malcbuddy

Are you kidding?

I could not wait to rip the damn things out. Ugly, noisy, drafty, dirty triple tracks? In case you did not notice, on an old settling house, the triple track storms once out of square don't work, are impossible with an air conditioner, leak air and water like a sieve, and don't insulate worth a hoot, and are hard to clean (read never get cleaned) I know, I have owned 3 houses with them since 1976.

Shrink wrap plastic on the inside is more efficient, which does not say much.

As for the old wood windows, by the time you get by the deteriorated wood, lead paint abatement, and replacement of operating and sliding mechanisms, you are at least 2/3 of the way to a Marvin or Bilt Best replacement, so why bother?

You like condensation, drafts, lead dust, stuck windows, broken sash cords, standing on ladders to clean the outside, wiping those silly little panes, and scraping and repainting every 5 years?

When these old windows stick, the nearest dumkopf is ready with a hammer (or shoe) to help it along-----another *%$# repair!

If you are on the historic register and want to pour energy and money down the drain every winter in pursuit of your romantic dream of a connection to history (just get over it, will you?) so be it. (Actually, I no longer think that energy wasting should be a personal choice, as we are sending men and women to die to protect our oil supply, and that little issue about carbon and exploiting the world's resources---maybe we should outlaw these old windows along with the Humvees?)

Oh, and by the way, you are all correct about the plastic replacements----5 year life span at best. Waste of money because they are overpriced. Don't bother with these either.