When Is the Best Time of Year to Replace Windows

Most people expect a window installation to start the day the crew shows up. Often the order date and the weather settle it weeks earlier. In San Bernardino, CA, the breakdown sitting on window installation san bernardino claudio corallo chocolate lists those timing factors in order, from lead time to wind to surface heat.

Lead time comes first

Custom units take several weeks to arrive after the order is placed. A double hung in an odd size, a casement pair, or a large picture window with insulated glass is built to the measurements taken at the site. Scheduling therefore begins well before the date the homeowner has in mind. That holds for houses in Redlands, Loma Linda, Muscoy and anywhere else in San Bernardino County.

Temperature and cure

Sealant and adhesive makers print an application temperature range on the tube or the data sheet. Outside that range, curing slows or changes. Heat is the other side of it. On a very hot surface, some sealants skin over fast, and that cuts the working time for tooling a clean joint. A south wall in full afternoon sun is a poor place to run a bead on a vinyl window frame. The same wall at nine in the morning is a different job.

Wind and dust

Santa Ana events bring strong, gusty wind, and that makes carrying and setting large glass units hazardous. A big slider or picture window catches wind like a sail, and a gust can twist it out of the hands of two people. Crews hold those units back until the air settles. Wind blown dust is the quieter problem. It settles into fresh sealant and onto flashing tape, and a dirty surface weakens adhesion. Tape and sealant go on clean, or they get wiped and redone.

One opening at a time

The usual method is to remove and replace one opening at a time. The old sash comes out, the new unit is set, flashed and sealed, and then the crew moves to the next wall. Each part of the house is open to the weather only briefly. A rain day usually means the schedule shifts, with the crew shortening the day or moving to a covered opening. It does not mean the work is ruined.

Choosing the season

Milder spring and fall weather in the inland valley often gives the most comfortable conditions for both crews and occupants. Temperatures sit inside most sealant ranges, and the house is easier to live in with a few openings exposed. Summer and winter jobs still get done. They call for earlier start times in the heat, a closer look at the forecast, and a willingness to hold a large unit for a calmer morning.