Replacement Windows
Accurate Dorwin Company |
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The Accurate Dorwin Company has been serving Canadian and American residents with the uppermost performance, uppermost quality energy saving rated windows for over 50 years.
We continue to lead the industry because we use the latest technology to meet the challenges of building high performance replacement windows and doors. We don't cut corners on our products, we build in the quality customers want for renovations, retrofits or new construction.
This ability to build superior products that keep pace with the changing times helps to create the Accurate Dorwin difference. We call it the "Fibreglass Advantage", and it can be your advantage too!
Replacement Windows
Accurate Dorwin Company's Fibreglass Window Systems featuring high-tech fibreglass lineals offer an exciting alternative to metal, plastic or wood frame windows. All the advantages of competing systems with none of their disadvantages.
The ultimate window-frame material, "pultruded" fibreglass, differs from common fibreglass used in pools, boats and storage tanks. Continuous strands of glass are saturated in a thermoset resin and pass through a heated die. They are pulled through, rather than pushed, hence the term "pultrusion". Dorwin Industries of Winnipeg introduced the first fibreglass window in 1983. Over the past decade, Dorwin has developed a system which combines the most dimensionally stable window frame material with foam insulation and high efficiency insulating glass - the ultimate window. Accurate Dorwin Company's Fibreglass Window System meets the needs of designers and builders who wish to go beyond the limitations inherent with metal, plastic or wood frame fenestration. Pultruded fibreglass has proven to be a superior material in four ways:
- Dimensional Stability
- Thermal Insulation
- Durability and Aesthetics
- Environmental Friendliness
While traditional window framing materials are dimensionally stable on the shop floor, how they perform in extremes of humidity, heat and cold is quite a different story. It has long been known that wood is prone to warping and shrinking. But even extruded materials such as aluminum and vinyl can cause problems, owing to their relatively high rates of thermal expansion.
Ideally, a window frame will expand and contract at the same rate as glass, an ideal easily achieved with glass fiber technology. On the other hand, aluminum has a coefficient of expansion which is twice that of glass and the corresponding figure for vinyl is seven times that of glass.
Extensive cold chamber testing by Natural Resources Canada has shown how window framing materials perform in real world conditions. The results show that vinyl operable windows, although well weather-stripped, suffered massive air leakage under simulated cold weather conditions. The massive air leakage occurred because the cold outside face of the sash contracted, pulling the top and bottom comers of the sash away from the frame and the weather-stripping.
Testing by others has shown that, while white vinyl frames can stand up to full summer sun, colored profiles were subject to significantly higher temperatures, resulting in permanent shrinkage of as much as 4%.
Structurally, pultruded fibreglass is both stronger and harder than wood and vinyl. Fibreglass profiles are carefully engineered so that the fiber strands impart some of the uppermost longitudinal and transverse strength amongst window framing material. Yet unlike aluminum, fibreglass is a resilient material which resists denting.
In terms of weatherability, Accurate Dorwin Company's Fibreglass Window System features KTM-4 acrylic architectural finishes. It is applied to the fibreglass lineals using the same equipment as is used for architectural aluminum, and accelerated aging tests have shown the same resistance to UV and minimal weathering. Vinyl, especially when tinted, tends to discolor and become brittle over time.
Notwithstanding the durability of the factory-applied finishes, it is nevertheless possible to paint over these coatings. Fibreglass thus offers a truly low maintenance finish, as well as design flexibility. Change the look of one room or an entire building without changing the windows. This is another feature which distinguishes fibreglass framing from vinyl, which has a history of premature fading of colors and does not hold paint well.
Long service life is but one factor in an assessment of the environmental impact of any product. Obviously, a durable window system based on pultruded fibreglass uses less resources than a system which would have to be replaced one or more times during the same period. But how does pultruded fibreglass compare to other window frame options in terms of, say, pollution during manufacture, embodied energy and other environmental concerns?
The matter of "true environmental friendliness" can be complex. Enermodal Engineering of Waterloo, Ontario however, did an environmental assessment of three competing window frame technologies and the results led them to select pultruded fibreglass for the Waterloo Region Green Home demonstration project. Aluminum clad windows and vinyl windows, on the other hand, were rejected as they did not compare favorably in the six point evaluation.
Pultruded fibreglass window frames are better insulators than vinyl, wood and, of course, aluminum frames which must incorporate non-metallic thermal breaks in order to provide even a minimal degree of insulation. But beyond any side-by-side comparisons of fibreglass as an insulator, consider how it is used to produce the most highly insulating frame system in the world.
The high tensile strength of the material allows it to be used in relatively thin-walled hollow profiles which are completely foam-filled. This results in un-matched thermal resistance in a given volume of framing. Vinyl profiles can also be foam-filled, yet this process is impeded somewhat by internal webbing and thicker walls. Insertion of metal stiffeners, which compromise thermal performance, are often required in vinyl profiles.
The new Energy Rating (ER) numbers show the fibreglass frame window at the top of the list. Developed jointly by the Canadian government and the window industry, the new ER numbers better indicate the overall performance of a window. The ER considers heat loss, resistance to air leakage losses and heat gain. Heat loss is a weighted average of all components: center of glass, edge of glass and frame. Heat gain is an average of the solar radiation for each direction (north, south, east and west). When combined with equally high-performance insulating glass, Accurate Dorwin Company's Fibreglass Window gets the uppermost rating of any commercially available product and is also Power Smart endorsed.
Improve your home's curb appeal with an Accurate Dorwin Entrance System. Whether you choose an insulated steel door or a compressed fiberglass door with a textured woodgrain finish, you are covered by a lifetime Limited Warranty against warping, cracking and delamination. Both doors offer five times the insulating value of wood doors. You can also personalize your entry system from a wide range of options such as fixed sidelites, transoms and attractive glass inserts.
Accurate Dorwin's Garden Door combines classic elegance with energy efficiency and safety. The Garden Door is, in fact, two doors. Both open outward with one walk through door and one screened, venting door that opens 25 degrees. The venting door is operated by a heavy-duty roto gear with a collapsible handle. Non-removable hinge pins and two sash locks on each door provide added safety. An adjustable sweep improves the seal between door and sill. All swinging door styles include full perimeter weather stripping to minimize air infiltration. The door panels, which are either steel or fiberglass with a polyurethane core, have five times more insulating properties than wood doors and come with insulated, tempered glass in a selection of glazing options. The low maintenance, pultruded fiberglass frame used in all of Accurate Dorwin's Doors is guaranteed not to warp, rot, twist, bow or dent and is more resistant to break-ins than conventional door frames. Injection-molded nylon corners ensure brickmold corners will always remain true while the polished brass ball bearing butt hinges provide a smooth operation.
Accurate Dorwin Traditional Terrace Doors provide high thermal performance and European style. Terrace doors have one fixed door panel and one walk-through door panel that is hinged in the middle. The Traditional Terrace Door includes a heavy-duty sliding screen with non-glare mesh mounted on adjustable ball bearing rollers for lasting use. All swinging door styles include full perimeter weather stripping to minimize air infiltration. The door panels, which are either steel or fiberglass with a polyurethane core, have five times more insulating properties than wood doors and come with insulated, tempered glass in a selection of glazing options. The low maintenance, pultruded fiberglass frame used in all of Accurate Dorwin's Doors is guaranteed not to warp, rot, twist, bow or dent and is more resistant to break-ins than conventional door frames. Injection-molded nylon corners ensure brickmold corners will always remain true while the polished brass ball bearing butt hinges provide a smooth operation.
The benefits of pultrude fiberglass frame technology are never more dramatically diplayed than in Accurate Dorwin's Sliding Patio Door
Large sheets of tempered glass seem to float through air, while ultra low profile pultruded fiberglass frames keep the glass stable and protected.
These remarkable door frames will not warp, bow, dent or rot, and the low profile provides the largest viewing area of any patio door around! It's magical.
Ultra Low profile Fiberglass Frames provide a strong, durable and energy saving protection for the large glass viewing area.
Adjustable Tandem Rollers allow the door to glide with little effort for a quiet, smooth operation.
Stainless Steel Track will not corrode, providing years of durable, trouble free operation.
Warm Edge Spacer Technology reduces condensation on the perimeter of the glass for easy maintenance.
Anti Lift Sash Technology prevents unwanted sash removal, for added safety and peace of mind.
One Piece Interlock provides a positive seal at the meet rail for greater energy efficiency and comfort.
Standard and Custom Sizing allows for all design needs to be met in a dynamic and cost efficient manner.