Vinyl Windows and Doors FAQs

Why do you have three catalogs?

Because our product line is so extensive we were confusing our customers with a massive catalog. For example, we manufacture a 4 9/16 single hung which we designate with the series number 5610. That base window can be upgraded to reach a design pressure (DP) of 65DP, but in order to do so we install a more sturdy latch housing, reinforce the sashes with aluminum and install an aluminum sill tower that has a higher water dam height. We designate this upgrade as the 5665 Series window. To further complicate matters, when you add laminated glass to this product and further beef up the latch with yet another heavier latch we designate the product as the 5680 Series window. Most customers do not want the 5680 pricing and details in their catalog.

Another complication is the fact the the replacement industry typically prices by the "united inch" (UI) whereas the new construction industry prices by discrete sizes. For these reasons we have created three different catalogs: Southern Rose windows for new construction, Sienna for window replacement and WindStrong for high performance and impact product.

FYI, there is overlap in the catalogs, e.g., you will find the 5610 in both the Southern Rose and the Sienna catalog. The main difference will be the means by which the project is priced, i.e., UI (Sienna) or discrete sizing (Southern Rose)

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Is Low-e glass worth the cost?

The short answer is assuming 15 windows per house there is a $191.70 savings per year for Low-e over clear glass. This figure is subject to many variables such as the average outside temperature and the average temperature inside your home. Having said such a bold statement(and it is bold because of the many variables involved), Low-e probably pays back in one year and besides that, it unequivocally reduces the demand on the power grid and saves on carbon emissions.

Low-E is a very good product and really should be considered when you purchase windows whether or not you elect to buy our windows.

For a detailed analysis which supports this statement click performance calculation. Be prepared for a rather tech-ish PDF document when you click on the link.

Before you click on the link put on your geek glasses, insert your pocket protector, and put your phasors on "stun".

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How many years of window experience does MGM's management team have?

Answer: Over 500 years!! "And counting......" Name •Abe Gaskins •Zeke Gaskins •Joe Gaskins •Rick Hobdy •Lisa Dill •Stephen Prather •Mary England •Mary Blankenship •Randy Graves David Robinson •Mike Horton •Caleb Morris •Brenda Marvin •Tony Graves •Jose Bassual •James Beasley •Keith Barret Jermemy Hobdy •Ryan Blankenship •Rodney Nickols •Michelle Moore •Donnie Gammons •Darren Nutter •Dan Stuart •Jerry Roberts •John Mackorell •Joey Digiuseppe Managers: Office and Engineering: Plant Employees: Extrusion: Truck drivers: Total years: Year 1985 1983 1992 1970 1996 2002 1971 1973 1979 1983 2006 1994 1973 2000 1973 2000 2007 1994 1999 1966 2010 1997 1979 2004 2005 # years 27 29 20 42 16 10 41 39 33 3 30 6 18 39 12 39 .03 12 5 18 13 46 2 15 33 8 7 548+ years 125 years 2853 years 167 years 52 years 3385 years Team members job description President (1/3 owner-eldest) V.P. Manufacturing (1/3 Owner-middle) V.P. Sales (1/3 Owner-youngest) Chief of Manufacturing Office Manager I.T. Director Transporation Manager Scheduling Manager Sales Engineering and Service Purchasing Salesman Salesman 4710 Supervisor 4600/7010/4010 Supervisor 8010 Supervisor 6010 Supervisor Shapes Supervisor Swing Door Supervisor Paint Supervisor 5010 Supervisor Insulated Glass Supervisor Materials Supervisor Electrical Engineer/Maintenance Sup Shipping Manager Quality Control Process Improvement (extrusion) Extrusion General Manager

It is our contention that we are sufficiently fossilized to meet your fenestration needs?
If you can find a better window--BUY IT!!!!!

Is MGM green?

Well I bet you know the answer your going to receive before you read it. Everyone claims to be green. Do you really think we are not going to join the latest buzz word craze? Of course we are green, What a silly question. Shame on you for asking. Truth be told, we really are green.

You asked me a question, so now I will ask you:"Did you know that uPVC can be recycled?" Answer: Yes.

Did you also know that the companies that supply uPVC for the window and door industry design their "compound" (a term we use in the industry) to be recycled at least five times? It's true, they do. There are waxes and impact modifiers that are put in the compound so that the uPVC can to be processed through an extruder at least five times. The limiting factor towards recyclablity is the ingredients that diminish over each extrusion cycle (i.e., the waxes and impact modifiers). Because there are five times as many of these processing agents then that which is needed to carry the uPVC through the extrusion process, a prudent thing to do is to mix virgin with recycled material which replenishes the pre-processed material (PPM as we like to call it) with those ingredients necessary to process the uPVC through the extruder; which means, if one prudently recycles, then uPVC can be recycled indefinitely if PPM is mixed with virgin material.

(As a side note, those waxes and other ingredients do nothing for the long-term weatherablity of the product and are only there as a processing aid during the manufacturing process.) uPVC is a "thermoplastic" which means it can be reused over and over again (google thermoplastic, I dare you--your right there at your computer--go ahead do the research: we've done it also. Only we started the research process over ten years ago). The key to recycling is monitoring the recovery process. At MGM we inspect every recycled piece of recycled uPVC by hand and visually check for impurities such as silicone (which is used to glaze the glass in the window), black flex, aluminum and anything else that would create an inferior finished window.

All the uPVC that is not A-Number-one quality is sold off to other recyclers to be used in PVC pipe, fencing and other products. 99% of our "scrap" uPVC never sees a landfill.

If you did not know by now, we extrude our own profile. Consequently, we control our destiny in terms of cost and quality. Which brings me to another question: "Did you know that recycled uPVC is better than virgin uPVC?" This is also true and the reason is that the virgin material may, on rare occasions, not fully plasticize in the extruder. When this happens the finished product will not have adequate impact strength. Do you know what the remedy for poor impact as a result of poor plasticization? Answer: recycle it!!

There you have it. We are green because we recycle all of our internally created "scrap", as you might incorrectly call it. We also buy end-cuts from other window companies because we know the value of the product;it saves us costs; it reduces carbon emissions and it reduces the load on public and private land fills, and it is socially responsible. We have been recycling uPVC since we began extruding ten years ago. As an average: at least twenty percent of our finished uPVC is recycled--better then virgin--material.

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I read your answer to the recyclablity of uPVC, is fiberglass recyclable?

As stated in the previous question, uPVC is a thermoplastic which is an engineering term which simply means that it is recyclable. It just has to be managed correctly to get a top notch finished product.

Fiberglass is a thermosetting plastic. That's right, fiberglass is a plastic which has a glass woven cloth embedded in it. The plastic is an epoxy resin that is made up of engineered polymers. And being a thermosetting product (google thermoset and find out what it really means) it is not recyclable. Many of the major window companies will not tell you this: but that "green" product called fiberglass, really is not that "green" because it is a difficult product to recycle. It is, as a side note however, a very viable product. It is dimensionally stable and it's product life cycle is very long. UV light will degrade the resin in the product and must be protected, consequently the product must be painted. This is why all fiberglass product comes pre-finished with paint from the factory. It's not painted because it is premium product. It's painted because, without the paint, fsssst!--It's gone...(just having a little fun at the expense of fiberglass.)

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What does design pressure (DP) mean?

The window industry has adopted certain standards and one of those standards is the concept of design pressure. Windows have to be designed for different applications, example questions such as: Is it a high rise over 6 stories? Does the job need to comply with coastal codes? Is the job for Federal Housing? This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but merely as sample of the questions. Coastal applications require a Design pressure of 50DP. This means that the window must withstand a 171 MPH wind load without breaking. Moreover, the 50DP rating must withstand a 54 MPH blowing rain without leaking. To see the AAMA standard design pressure table click wind load chart

In order to specify the correct product, we need to know the application in order to specify the correct product for your application. Once we know know the application that the job, then we can run the specifications across our sales engineering staff and get the right window for your specific application.

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What's the difference between
the 5610, the 5665 and the 5680 Series windows?

All of these series numbers use the 5610 series as the platform product. In both the 5665 and 5680, the interior of the sash have aluminum reinforcement. Both the 5665 and the 5680 have the same aluminum sill tower placed in the sill which will give a higher "water dam" height, which allows us to test the window to higher wind loads before the window begins leaking. The 5610 will withstand water blowing against the window up to 42 MPH before water will "creep" over the sill tower. Because the 5665 and 5680 have a higher sill tower, both of these series will withstand a blowing rain up to 62 MPH before water will begin to creep over the sill tower.

The 5610 has a flush mounted latch on the top and bottom sash. The 5665 has a surface mounting latch on the bottom sash and a flush mounted latch on the top sash. The 5680 has an even stronger surface mounted latch than the 5665 to withstand the high impact loads.

The 5680 also has laminated glass with a 0.090 inch interlayer sandwiched between two pieces of double strength (DSB) glass which is required in order to handle the stresses of a major hurricane.

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Do you have any information on:
"How to measure for replacement windows"?

To print a worksheet and an explanation on how to measure for replacement windows click here:Replacement Window Measurement

To print out a drawing showing how a typical "shop built" wood window is made and a description on how to remove the sashes and jamb liners so that you can replace the windows click: Window Removal

And finally for a detailed description on the proper way to install our 4600 Series or 4010 Series replacement window in a "shop built" application, click here: Window Installation

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Why do my wood windows rot"?

Reasons for wood to rot in windows:
Let’s discuss the above points.

Wood used today is not old growth wood.

Trees used today to make windows are typically planted and harvested in a short period of time in, for lack of a better term: tree farms. Trees are grown in these farms and spaced so that they will grow at maximum speed. As a result of growing so quickly, the tree is not as dense and hard as those trees that have a chance to mature and age.

The wood is spiced together by “finger joint” techniques.

The preservatives used to treat the wood are not as toxic.

EPA regulations have made the preservatives used to prevent wood from rotting much less effective. The toxins used in the past to preserve wood were toxic to microbial life that exists in nature to decay wood. The problem is that these preservatives were also toxic to humans. As the EPA has regulated these chemicals out of the paints and preservatives, there has been an accelerated rate of rot in modern day wood windows.

The paints are not as toxic to microbial life.

Paints have been improved in many ways to be more durable, but in the process of the development of today’s high performance paints, they have been subject to many EPA concerns. As a result, paints do not, in many instances deter microbial life like they once did. Lead has been removed for the betterment of society, but one of the consequences to that wood rots more quickly and has to be painted more often.

The windows are not painted until a few weeks or days after installation.

Unfortunately in today’s fast paced building techniques, many builders will wait until the later stages of the construction process to paint the windows that were installed in the home. If the weather resulted in rain on the unpainted windows, then it is a fact that the windows will have absorbed moisture. And this moisture will cause the paint to not adhere correctly and can cause the paint to rupture later as a result of the pressure that the moisture can create under the paint. This will result in blistering and more wood exposure to the elements, hence further rot and decay.

The manufacturing techniques are sloppy.

Quite simply many of the windows that were built in 1970’s and later were made in companies whose focus was not in building a quality product. Learn more about our philosophy on window and door quality

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If I really want wood windows, what design should I look for?

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Who owns MGM Industries?

MGM Industries is a second generation business. The company was started by Gene and Marshall Gaskins in 1965. Marshall's sons now own the business while Marshall attends to more important bass, crappie and walleye fishing duties, which he did as a kid growing up in Southeast Missouri(Campbell, MO). Abe Gaskins (53 years young) is a Mechanical Engineer graduating from Vanderbilt in 1980, Zeke Gaskins (52)graduated in Accounting from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1981 and Joe Gaskins (51)graduated in Business from David Lipcomb University in 1982. FYI, the brothers are 11 months apart (poor MOM). All three are active in the business on a daily basis and collectively have over 75 years in the window business.
The company has a team of supervisors, engineers, tool makers, customer service personnel, computer I.T. people, outside salespersons and a great bunch of to serve your window product needs.

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Why should I buy MGM Industries brand windows?

Everybody claims to be "the best", but who really is? There are a lot of good companies out there manufacturing windows. Some are good manufacturers but have no real engineering talent to work on future needs. Some are fantastic at promotion, but really do not have any expertise at the craft of manufacturing, some are just plain bad at what they do. At MGM we know how to produce a quality product. We take pride in that which we do.

We are positioning ourselves for the future. We've been extruding our own extruded lineals since 1999; we have our own in-house test wall so that we can quickly test for new job specifications for which a code's administer, or Architect, or builder might need. We use this test wall to constantly make our product better. We've been in business for 40 years; we've had consistent and ever seasoned management; we have a passion for the business; we want each order to be manufactured to the best standards (we exceed many of the standards set by AAMA.); we simply care about the customer and the end-user; we are financially stable and will be here after the "great recession" is over; we continue to plow cash flow into the business, over the last ten years we have had a capital budget well in excess of $750,000 each and every year. Need there be more? Are we the best? That's for the customer to decide. As I write this, as one of the owners of MGM and President of MGM (Abe), I'll simply say: "This is our business, sometimes we stubble--but we will always strive to succeed and strive to make a better product now and in the future." I like Lee Iacocca's statement and I will use it and apply it to our business: "If you can find a better swing door, then buy it! If you can find a better sliding patio door, then buy it! If you can find a better casement, then buy it! If you can find a better replacement window, then buy it! If you can find a better window then our 6010 single hung for your next project, then buy it! If you can find a better window then our 5610 single hung or our 8010 double hung--which we contend is better then a clad wood window, then buy it."

Ok, so really, are we the best: we think so. I can tell you that nobody tries harder than our team, and that's an absolute fact!!

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Are the three brothers more like
the "Three Stooges" or the "Three Amigo's"?

DUH,That depends on the employee or customer you ask! The follow-up question might be, or should be: which one is named Darrel and which other one is also named Darrel? (We try to have a little fun while we are also finding a way to service your needs. Feel free to stop by and get a free cup of coffee, it's on us, straight out of our vending machine. We'll spring for the quarter. Seriously, we are proud of our company and would love to show your our facility. Just give us a shout and when you come on in, we'll tell you which one is Darrel.

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What causes condensation on my windows?

The short answer is that the glass surface of any window is typically the coldest point in the house. If the relative humidity is high in a house, then this is the place where moisture will develop. (Technically the air is cooled below the dew point and the moisture collects on the coldest surface. This is why a glass of ice tea sweats in the summer as well as the winter.) Anyway, old drafty windows let cold, dry air through the interface between the sashes and the mainframe of the window. If the inside of the house is very humid, this cold, dry air will "wick" moisture from the windows as it passes over the glass. So the old windows are a double edged sword--you need the old drafty windows to leak air to perform this "wicking action". However, the rub is that your house will be cold--AND DRAFTY! As an example of this, hold your hand next to an old window and you will notice a draft, which is the air moving across the glass surface.

One of the issues created by very efficient, air-tight windows is that it eliminates this draft, which can result in condensation on the glass. Learn more about window condensation.

Why do you have a picture of an eagle in the gallery section?

Because the eagle is a symbol of America, a symbol of strength, a symbol of honor and besides that: it's way cool!! Visit our vinyl window and door Project Gallery to see what we mean!

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