We could do an entire episode on just the Pella products. These all range in price with the lowest cost being the vinyl and the most expensive being the Architect Series.
Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex Series window was voted most efficient window of 2014 by EnergyStar. That rating was given based on a Tripane Low E glazed window. The Integrity window features the Ultrex cladding which is referred to as a pultruded fiberglass that according to Marvin outlasts vinyl and roll-formed aluminum as well as other fiberglass composites. The benefits is a much stronger window that resists fading, chalking, peeling and cracking.
The Marvin company has several different product lines and they separate them into what looks like three distinct companies. There is Marvin which is their higher end line. Everything is custom and built to order with this line. The next is the Integrity line which is the clad wood windows. Then the last line is the Infinity Line. The infinity line is marketed as their replacement line that is entirely made from the Ultrex fiberglass. I would say similar to the Pella Impervia, but I’m sure a sales rep would argue differently.
When it comes to comparing the windows I am going to base it off several factors. 15 Different items.
http://professional.pella.com/windows/features-and-options
1. Window Type
2. Durability and Performance
3. Thermal Performance
The Marvin Double-Hung Insulated Glass with Low E coating has a U-factor of 0.34 and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of 0.53. The U-factor is 1 over the R-Value. So that is an R-value of around 3. Pella offers a very similar R-Value of 3. But I will get in to a little more detail later on in this comparison.
4. Air infiltration
I looked into what the standards are based on and pulled out some interesting information. Most of the standards are rated to give a cfm/sf at a certain pressure of wind. Cfm is cubic feet per minute. It is the measurement use to measure a volume of air. So what this measurement is giving us is how much air or what is the volume of air moving through or being allowed to pass through the window if a certain amount of wind pressure is applied to the exterior face of the window.
The Pella window ranges from 0.05 to 0.30 cfm at 1.57 psf.
The Marvin window gives very little information only stating that they achieved an A3 rating from CSA-A440 testing. I had to scour the internet to even find what the A3 was referring to. I found that the A3 standard for a picture window was 0.04 cfm/sf. That means that if the window meets that 0.04 rating it would fall in line with what Pella was stating or maybe a little better.
I’m sorry, but they have got to make this easier to compare. Who knows what a CSA-A440 A3 rating even means. If you go to the CSA website you can’t find anything. But I did eventually find what this rating is all about.
The A ratings have to do with Max Air Leakage Rates and are measured in mcubed/h *m to the negative 1. Basically the highest rating you can get on an operable window is the A3 Rating and that is 0.55. A fixed window will give you almost half that at 0.25.
5. Water Resistance
Marvin has a B2 rating. Again, who knows what that means. The chart I found says the ratings go from B1 to B7 or 150 Pa, which is the Water Leakage Test Pressure Differential. So the Marvin window received a 200 Pa. I don’t know how to really judge that.
6. Design Pressure
No Description
7. Hurricane Shield
Marvin also has an option to move up the the impact zone 3 window for added wind and impact resistance for hurricane zones.
8. Security
9. Operating
10. Interior and Exterior Finish
Marvin offers the bare wood pine or the pre-finished white interior. The bare wood can be stained to match your interior in the field.
Pella offers Unfinished wood made of pine, factory primed, factory painted, or factory stained. They offer 8 colors. One being a natural clear coat. But having that option to have the windows pre-finished interior and exterior is a large advantage.
Pella has the pre-finished aluminum clad option where as Marvin has the pre-finished fiberglass clad that has the ability to be painted. So Little more flexibility with the Marvin but at the same time the durability and consistency of the pre-finished aluminum is appealing.
11. Glazing
Marvin – Has three levels of Low-E and they label them as E1, E2, and E3. If we compare the coating with a similar U-factor as the Pella window of .28 with argon right out of the gate you are looking at a slightly higher R-value of 3.57 compared to Pella’s 3.33. The SHGC is .70 with a visible light transmission of 79%. In order to reduce the SHGC to that similar to Pella you would need to move to the Low E3 coating that provides .27 SHGC and a VLT % of 65. The end resulting R-value of 4.16.
All in all the Marvin window appears to perform better with a higher R-value and more visible light transmission.
12. Sound Transmission Class
13. Accessories
Marvin offers Simulated Divided Lites with or without the spacer bar. They also have grilles between glass, and wood interior grilles. The patterns are fairly verse as well.
Pella features the factory installed self-aligning surface mounted sash lock. The finish is baked enamel in 5 colors. Champagne color locks are standard on unfinished units and White is standard on primed white units. The Pella locks are advertised as being cam-action locks that increase the leverage as the window is closed to assure a weathertight seal.
Marvin hardware is a touch above the Pella factory installed hardware. The design of the hardware is more fluid has a contemporary look. The colors are available in 5 standard colors.
Pella offers something marvin does not when it comes to screens. Pella has invested some time and innovation in developing the InView screens or Vivid View Screens. Vivid View screens offer 78% light transmission. They offer more light transmission and will be less obstructive to your view.
Marvin did not highlight their screens other than to say that they are standard and ship with each operating window at no extra cost. Each screen will be an extra charge when choosing Pella. But, I did want to mention that they offer a retractable screen for their casement windows. So the screen is concealed to one side until pulled out across the window. Since the window on casements swing out the screen is on the inside of the room.
14. Colors
Because of the nature of the fiberglass Marvin Ultrex exterior is paintable and they claim that it holds dark colors better than vinyl. It does come in 8 standard finishes or pre-finished exteriors.
15. Warranty
Marvin – They offer a transferrable limited warranty as well.
D This was fun and I hope that you found it helpful. I’m really glad that you asked this question. I think it was a very valuable question that can help a lot of other people in a similar situation to yours. Now if you have a question about a design that your struggling with, you can email me: [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode and found the comparison useful to help you plan for your window selections, please leave a positive review for the show.
You can really help the show by either leaving a review through the iTunes podcast app that you may be using or by going to whitewashstudio.com/iTunes. What helps the show even more is to share the show with a friend. Tell someone that you know. Show them how to listen on the app. If you know someone that is designing or planning the construction of their dream home, let them know about the show. I would love for more people to be able to hear and get some value from the podcast.
I would also love to hear your feedback and know if you’re finding this podcast useful.
As I mentioned earlier, If you have a question for the show I would love to hear it. You can email me at [email protected]. If you would like to connect with me on Twitter I am @wwsarchitecture and the same on Instagram @wwsarchitecture
I would really appreciate hearing from you and listening to your suggestions that you have for the show or struggles that you are having with your particular space. Let me know and I would be glad to help you.
Tip the show with Bitcoin
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Show Notes:
PELLA PROLINE VS MARVIN INTEGRITY WINDOW COMPARISON
Hello and thank you for joining me for this episode of the whitewash studio podcast.
My name is Marc Sawyer and I’m your architect. My goal is to give you the knowledge so you can advance your dream of creating the ideal home for you and your family.
Today we are going to get into a little bit of a competition here. Who or which is better? Marvin vs Pella. This is not something that I take on very frequently. Pinning one product against another, but you know this is a legit question and I think it really needs to be looked at and examined.
This question comes from D on Houzz.com.
D asks,
“I am currently trying to decide between the Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex windows versus the Pella Pro-Line. Any thought?”
I can see why you might be questioning which is better because when you really get down to the numbers each manufacturer uses a different rating systems and standards to prove their worth or to describe their features. Basically both the Pella Proline 450 series and the Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex Series windows both of them are clad wood windows.
Which means that the window is made from a majority of wood and the exterior has an extruded aluminum fastened to the exterior in the case of the Pella and it has a pultruded fiberglass in the case of the Marvin. This provides that extra durability and weather protection on the exterior.
Marvin Product Performance Guide
Pella Product Performance Guide
Pella’s highlighted feature is the EnduraClad Aluminum-Clad exterior that comes in standard and feature (or more expensive) colors. This is a trademarked protective finish. It’s a baked-on finish that’s applied to the aluminum. Which means that it’s not like paint it will not peal and you shouldn’t see any fading or need to repaint in several years.
The product lines that Pella offers are the vinyl 350 series, the Impervia, which is a fiberglass window, the Proline, then the Designer, Then the Architect Series. We could do an entire episode on just the Pella products. These all range in price with the lowest cost being the vinyl and the most expensive being the Architect Series.
Marvin Integrity Wood-Ultrex Series window was voted most efficient window of 2014 by EnergyStar. That rating was given based on a Tripane Low E glazed window. The Integrity window features the Ultrex cladding which is referred to as a pultruded fiberglass that according to Marvin outlasts vinyl and roll-formed aluminum as well as other fiberglass composites. The benefits is a much stronger window that resists fading, chalking, peeling and cracking.
The Marvin company has several different product lines and they separate them into what looks like three distinct companies. There is Marvin which is their higher end line. Everything is custom and built to order with this line. The next is the Integrity line which is the clad wood windows. Then the last line is the Infinity Line. The infinity line is marketed as their replacement line that is entirely made from the Ultrex fiberglass. I would say similar to the Pella Impervia, but I’m sure a sales rep would argue differently.
When it comes to comparing the windows I am going to base it off several factors. 15 Different items.
http://professional.pella.com/windows/features-and-options
1. Window Type
2. Durability and Performance
3. Thermal Performance
The Marvin Double-Hung Insulated Glass with Low E coating has a U-factor of 0.34 and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of 0.53. The U-factor is 1 over the R-Value. So that is an R-value of around 3. Pella offers a very similar R-Value of 3. But I will get in to a little more detail later on in this comparison.
4. Air infiltration
I looked into what the standards are based on and pulled out some interesting information. Most of the standards are rated to give a cfm/sf at a certain pressure of wind. Cfm is cubic feet per minute. It is the measurement use to measure a volume of air. So what this measurement is giving us is how much air or what is the volume of air moving through or being allowed to pass through the window if a certain amount of wind pressure is applied to the exterior face of the window.
The Pella window ranges from 0.05 to 0.30 cfm at 1.57 psf.
The Marvin window gives very little information only stating that they achieved an A3 rating from CSA-A440 testing. I had to scour the internet to even find what the A3 was referring to. I found that the A3 standard for a picture window was 0.04 cfm/sf. That means that if the window meets that 0.04 rating it would fall in line with what Pella was stating or maybe a little better.
I’m sorry, but they have got to make this easier to compare. Who knows what a CSA-A440 A3 rating even means. If you go to the CSA website you can’t find anything. But I did eventually find what this rating is all about.
The A ratings have to do with Max Air Leakage Rates and are measured in mcubed/h *m to the negative 1. Basically the highest rating you can get on an operable window is the A3 Rating and that is 0.55. A fixed window will give you almost half that at 0.25.
5. Water Resistance
Marvin has a B2 rating. Again, who knows what that means. The chart I found says the ratings go from B1 to B7 or 150 Pa, which is the Water Leakage Test Pressure Differential. So the Marvin window received a 200 Pa. I don’t know how to really judge that.
6. Design Pressure
No Description
7. Hurricane Shield
Marvin also has an option to move up the the impact zone 3 window for added wind and impact resistance for hurricane zones.
8. Security
9. Operating
10. Interior and Exterior Finish
Marvin offers the bare wood pine or the pre-finished white interior. The bare wood can be stained to match your interior in the field.
Pella offers Unfinished wood made of pine, factory primed, factory painted, or factory stained. They offer 8 colors. One being a natural clear coat. But having that option to have the windows pre-finished interior and exterior is a large advantage.
Pella has the pre-finished aluminum clad option where as Marvin has the pre-finished fiberglass clad that has the ability to be painted. So Little more flexibility with the Marvin but at the same time the durability and consistency of the pre-finished aluminum is appealing.
11. Glazing
Marvin – Has three levels of Low-E and they label them as E1, E2, and E3. If we compare the coating with a similar U-factor as the Pella window of .28 with argon right out of the gate you are looking at a slightly higher R-value of 3.57 compared to Pella’s 3.33. The SHGC is .70 with a visible light transmission of 79%. In order to reduce the SHGC to that similar to Pella you would need to move to the Low E3 coating that provides .27 SHGC and a VLT % of 65. The end resulting R-value of 4.16.
All in all the Marvin window appears to perform better with a higher R-value and more visible light transmission.
12. Sound Transmission Class
13. Accessories
Marvin offers Simulated Divided Lites with or without the spacer bar. They also have grilles between glass, and wood interior grilles. The patterns are fairly verse as well.
Pella features the factory installed self-aligning surface mounted sash lock. The finish is baked enamel in 5 colors. Champagne color locks are standard on unfinished units and White is standard on primed white units. The Pella locks are advertised as being cam-action locks that increase the leverage as the window is closed to assure a weathertight seal.
Marvin hardware is a touch above the Pella factory installed hardware. The design of the hardware is more fluid has a contemporary look. The colors are available in 5 standard colors.
Pella offers something marvin does not when it comes to screens. Pella has invested some time and innovation in developing the InView screens or Vivid View Screens. Vivid View screens offer 78% light transmission. They offer more light transmission and will be less obstructive to your view.
Marvin did not highlight their screens other than to say that they are standard and ship with each operating window at no extra cost. Each screen will be an extra charge when choosing Pella. But, I did want to mention that they offer a retractable screen for their casement windows. So the screen is concealed to one side until pulled out across the window. Since the window on casements swing out the screen is on the inside of the room.
14. Colors
Because of the nature of the fiberglass Marvin Ultrex exterior is paintable and they claim that it holds dark colors better than vinyl. It does come in 8 standard finishes or pre-finished exteriors.
15. Warranty
Marvin – They offer a transferrable limited warranty as well.
D This was fun and I hope that you found it helpful. I’m really glad that you asked this question. I think it was a very valuable question that can help a lot of other people in a similar situation to yours. Now if you have a question about a design that your struggling with, you can email me: [email protected].
If you enjoyed this episode and found the comparison useful to help you plan for your window selections, please leave a positive review for the show.
You can really help the show by either leaving a review through the iTunes podcast app that you may be using or by going to whitewashstudio.com/iTunes. What helps the show even more is to share the show with a friend. Tell someone that you know. Show them how to listen on the app. If you know someone that is designing or planning the construction of their dream home, let them know about the show. I would love for more people to be able to hear and get some value from the podcast.
I would also love to hear your feedback and know if you’re finding this podcast useful.
As I mentioned earlier, If you have a question for the show I would love to hear it. You can email me at [email protected]. If you would like to connect with me on Twitter I am @wwsarchitecture and the same on Instagram @wwsarchitecture
I would really appreciate hearing from you and listening to your suggestions that you have for the show or struggles that you are having with your particular space. Let me know and I would be glad to help you.
Tip the show with Bitcoin