tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46752773818905919562024-02-07T13:51:18.941-08:00MGM Industries random window and door thoughtsLead the Change, Unleash the Innovation......AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-19777616862910241252011-06-21T05:26:00.000-07:002011-06-21T05:38:16.387-07:00Is uPVC paintable?Conventional wisdom has it that PVC is not paintable. That's a reasonable statement. Had I not spent six years researching painting uPVC I'd say the same thing. The fact is that uPVC and cPVC (PVC from here on) <strong>are </strong>difficult to paint. The reason is, is that PVC has a low surface energy. All materials and liquids have a "surface energy". The scientific unit of surface energy is <a title="Surface energy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyne" target="_blank">Dynes</a>/Centimeter . For purposes of discussion I will talk about the surface energy, SE, of water and how it relates to PVC.<br>
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<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-upvc-paintable.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-82225461444585162882011-04-14T14:18:00.000-07:002011-05-10T05:29:06.785-07:00What is PVC made of?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The PVC used to make vinyl windows is actually a cake mix of ingredients. What follows is a list of the basic ingredients used in the manufacturing of vinyl windows and doors in the United States. </span><br>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br>
</span><br>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> It is made up of the following:</span><br>
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">PVC resin</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">External Lubricants</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Internal Lubricants</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat Stabilizers</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Processing aids</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Impact modifiers</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Titanium Dioxide</span></li></ul><a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-pvc-made-of.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-38806445973598992392011-03-30T07:22:00.000-07:002011-05-10T05:59:12.681-07:00Is PVC safe?<u><b>Is PVC safe? </b> </u> <br>
That is a question that extreme environmental groups have been using to try to scare the public away from PVC for about 15 years. Before you read any more of this article bear in mind that I am not unbiased on this issue. My family has been in the uPVC window buiness since 1985. We have purchased, fabricated, welded, sawed and processed this material since that time. We have handled the parts and been immersed in this material for 25 years and have been extruding the material since 1999. I'll be the first to tell you that it's not worth any amount of money to offer a product for the market if it is hazardeous to my health, or my brothers health, or the health of our employees or is hazardous to the ultimate consumer. I've researched the health side and read countless articles about PVC as regards to health since 1985. I'm not a Chemist nor a Doctor, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.<br>
<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-pvc-safe.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-15012878355053492012011-03-21T05:10:00.000-07:002011-03-21T06:33:51.889-07:00The Tax code is upside downThe capital gain rate of 15% is BAD for the long term strategy of America. Here's why: a Wall Street financial investment concern can buy a company and hold it for a year and then sell it one year later and only pay 15% in taxes. I'm going to paint with a wide brush, but here goes: typically these financial concerns will not plan on investments that require a long term vision. Most will strip down companies and boost up the EBITA of the company so that they can look for an "exit strategy", which means that they are looking for a quick way to cash out. They are looking for ways to "bundle it up and package it" for resell. Like they did with all the junk real estate packages and derivatives that got us into this economic mess. <br>
<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/03/tax-code-is-upside-down.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-45776225192407209742011-03-18T05:50:00.000-07:002011-03-18T06:07:26.633-07:00Update on: The power of social media<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><u>I</u> updated the "power of social media" page. Below is the result<br />
<u><br />
</u><br />
<u>Updated March 18, 2011</u><br />
At the tail end of 2010 we sent out a company email blast to our customers introducing our 8017 to our customer base. Flippantly I decided to use the headline: "Is it Andersen<sup>*</sup> or is it MGM". I thought nothing of it until I came back from Christmas break and was anointed a nice new years packet from Andersen's legal department. I've documented that drama on this blog so I do not want to rehash it in yet another entry.<br />
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I have another story to write this morning. The story itself is interesting to me, but it spurs my thinking about the changing world and the impact that the Internet and social media have on it. Back in January I wrote how the event with Andersen really had my wheels turning. I wondered and pondered statistical theory about nodal points. I was wondering just how powerful a blog could be and might be. I mentioned my fascination by the interaction of it all. That was before the impact of Facebook and Twitter on events in the Middle East. It's now about three months after the Andersen legal department sent their nicety. About two weeks after I started my defense through social media, I had a conversation with the person that was instructed to send me the letter to MGM. At that time he told me that Andersen planned no further legal action on the matter, and considered it closed. To me it shows the power of social media. The old days of griding a company into legal submission have been altered by the Internet. The legal tool still exists, but it can now back fire in ways to hurt the company using such Draconian methods. Now the true story can be disseminated in moments via social media. That's absolutely astounding. And it can lead to tremendous leaps in the World's quest for a better place. Right now the Middle East is another example of the power of social media. Social media is at its infancy and there is a lot of noise that is created by this media that only complicates communication, but there is a powerful tool being forged that can make a huge impact on the world in an extremely positive way. It gives one hope for the future, notwithstanding the recent tragedy in Japan and the continued economic struggles of the American peoples.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup>*</sup>AndersenTM is a registered trademark of Andersen Corporation. MGM is not affiliated with Andersen in any way</span>.AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-19487868677812215702011-03-17T09:08:00.000-07:002011-03-18T05:14:53.472-07:00Future Windows <br />
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<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: distribute-all-lines;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.mgmindustries.com/images/concepts/1-5_meeting_rail_view_w-6010_meeting_rail.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 3px;" width="450" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 6010 Series Figure 1 1.500 OA Glass</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Figure 1, above has been generated by our CAD software. The sash an the right only exists virtually in my computer. On the left is a rendering of our 6010 series Single hung. The one on the right has a 1.500 overall (OA) glass package, and on the left, that unit has a 3/4 OA glass package. We have real test data for 6010 series and the window is capable of U-value of 0.31 (R-value 3.22) with Cardinal 270 Low-E on the 2nd or 3rd surface. This is pretty much the standard available in the market today. With Low-E on both the 2nd and 3rd surfaces we will achieve roughly a U-value of 0.20 (R-value 5). That's a bit of a stretch, but it is achievable. (To find out, all we will need to do is pay some fees to the testing laboratories and the can confirm the numbers.) Really though, we don't need that because we have enough experience and know that the window will test around these numbers. We also know that 99.99% of the windows sold in the USA will pass these numbers if the glass package is 3/4 OA. If we are trying to evaluate a future window suffice it to say that it does not matter what the window frame is made out of, they are all going to resist heat transfer about the same. The only exception is an aluminum frame which is not nearly as energy efficient as wood, fiberglass or vinyl (even if thermally broken).<br />
<br />
With SSB glass the 6010 has a "dead air" space of 0.5625 (9/16"=3/4-3/32-3/32=0.5625). This happens to be the optimum dead air space in order to resist heat transfer. On the virtual window I applied common sense. I designed a window with two dear air spaces of 0.5625 and I also upgraded the glass to DSB (i.e., 1/8 glass, or, AKA 0.125 glass). Using this as design criteria means the OA glass would be 1.500 OA (1.500=0.125+0.5625+0.125+0.5625+0.125). I called the Cardinal Glass technicians and they told me that a 1.500 OA unit with Cardinal 366 on the 2nd surface and Cardinal 170 glass on the 5th surface would yield a U-value of 0.1389 which is an R-value of 7.2. These numbers give a base line on predicting future performance that is available given today's Low-E glass technology --and the given design mission.<br />
</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.mgmindustries.com/images/concepts/1-5_Head_view.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 3px;" width="450" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 6010 Series Figure 2 1.500 OA Glass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In Figure 2 I show a concept of the 1.500 OA mainframe on the right and the 6010 series mainframe on the left. You can see there is a massive difference in the overall size of the mainframe. Consequently the cost of this window will be significantly more. For those of you that noticed, yes I designed this concept to be a "take out" sash. This goes against the current market staple of a "tilt-in" sash. The reason that I designed it that way is two-fold. First with triple pane glass the sashes have the potential to get very heavy. With the take-out sash we eliminate the "easy tilt" (tilt-in) feature but we gain in less potential of the sash causing issues because of the shear weight of the sash. The second advantage of the take-out sash is that it will pass a much higher structural load, which would make this window very well suited for heavy commercial (HC) applications. This window would be able to be installed in high rise multi-family applications. Coupled with a paintable exterior, I think this would be a real winner. The trouble is: it will require a massive capital expenditures. When you factor in extrusion tooling and fabrication tooling, we are looking at close to a $750,000 capital budget. <br />
<div><br />
</div><div>There's one more advantage to designing the window to be "take-out" and that is the mainframe is already set up to build a slider, which is also an nice niche in the commercial market.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.mgmindustries.com/images/concepts/1-5_mainframe_conceptsl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 3px;" width="450" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Figure 3 </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Figure 3 shows a bunch of possible mainframe ideas. The overall frame depth for Versions #1 and #2 is 6.075 inch and the overall for Economy Version is 5.266 inches. Of course that is subject to change--they only exist now in my head and on my computer. I have included a rendering of our 8010 so that you can get a relative scale of these beasts. I have presented a "economy" version, a 180 Brickmould version and a contemporary clad version. These designs are all single hungs. Any one of the designs would be one fantastic window!<br />
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Joe just read the article and walked into my office and wanted me to comment on the advantages of STC jobs. This window design would facilitate very good STC (Sound Transmission Class) numbers. Our best preliminary guess is that any one of these concepts could produce an STC rating of around 35: possibly higher. This window would open a lot of doors--pun intended.<br />
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</b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Comments on this post are very much encouraged for marketing reasons. </b></span></b><br />
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</div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-57134177034086146302011-03-16T14:46:00.000-07:002011-03-16T14:49:18.015-07:00Tax policy and American Business and the Japanese earthquake<div style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are living in some very interesting times right now. In the last week, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in modern history hit Japan. Thousands perished and many more are likely to have difficult times. My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan. It makes the last three years of economic strife pale in comparison. We may have lost much of our economic wealth and livelihood, but at least we have our lives.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Japanese are a brilliant, proud and resilient people and they will prevail. I am confident of that. They rebuilt after WWII and I am confident they will rebuild again. The same fortitude that will enable Japan to recover is also needed for our own economic recovery. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Last week, I talked about the investments that are going to be required in the United States by the fenestration industry in order to reduce our energy demand in the USA. In a roundabout way, this relates to the tragedy that happened in Japan last week. I expect great leadership to emerge in Japan in the near future. The earthquake will probably have a cathartic effect within Japan and its leaders will probably develop and implement positive public policy.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It's emotionally difficult to bridge the gap between last week’s events and tax policy, but the same sort of tax policy that could help Japan rebuild could help American manufacturing to prosper in the future. I researched from the web and found from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">wikipedia</span></a> that the USA and Japan are first and second when it comes to corporate tax rates. Their corporate tax rate is 40.69% and ours is 35%. Not surprisingly Japan's economy has languished in the last decade, and our economy has faltered over the last three years. I'm not saying that high tax rates have caused all the world’s economic woes, but I am saying that lower tax rates can help both our countries to start growing. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These corporate tax rates have a severe dampening effect on the ability for a company to grow. There is a drain of potential capital that could be used by corporations to rebuild in Japan and for American companies to re-tool in the USA. The long term consequences of these high corporate tax rates is less investment in the future, and, consequently, less jobs in the future. In the case of American manufacturing, I think it is prudent to reduce the taxes on <b>all</b> <b>USA manufacturing</b> companies tax rate significantly. This way money generated from operations can be plowed back into machinery and equipment that is necessary in order to tool up for future needs. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I consider myself a middle of the road independent voter (neither Republican nor Democrat, nor Conservative or Liberal), but I already know what some are going to say: "It's a tax break for the rich." To which I already have a rebuttal. As long as the capital stays in the business, don't tax it heavily. As soon as a dividend or other dispersement is made, then tax it at the 35% rate. The government will still get their money, but only when the capital is not needed to fund future economic expansion. The USA Treasury will also get more tax dollars in the future because more firms will grow faster and bigger. In our industry, it means new extrusion tooling and new fabrication tooling in order to create new window and doors designs that will reduce our power grid requirements.</span></span></div><div class="im" style="color: #500050;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I think a reduced tax rate on ALL USA manufacturing is good public policy—but it is not, in and of itself, going to drive more efficient windows in the market place. I saw a <a href="http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/are-high-performance-windows-worth-their-high-cost?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">good article</a> recently in which the author was debating whether or not the investment in more efficient windows has a reasonable payback for the end user. At today's energy prices, that might be debatable and if it is debatable, it is guaranteed that the average consumer is not going to opt for more energy efficient windows. </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In order for consumers to be motivated to install more efficient windows, it has to be a slam dunk financial decision. And I'm not sure that slam dunk is there myself. However, if you look at in a macro-economic sense—it is a slam dunk. If everyone installed more energy efficient windows, the Nation would unabashedly be much better off. Herein is the rub: individually, it is debatable whether energy efficient windows have a reasonable payout, but collectively there is no question that energy conservation should play a part of our future energy solution to our nation’s needs. To be proactive, it’s going to take good tax policy to nudge us all to future in which we are not dependent on other countries. And good tax policy is going to be a contributing factor in our future manufacturing basis, which is going to fuel future jobs.</span></span></div></div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-89149659224472975142011-03-10T11:22:00.000-08:002011-03-12T06:00:53.861-08:00White House's race to be GreenWith all the use of the same ol' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripe" onclick="popup = window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripe', 'PopupPage', 'height=450,width=500,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false" target="_blank">tripe</a> about "being Green", it's enough to make one barf. At least that's the way I feel. So many companies have marketed being Green that can't even spell the word. It's gotten to the point that if you can't claim to be "Green" then your just not in the game. At least marketers would have you think that way. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: orange;"> But having said that, don't let your/my jaded eyes not allow you to see the forrest for the trees</span>. Energy conversation is being debated in Washington and it doesn't matter which side of the isle you want to set on--make no bones about it--at some point policy will be implemented that will affect the fenestration industry. Energy efficiency is really only being crowed about now, but there will be a time in the not to distant future (in my opinion) when the dollars and cents are going to really start driving the issue and not stale-mate politics. Right now gasoline is over $3.50 per gallon. Notwithstanding the problems in the middle east, rising fuel costs are just an economic certainty. All the legislation in the Washington is not going to stop China's and India's and the world's growing appetite for gasoline and other natural resources. Basic economics says that pricing is going to rise. Coupled with the fact that the whole world is printing money to manage the world economic crisis, one has to realize that fuel savings will impact the fenestration industry more and more. The Obama Administration has been talking the talk. I believe at some point the economic forces are going to force American politicians to actually start implimenting policy that walks-the-walk. <br />
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The talk from the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/03/president-obama-s-plan-win-future-making-american-businesses-more-energy" onclick="popup = window.open('http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/03/president-obama-s-plan-win-future-making-american-businesses-more-energy', 'PopupPage', 'height=450,width=500,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false" target="_blank">Obama Administration</a> is to achieve a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency by 2020. If policy is implemented and laws are passed that back up this talk, then windows stand to be a big contributing factor towards this goal. Right now the industry has the infrastructure to provide an R5 window to the Nation. Beyond that there will have to be new designs developed to handle thicker triple pane insulated glass. If the Nation really wanted to reach an R7 window, that is achievable given today's Low-E glass technology. An inch and one half overall (1.5OA) with two sides of the latest Low-E glass technology will achieve a center-of-glass R-value of R7.2. {This is a number I received from technicians from a major manufacturer of Low-E glass. It's a real number, not just something grabbed from thin air.} For those that don't know the technicalities, the overall R-value of a complete window will be lower than center-of-glass numbers. It is not unreasonable to achieve an overall R-value of around R7 for a vinyl window with a glazing pocket to accept a 1.5OA unit.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>The President is calling for an aggressive reform of existing tax and other incentives for commercial building retrofits and proposing a new competitive grant program. According to the hub-bub there will be initiatives (tax credits) available to retrofit over 600,000 residential homes. This push in-and-of-itself <u>could</u> be a major influence for designs with greater U-values than can be achieved with existing Clad-wood, vinyl and aluminum fenestration designs. The ramifications within the fenestration industry would be huge if legislation were passed to facilitate a 20% reduction in energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings. If the politicians are influenced by the fenestration industry, I think they will push for the first hurdle of R5 technology. Beyond the R5 threshold will probably result in loses to our manufacturing basis of fenestration product in the United States. The reason for that is many window companies have been losing money the last three years, and many are barely at break-even in early 2011. If legislation is passed that requires beyond an R5 window, then most companies will be required to re-tool for an entirely different window system, and right now, I would venture to say that way over 50% of those companies do not have the capital to invest in the infrastructure required to achieve such a lofty goal. In the long run, there is no question, the Nation will be better off with windows with R7+ technology designed in the product--but in the short run, it will cause a major hardship on the America's fenestration manufacturing concerns. If we as a Nation really want to achieve a 20% improvement, then, long term, it would be good for America. On a personal note, I'd like to see a push for R7+ technology because it will only push our company to the next level.<br />
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<b>P.S. See the latest video I just finished editing: </b><br />
<a href="javascript:void(0);" name="Installing an MGM Swing Door" onclick="window.open('http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXTmqkSuEkA','Ratting','width=250,height=250,resizable=yes,0,status=0,scrollbars=1');" title=" sashes "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Intalling the MGM Swing Patio Door</span></a><br />
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</div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-3571447134305687352011-02-28T09:29:00.000-08:002011-03-05T09:25:39.954-08:00Please explain Solar heat gain (SHGC)Maybe you have seen the dreaded acronym SHGC. Even people in the window business get confused with this Egyptian hieroglyphic. SHGC stands for <u>S</u>olar <u>H</u>eat <u>G</u>ain <u>C</u>oefficient, but what does that mean?<br />
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<div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">(For you old timers SC<sup>*</sup> =SHGC*0.87)</span></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><sup>*</sup>SC--Shading coefficient</span></div></div><br />
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Basically SHGC represents the ability of the insulated glass unit to <i><b>resist</b></i> or reflect the sun's solar radiation. It is a number that is between 0 and 1. The lower the number the <b>more solar radiation is resisted</b> by the insulated glass unit. Clear as mud isn't it. Unless you study it you really need real life examples to get your head wrapped around the concept. So in short you can use this to remember which way is up:<br />
<ul><li>In Northern climates you want a high SHGC number. (That is, you want more solar radiation to penetrate the glass unit and heat the inside of the house.</li>
<li>In Southern climates you want a Low SHGC number. (You want less solar radiation to penetrate the glass unit and heat the inside of the house. </li>
</ul><div>If you have time to think about it, it is simple. But in the course of everyday life we just do not have the time to think through this stuff. If you use this post as a future reference, just glance at the following:</div><div><ul><li>Low SHGC=Low heat allowed in the house</li>
<li>High SHGC=Higher heat allowed in the house</li>
</ul><div>In the world of insulated glass, we frequently talk about the "number of glass surface". Let me explain that. In a typical "double pane" insulated unit (i.e., two pieces of glass sandwiched between a "spacer") , there are four surfaces of glass that we are interested in defining. The first surface is always defined from the outside of the house. Thad'be surface #1. The second surface is on the other side of the outside piece of glass. (it's on the inside of the insulated unit)--thad'be surface #2. The third surface is the next surface that a golf ball would hit on it's way to the inside of the house. This is first side of the second piece of glass in the unit--thad'be the #3 surface. Anyone guess which surface #4 is....anyone...anyone....Bue-ller...?</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>That's right the #4 surface is on inside of the house and is the surface that is the easiest to clean with Windex.<br />
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Ok, so now you know how to define the glass surfaces. I'll bet your life is complete now, huh. No really, now we can discuss the differences that exist as a result of which surface the Low-e glass is assigned. If you put the Low-e surface on the #2 surface, you will get a higher SHGC than if you put the Low-e on the #3 surface. Based on this if your located in the north, you would want the Low-e on the #2 surface and if your located in the south you'd want the Low-e assigned to the #3 surface.<br />
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But the funny thing is that the overall U-factor is not changed by the placement of the Low-e. This is a result of the fact that when the window is tested for heat loss, it is done in an indoor laboratory setting in which the sun's rays never are introduced into the test scenario. If you study every manufacturer's test reports, you will notice that the U-Factor is not changed as a result of which surface the Low-e is placed. I remember an old Looney Tunes cartoon in which Foghorn Leghorn<sup>*</sup> said: "It just don't add up!" What gives with this...<br />
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Well, in the real world, it can make a difference, but that difference is not quantifiable by current test methods--the Sun's electromagnetic radiation is excluded from the test method due to the variation induced by this factor. (There really is no way to simulate the sun's electromagnetic radiation without a Federal budget of ga-zillions of dollars). The Sun's energy fluctuates by the time of year because of the constantly changing angle of the Sun's rays as a result of the orbital path of the Earth, add in solar flairs and other solar variables and it gets hairy, don't it! Without a consistent control variable, it's prudent to leave it out of the test method procedure.<br />
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</div><div><b>Which leads to this statement: </b></div><hr /><b>At MGM we place the Low-e coating on the third surface as a standard. </b><br />
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</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>(We actually put the 6010 on the second surface and all other products on the the third. We tried to change but knew we would have inventory issues with customers.)</i></span></b></span></div><hr /><sup>*</sup>For more Foghorn wisdom: <a href="javascript:void(0);" name="SHGC" onclick="window.open('http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LCsiWL6gn0','Ratting','width=250,height=250,resizable=yes,0,status=0,scrollbars=1');" title=" sashes "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Two half nothin's is a whole nothin'! And I know what I'm talkin' about, because... That boy's about as sharp as a bowlin' ball!!</span></a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-72462799351130411812011-02-10T05:15:00.000-08:002011-02-11T06:10:50.282-08:00Albert Einstein talks about MGM brand swing doors and vinyl windows<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jmFlus1TpMg?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
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I have recently been introduced to the website <a href="http://www.xtranormal.com/">www.xtranormal.com</a>, with this tool it is possible to produce cheap, quick and informative videos for your marketing needs. All you have to do is pick out a basic scene and select your actors and then type in a script. The user then selects from a list of voice styles such as "American male" or "Spanish female". Simple body movements and gestures can be dragged into the script to give wanted affects. You have control of the camera angle and camera position. The software then synthesizes and renders the scene. Overall the software is very easy to use. The video produced should be less than two minutes, should be informative, and ideally it would have some humor in it, so that people just might share it with their friends. The risk is that the humor might offend some people, so some judgement is in order. <br />
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Our "Albert Einstein discusses windows" video is an example of the rapidly evolving internet. In order for this type of marketing to be effective, one has to be an "early adopter" of technology. This type of video tool will probably become stale in a few months and people will not be enamored with it. Right now, it can capture the viewer just by the novelty of the service. This service has only been out for about a year and it still can be considered fresh. As people and companies adopt this technology the novelty will wear off and it will lose it's effective luster.<br />
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MGM Industries has made a lot of effort towards Internet marketing. The above video represents our commitment to stay on the fore front of the internet. Hopefully we will create an awareness for our customers end users and the value of our product line will become more self evident.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ETNZAER6GJEH</span>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-76988866684110021982011-02-08T11:27:00.000-08:002011-02-11T04:22:12.598-08:00Melting Vinyl Siding<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the past several years there has been a rather unique situation arise and that is melting siding as a result of the sun’s energy reflecting off of high performance Low-e glass windows. If you read my post on how low-e glass works it might not be intuitive on why this phenomenon has happened. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When insulated glass is manufactured the glass is cleaned and then sandwiched between a glass spacer system. This creates a dead air space between the glass panes, which creates an insulative space to resist heat. The glass is sealed in the factory which locks in place a finite amount of air (or Argon gas) within the unit. At the time of manufacture, the unit has more or less air/gas in the unit depending on the ambient atmospheric pressure. On a hot summer day, less air is sealed in-between the glass than on a cold winter day. What this means is that if the current outside atmospheric pressure in which the window is installed is greater than the pressure at the time of manufacture, then the glass will “bow” towards the interior of the insulated glass unit. When this happens a concave glass surface acts like a parabolic mirror (or magnifying glass), as a result of the reflection created by the high performance Low-e. The glass company scientists are studying this phenomenon right now; even they don’t have a complete understanding of the process. What we all know is that the energy of the sun is concentrated by this parabolic mirror effect as it reflects off the glass. If the focal point hits the siding at precisely the right distance, then thin-walled vinyl siding can reach it’s distortion temperature and “melt”. It doesn’t actually melt, it distorts. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because of the large efficiency gains as a result of low-e glass, it looks like it is here to stay. A few ways to combat this problem are:<br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Install full screen or solar screens to dissipate the light beam</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Plant shrubs to block the light beams</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Install awnings to block the sun</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">If it is a new home, design the southern exposure with deeper soffits to block the sun. </li>
</ul><div>The solution is not to replace the high performance glass with clear low performance glass: that would be like rejecting the new automotive electric technology because it's new and we like the "good ol' days". <br />
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BTW, there is a sale on buggy whips, if anybodies interested send your pony express communication, I'll be on the porch with my hand fan--wish I had some ice!!!</div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-34208876696080619122011-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:002011-02-05T05:51:29.521-08:00Low-E glass explained<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><u><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_emissivity">Low-E glass</a>?</span></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity">Wikipedia</a>: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">The <b>emissivity</b> of a material (usually written <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">ϵ</span> or e) is the relative ability of its surface to emit energy by radiation. It is the ratio of energy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Radiation">radiated</a> by a particular material to energy radiated by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Black body">black body</a> at the same temperature. A true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_body" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Black body">black body</a> would have an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">ϵ</span> = 1 while any real object would have <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">ϵ</span> < 1. Emissivity is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimensionless_quantity" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Dimensionless quantity">dimensionless quantity</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">In general, the duller and blacker a material is, the closer its emissivity is to 1. The more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflectivity" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Reflectivity">reflective</a> a material is, the lower its emissivity. Highly polished <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Silver">silver</a> has an emissivity of about 0.02</span></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Theory (Sorry about this)</span></u></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Low-E glass is an acronym for “low emissivity” glass. Emissivity is a heat transfer concept that is taught and studied in thermodynamics classes in Physics and Engineering. The skinny is that it is a coefficient within this equation:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Radiant heat loss=<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">ϵ</span> <sup>.</sup> σ</span> <sup>. </sup>A <sup>.</sup> ΔT<sup>4</sup></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Where: </span></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ϵ</span> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">= </span></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Emissivity</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: windowtext;">A = Surface area of the part radiating heat</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Δ</span></span><span style="color: windowtext;">T = The difference of the temperature from inside and outside (“delta T”)</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span">σ</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">= </span></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Stefan-Boltzmann constant (Don't worry about it)</span></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only thing you need to know about the above equation is the emissivity (<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;">ϵ</span>) variable. What this means in a nutshell is that the lower the ϵ</span> the lower the heat loss <u>due to radiation</u>. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><u><span style="color: black;">Three methods of heat loss</span></u></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"> (Sorry times 2)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are three methods of heat transfer and the are:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">radiant heat loss<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">convective heat loss<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">conductive heat loss<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’ve already talked about radiant heat loss by describing the equation above. Convective heat loss is the heat lost (or gained) as a result of air circulation. So for example, when you have a heat duct blowing air on a window or a cold wall, the wall absorbs heat from the air molecules that bounce off and contact the wall. Conductive heat loss can best be described as a warm body contacting physically a cold body. Kind’a like when your wife rubs her cold toes on your body. The man losses heat and the wife gets all warm and cuddly. (It’s not fair, but that’s just the way heat transfer works—it’s physics and physical.)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><u>It gets even more bazaar</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Low-E glass is actually made with the chemical element Silver—that’s right the same silver used in the 1964 silver, President Kennedy $0.50 piece. The technology, however, is pretty complex. Over simplistically, the silver is applied to the glass via an emitter technology. Silver bars are loaded above the glass and the glass passes below the silver bar. Somehow the glass carries an electrical charge and the silver carries the opposite charge. Opposite charges attract, so the silver bar “emits” silver atoms that are deposited on the glass. You can't see it, but the silver is there at an atomic level. Depending on the series of glass you order, there can be as many as three coats of these “silver emissions” onto the glass. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(The visible transmission of the glass is reduced by a minimum of 60% if the glass has three layers of silver--so the glass looks slightly tinted.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"> And since silver has a low emissivity </span></span>(<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">ϵ</span>), the glass will reflect the radiant heat. Here’s where it gets bazzar, the Sun’s radiant heat is high energy (short wavelength) radiant heat. This heat will penetrate the glass and continue to inside of the house. Sounds Star-trekish enough until I explain the next concept. Your body is also a heat “radiator”, it will radiate heat to colder surfaces. The heat that is radiated is “low energy, longer wavelength” heat. This longer wavelength, lower energy heat (low energy in a physic's context) will bounce back or reflect from the glass. The same type of radiant heat is emited from all objects, your furniture, your cat, your carpet—everything! This reflected “low energy radiant heat” is a significant amount of heat. In term’s of the home owners wallet, it is not low energy—it is high cost radiant heat that hits the check book.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Sidenote: Have you ever noticed in the winter when the inside temperature is 72<sup>o</sup>F, that you feel cold--and then in the summer, and the inside air temperature is about 72<sup>o</sup>F, you feel OK--ever notice that ...huh. Well, if you have-- your not crazy, the reason is that the outside walls of your house are cold in the winter. You actually do "radiate" more heat to that cold wall. It's really a bazaar concept (and yes, we really did land on the moon.) You actually <u><i>do</i></u> lose more heat from your body--even <i>with the air temperature being the same</i>--in the winter because your body ("the radiator") is radiating more heat to that cold wall. </span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">(As Cap'ian Kirk could'a/would'a have said: "give me all the power that your thermostat's got Scotty, I'm cold.")</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hope this explains Low-E a little better. Stay cool, 'er warm—whatever.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-38391857674368395622011-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:002011-01-28T09:59:58.342-08:00Issues and regulations regarding Egress windowsEgress windows are a requirement for all new construction projects. I think the code dates back farther than 1983, but has only recently (say the last 10 years) been enforced. The purpose of the code is to allow a fireman access to a burning home through the opening of a window. In theory the clear opening has to be large enough to allow the fireman entry with an oxygen tank strapped on his or her back, which actually makes sense. The code has the following requirements:<br />
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<ol><li>No clear opening height dimension may be less than 24".</li>
<li>No clear opening width dimension may be less than 20".</li>
<li>For the first floor the square footage of clear opening must be 5 square feet (SF) or higher.</li>
<li>For second floor the SF of clear opening must be 5.7 SF or higher.</li>
</ol><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZc1cxsvJ85iGdjvVQz6VsNgT_m10wl4f03533G-2xjiiuX3ZRtnIvLAwonqRTSlWI72U0HD_0m1vQ80Eet5kOYNjckI78G5TquBu4Nv5HIrLqG1EhDK2-0GBaRFQ8pyTjYFdjWloJo-_/s1600/daily+production+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZc1cxsvJ85iGdjvVQz6VsNgT_m10wl4f03533G-2xjiiuX3ZRtnIvLAwonqRTSlWI72U0HD_0m1vQ80Eet5kOYNjckI78G5TquBu4Nv5HIrLqG1EhDK2-0GBaRFQ8pyTjYFdjWloJo-_/s320/daily+production+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A typical vinyl single hung will require a 3'0 x 5'0 window to meet the 5.7 SF minimum. This is greatly affected by the height of the sill tower which will limit the vertical clear opening. There are two competing design objectives when considering a window, the first of which is the Egress issue and the second of which is a concept more pertinent to users of windows in high wind zones such as coastal areas--that is high design pressures (DP). In order to achieve say a DP of 50, the window has to withstand a blowing rain of 54 miles per hour (<a href="http://mgmindustries.com/Design_Pressure_Table.html">windload chart</a>). (Figure 1. shows MGM's in-house test wall used to simulate a 54mph wind load.) In order to achieve this the sill tower has to be 1.440 inches tall. (also see the windload chart, column 7 to find 1.440). To paint an example to try to explain this, assume one were to put a bucket of water on the ground with a plastic tube mounted vertically in the pale of water. Cap off the tube but vent it to atmosphere. Now blow air down on the surface area of the water at a speed of 54 mph. the water will rise in the tube exactly 1.440. This is exactly what happens to a window that is exposed to a blowing rain of 54mph. So, in order to have a window pass a DP50 water resistance test, the sill tower has to be at least 1.440 tall. It's simple physics, but this simple physics limits the ability to pass egress regulations. Many company's have to have a 3'0 x 5'2 size single hung to pass egress for these reasons. Another way to pass egress is to install casement windows. They will provide a large clear opening because the majority of the width and height of the window can be included in the egress calculations. In basements it is a different story. You may need add a<a href="http://blog.kcremodeling.com/2010/09/26/adding-an-egress-window-to-your-finished-basement.aspx"> window for light and also meet egress requirements.</a> </div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-4785044383450328822011-01-27T06:41:00.000-08:002011-01-27T08:25:16.153-08:00Design considerations for Wood Windows. <br>
<div style="text-align: justify; text-justify: distribute-all-lines;"> <img src="http://www.mgmindustries.com/images/Generic_clad_renderings.jpg" style="float: left; padding: 3px 15px 5px 5px;" width="450"><br>
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Figure 2. shows three design concepts for those people to consider if they insist on wood windows. On the far left is the traditional design. This design is used to build thousands of wood windows. In order to understand the issues with this design you should read the article on "<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/p/why-wood-rot.html">why wood rots</a>" and also read <a href="http://mgmindustries.com/About-MGM-Industries/quality.html" onclick=" popup = window.open('http://mgmindustries.com/quality.html', 'PopupPage', 'height=450,width=500,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false" target="_blank">the psychiatric approach to quality</a> section of what it takes to produce a quality product. This design requires that the company that built the product must build the window exactly to specification and must make sure that the glass is completely caulked in place. If it's not, then the water will penetrate the corners of the window, or the areas that are not caulked, and decay will be the result.<br>
</div><a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/design-considerations-for-wood-windows.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-43196863755445760092011-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:002011-01-27T05:03:19.741-08:00MGM Casement passes impactOur 4710 series casement window passed large missile impact today. We will designate the window with a new series number: the 4780 casement. We passed with the following details:<br />
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<ul><li>Passed DP-50 impact rated for large missiles.</li>
<li>Passed DP-70 air, water and structural. (size: 36 x 72)</li>
</ul>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-9981349458663897212011-01-26T09:09:00.000-08:002011-01-26T09:09:19.948-08:00MGM Swing doors now available with Double bore locksThe first double bore going down the line today the the Swing door series!!!!<br />
(Doesn't Mike look exited.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKwxV3P2__abg-4fhRipY3HwTRxrEH0ixIkKvbSSXJ1wwCoBi_kF7uJ1kfxiHQGVDlSDTykcN4oA6xOtYZak2lysCqDAzepKx5-7os3Ouh4UzgrqzdExGF_MzbyXlwUMa79Dg6QonzNOe/s1600/9xxx+series+double+bore+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKwxV3P2__abg-4fhRipY3HwTRxrEH0ixIkKvbSSXJ1wwCoBi_kF7uJ1kfxiHQGVDlSDTykcN4oA6xOtYZak2lysCqDAzepKx5-7os3Ouh4UzgrqzdExGF_MzbyXlwUMa79Dg6QonzNOe/s640/9xxx+series+double+bore+001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-23591692877273182912011-01-24T10:29:00.000-08:002011-01-27T08:29:25.116-08:00why wood rots?<a href="http://www.blogger.com/page-edit.g?blogID=4675277381890591956&pageID=4101025819543926289" name="q6"></a><br>
<h3>Why do my wood windows rot"?</h3>Reasons for wood to rot in windows:<br>
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<div style="padding-left: 45px;">• Wood used today is not old growth wood.<br>
• The wood is spiced together by “finger joint” techniques.<br>
• The preservatives used to treat the wood are not as toxic.<br>
•The paints are not as toxic to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism" onclick=" popup = window.open('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism', 'PopupPage', 'height=450,width=500,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false" target="_blank">microbial life</a> .<br>
•The windows are not painted until a few weeks or days after installation<br>
•The manufacturing techniques are sloppy.</div>Let’s discuss the above points.<br>
<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-wood-rots.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-37607487176435708072011-01-11T03:30:00.000-08:002011-03-18T06:04:37.391-07:00Original post of: The power of social media<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br>
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<a href="javascript:newPopup('http://www.mgmindustries.com/Underdog.html');" style="align: left; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-jlc_apiTLs5yhHT16W8FPQlEB3x2OIKQ9_AsG1fXFXffGjOWW0GRnlb_u3FXlx_VhaktUcMIzWj6QpGS-DiJkAI4gJHfKsVO7pHGeXWO2kxGT5W0FdalcMHdbsz44str2KLwOROusMX/s320/8017dh_bronze.jpg"></a> <br>
The"Underdog"</td><td style="width: 50%;"><br>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> The blogs....</span></strong>On Dec 7th, 2010 The following company newsletter went out on to approximately 600 people on MGM's mailing list: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; line-height: 13px;"><br>
<a href="http://www.mgmindustries.com/newsletters/4Q_2010.html" onclick=" popup = window.open('http://www.mgmindustries.com/newsletters/4Q_2010.html', 'PopupPage', 'height=450,width=500,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>4th QTR Newsletter</u></span></b></a><br>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 13px;"><em>Here is an excerpt...Is it MGM or is it Andersen?...."</em></span></span><br>
</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/this-mornings-thoughts-about-next-week.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-8152078508629822192011-01-09T14:46:00.001-08:002011-01-10T07:07:02.546-08:00“The Mallet” (a short treatise on quality)Back in 1978 I was a budding mechanical engineering student at Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt had a summer internship program with a lot of the big fortune 500 companies as well as smaller companies. I do not remember his name, but I do remember talking to one of my fellow cohorts about his summer experience when he worked at one of General Motors manufacturing plants in which they were assembling cars. He opened up by saying he would never buy or own a GM product and went on to say that they were using rubber mallets to do the fit and finish of the cars on the assembly line.<br>
<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/mallet.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-6142026500891173442011-01-08T07:09:00.000-08:002011-01-29T08:02:26.672-08:00My grandma the "witch" (the title could be: The Ninja Pack)<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hello out there,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">I went home last night with a headache from the events the past week. Sandra and I went and ate Mexican. I had a taco salad (pollo) and a Dos Equis, grande. <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Savannah</place></city> had a friend over and I hit the sack early.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br>
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">It's now 3:15Am in the morning and I woke up thinking of my maternal grandma Mary B. Rice, go figure. This was a lady that was born in about 1896 and grew up in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">El Paso</city>, <state w:st="on">TX</state></place> on a farm in a pretty arid and desolate place. Grandma was a waste not, want not person, who always chastised us for wasting water anywhere, be it the kitchen sink or the bathroom or where ever. "What a witch.”</span><br>
</div><a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-grandma-witch.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-20604075564767904252011-01-05T05:11:00.000-08:002011-01-09T17:53:54.422-08:00R-5 Window demandThere has been a lot of bally-hoo lately among the window manufacturing community about an R-5 window. This window would probably require a 1.500 inch overall insulated unit which is triple glazed and has two layers of Low-E glass. The question is, is there a viable market for this product? The typical extrusion house will have to tool up for about $500,000+ in extrusion tooling because the sash will have to be widened, which means the main frame will have to be designed to accommodate the bigger sash. This also means the overall jamb width of a window will have to exceed 3 1/4 inches. So with this consideration, it means a replacement window will have to have a rather pronounced bevel on the outside of the window. All these are design consideration and constraints. So the real question remains: is there a viable market for this product?<br>
<a href="http://mgmindustries-agaskins.blogspot.com/2011/01/r-5-window-demand.html#more">Read more »</a>AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-81878941974831651662011-01-04T18:29:00.000-08:002011-05-02T13:58:11.626-07:00Do you have a market for a sliding "4 panel"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>MGM is developing a new telescoping patio door based on our 8005 Series patio door. It has four individual tracks in the door. This means that the panels will slide in their own individual tracks. It will allow for a 12 wide door. All the panels will slide to either side and store together. On a 12 foot door, this will create a 9 foot clear opening. It will be great for a screen porch application.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM2shN2_24zm-eX27QiQND7zCBExEPuc4sONoF6k2YcfjbihQv4KEHt_tThWhJSLkGInvXQAqIpEMfRL6-rt8fQ6Zxl4bQloJB9nvc4r-26n_E51S8sIvmEtUUGlD4LC3RbBOdLTqX1QT/s1600/panel4-sill+crosssection2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGM2shN2_24zm-eX27QiQND7zCBExEPuc4sONoF6k2YcfjbihQv4KEHt_tThWhJSLkGInvXQAqIpEMfRL6-rt8fQ6Zxl4bQloJB9nvc4r-26n_E51S8sIvmEtUUGlD4LC3RbBOdLTqX1QT/s320/panel4-sill+crosssection2.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>Whadyathink?...AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675277381890591956.post-12390967765508538022011-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:002011-01-09T16:09:33.292-08:00What do you think of our new "faux block" glass?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdi1hjb52HSx3jUm2T22VifZ6aS66m8qHQhyqeHD3Dr7gLQkZIeAKvixjkhaDE-v4m9UdY543FiIYJZNiI5nRZDZYUg1wkleWXA2T6t4dLb_WSQHywjtQzFgOPTiCXkge3qJHCVE9a3Gw/s1600/faux+glass+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdi1hjb52HSx3jUm2T22VifZ6aS66m8qHQhyqeHD3Dr7gLQkZIeAKvixjkhaDE-v4m9UdY543FiIYJZNiI5nRZDZYUg1wkleWXA2T6t4dLb_WSQHywjtQzFgOPTiCXkge3qJHCVE9a3Gw/s320/faux+glass+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF112KqzFmUP2EYQP2JCgbgU9FwvYWNwicPtkRrQCBg_OSRMpg-XqaxpIgx4TpdbgWDwLtLUNsR5OSA3ioH6prWqChmPXTLVL1By-QaSih6ZMpHeWISWMA-drJ8B_4rXxSx5Rv866cxC2t/s1600/faux+glass+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF112KqzFmUP2EYQP2JCgbgU9FwvYWNwicPtkRrQCBg_OSRMpg-XqaxpIgx4TpdbgWDwLtLUNsR5OSA3ioH6prWqChmPXTLVL1By-QaSih6ZMpHeWISWMA-drJ8B_4rXxSx5Rv866cxC2t/s200/faux+glass+005.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>This is our "faux block" glass. This is a beautiful alternative to the traditional block window that is used over bath tubs and the like. It is tempered. We could provide the glass un-insulated. This would be a wonderful way to spice up an interior wall. The glass size is 44" x 44". So the nominal window size will be 4'0 x 4'0. We will size each series to fit this glass size.AGaskinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13883502421608292057noreply@blogger.com0