Windows and soy foam, closed cell insulation
I am working on a project in NW, CT, the coldest part of the state. The building is concrete and steel. built in the 70’s. It was used to weave fabric and we are re-purposing the structure into a live/work home enterprise. (it will be a ‘loft in the country”), slightly less than 5,000 square feet, south-facing.
Any information/experience regarding
Accurate Dorwin windows (3pl glazed)
or
European Architectural Supply-USA
they sell Schuco, German 3pl glazed windows
Also, anyone have any experience with the closed cell, soy foam spray insulation??
I am concerned abut off gassing and, of course, making the right choice of windows.
It’s between these 2 manufacturers.
Comments, anyone??
Thank you in advance
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Replies
Gary,
I can't comment on your window options but as far as spray foam goes, there is no such thing as a 100% soy spray foam. All spray foam is polyurethane which will have at the most a 25 to 30 percent agricultural content, which may be castor, soy or some other such component. Don't let that keep you from using spray foam which is the right choice for your project. Find a good contractor and let them use the supplier of their choice.
Good luck - yours sounds like a very interesting project.
Gary,
Either window manufacturer should be able to supply high quality windows. Be sure to specify high-SHGC glazing for all south-facing (and probably all east-facing) windows.
European Architectural Supply windows are mentioned in these two articles:
Passivhaus Windows
A Roundup of New Green Building Products
If you search the GBA site for "Accurate Dorwin," you will find many articles and Q&A threads to read.
After months of research I decided upon Accurate Dorwin over Thermotech and Inline for my triple-glazed windows. While Thermotech has better performance numbers I couldn't justify their substantially higher cost. Inline's glazing performance is slightly less than Accurate's and their frame profiles are slightly thicker--a downside for me, though they are competitive price-wise. A very important factor in my decision was the fact that Accurate uses the foam Super Spacer instead of metal spacers between the glazing that Inline uses. Not only is the Super Spacer much less conductive, but it also is supposed to help retain the gas fill considerably longer.
The Accurate salesman I worked with, Corey Lowen, was very patient as I asked him to revise his quote several times due to an evolving design. In the end he delivered a very competitive price. Even the driver who delivered the windows (on time!) was incredibly nice. My only complaint across the board is that the Canadian suppliers I contacted for pricing were extremely slow to respond--maybe just a cultural difference, but I found it consistent and puzzling. In the end though, I find myself returning to Canadian suppliers for their often superior products.
I hope this helps!