I ran across some windows at a few homes that seem to have these tabs on the edges of the frames. What window is this? I didn’t think much of it until I was asked to quote a home and the whole house had this style.
What is the purpose of these tabs? There are a dozen or so per window
Pella Pro Line interior storms.
You can remove the entire inside pane to clean in between.
20% of the time they come out and go back in easily.
80% of the time they are a nightmare.
Don’t use a scraper or anything abrasive between the panes.
We stopped taking them apart years ago. Pella settled a class action lawsuit back in 2014 because these windows are trash. If you do take them apart, make sure the customer agrees that they are responsible for any breakage, as Pella is uncooperative in replacing glass from these windows and it is a specific type of glass with a slightly tinted hard coat in between
I’m glad I saw this; we just bid a building full of these.
Now I have some calls to make.
Oh!
Was the purpose of taking them out just to clean in between?
Pella also calls them (the internal storm pane) an “insert”. In this example it is a “1st generation insert”. Pella says they need removed every 5 - 7 years but I have seen that range from 2 -10 years. They need cleaned internally when they appear foggy but "foggy’ is subjective. One customer might want them cleaned every so many years whether they need it or not. I use a tripod to clean them on. I charge a minimum of $8 additional for every insert I clean. So I charge $16 additional for a double hung window. After you clean the insert, I find it best to leave it out so that it can fully dry before re-installing it. Otherwise, condensation may develop (esp if it is cooler outside).
Since you are obviously in Pella sales territory, they now have “2nd generation” inserts where the insert is on a hinge. They are equally challenging but in a different way. Be certain to charge more for these as well.
For better or worse, I have a high percentage of Pella windows in my area (N.E. Ohio) and had to learn to clean them. They are challenging at best since there are four surfaces to clean. Take your time.
Cheers!
Those Pellas are extra work. If you have a per pane charge (you should) then there are 4 pane surfaces to clean. I simply set an inside outside charge (2 pane surfaces) then double it for these windows. Many times they have not been removed in years so the gasket around the insert pane may be a bit sticky, be careful as you don’t want to crack a pane. A putty knife helps with this issue. Dry thoroughly before reinstalling.
Yeah, at you’ll probably end up wanting to bid those for AT LEAST 5x your normal rate. If they’ve never been removed, then you might want to skip the job. Also, even if they come out easy, you’ll still have a hard time getting those blades back in.
Those can be fun on the fingertips.
a screwdriver handle is a wonderful thing, for unlatching and latching each one back in place
it’s so beat up after a job and you think wow, that woulda been my fingertips lol
And, as for removing them, the aforementioned stickiness makes for another issue. I’ve had to use a leatherman to pull the panes out by grabbing the clips with it but there’s more flex than you want when they’re really stuck. Now I’ll just communicate that if I think they’re too stuck then we’re not gonna try to force anything.
I don’t do them anymore but when I did, I used a brass squeegee handle with the channel holder removed to loosen the clips, and a glass suction cup to remove and handle the entire pane.
Walk away or price 5 times your usual cost.
Well, we came to an agreement: Clean the window like it isn’t a Pella. I didn’t want to break those frames and she didn’t want to pay tons of money. I could tell that someone left some smudge marks on the insides of the set in a few areas, and even made scratches on several others.
I was able to get into a flow with those tabs while using the Moerman end clips. The skinny frames were the best in terms of flow, just one pull. The owner was pleased that they can see the mountain once again!
Why in the world would Pella put a sticker in the corner that you have to detail around???
I often wonder why window manufacturers make a lot of the choices they do. Unintuitive design, poor manufacturing, inferior materials.
Although storms are definitely not my favorite, at the least old triple track, descending width style windows can be removed in a logical order.
When a window cleaner, who sees and handles thousands of windows a year, has to sit and think about how a window comes apart? The design is flawed from the start; could strangle the ‘genius’ who thinks some of these things up, your pella sticker included. @pristineviewcleaners
Pella’s Satan Edition Window
Guarenteed make sure your window cleaner has one H3LL’AVA day!
Run… LOL.
These are fun to clean…LOL. You have to release all the tabs, and pull the window out that is between it. For every single window. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like these weigh 100 pounds (Most are very lightweight…few pounds) but as someone stated above-- the tabs don’t always go back…ESPECIALLY if they are older windows. I’ve only done 2-3 homes with these, but I remember those jobs for a reason lol.
Ah Pella inserts. Bane of my existence. I use plyers and gently pull the clips, like peeling a banana. Don’t forget some inserts have ‘low E’ coating inside, really makes it grabby and darn near impossible to s-turn.
You really have to smash the window frame in to get some clips to engage.
BTW, when I first started we did a doctor’s house dating to 1928, and he had the original Pellas in it. It’s my understanding they were the ‘original’ thermal windows before they figured it out.
