Are the Marvin units LowE coated?

The level of service one can expect from Marvin dealers varies from dealer to dealer. Marvin does not include labor in their warranty, so it's often up to the dealers to decide how much support they're willing to offer. It's unfortunate that you've been given the runaround; some Marvin dealers/distributors are more responsive. Pella and Andersen, the two other manufacturers you mentioned, both have service departments that make house calls. Enough on service.

As for the ice, I have lots of comments. It's unlikely that it's Marvin's fault. The problem usually lies with the glass system chosen for the given environmental conditions. I'm going to throw a lot of statistics at you to address your issues regarding ice buildup on your windows. Keep in mind that these stats are based on a worst-case scenario of 0 outside and 70° inside, which even in northern climates seldom occurs.

You mentioned that the Pella and Andersen products in your home do not have ice, but that the Marvin products do have ice. Your builder may not have used Low E glass in the Marvin products. I hope for your sake that they did use it. If not, your windows are more prone to condensation and ice.

Now for some stats. If Marvin windows, or any window for that matter, is double glazed clear insulating glass, the center-of-glass roomside temperature would be about 44-45°. (Incidentally, single pane windows with a storm window would be about the same) Adding a Low E coating to the glass bumps it up to about 52°, and Low E insulating glass with Argon gas raises the glass temperature to 57-58°. Not bad for 0° outside.

However, the edge-of-glass temperatures are much lower than center-of-glass. The type of spacer that separates the panes of glass greatly affects the edge temperature, and there are many different types of spacers. Naturally, condensation, and even ice, would normally occur at the edge first, since that's the cold "weak spot." Clear IG with an aluminum box spacer has an edge temp of only about 29°. ThatÂs the spacer that you probably have with your 1990s-vintage Marvins. Low E glass with an aluminum spacer only raises it to about 32°. So even with Low E glass, if you have an aluminum spacer you have a weak spot. Then there are "warm edge" spacers, which are warmer and provide more condensation resistance. Stainless steel spacers are about 37° edge temp on a Low E/argon unit (thatÂs primarily what Pella and Andersen use, and Marvin now uses it on most but not all of their windows), and presumably (don't have exact stats on this) Superspacer (mainly found in some brands of vinyl windows) would be at the top at about 39-40°. If you have PellaÂs Designer series with or without between-glass blinds, itÂs the highest possible at a whopping 52° edge temperature because itÂs triple glazed with one pane being a removable glazing panel. Again, warm edge spacers typically range from 35-39°, but still tend to max out in the upper 30°s. I'd say that if you have aluminum spacers between the glass and are getting ice buildup, you have a humidity level higher than what an aluminum spacer system can handle. If you had warm edge spacers or triple glazing (which you probably have in the Andersen/Pella products), you would be able to maintain a higher humidity level before ice/condensation would occur, but even then it would occur if the indoor humidity is high enough.

Now for the fun part. If you cover a Low E/Argon gas unit with some type of roomside window treatment (blind, shade, shutter, etc.) the center-of-glass temperature drops from about 57° to only 36°. That's an amazing 21° drop. I don't have any exact stats on what that does to the edge temperature, but I would imagine it must drop 5-15° as well. (Oberon, any data on that?) Even a couch or desk in front of a window will significantly reduce the glass temperature if the furniture is partially blocking part of the window.

Enough stats. Condensation, and worse yet, ice, can NOT occur unless two conditions are present at the same time: high humidity and cold temperatures. The cold temperatures on your windows could be due in part to concealed damage, missing or defective weatherstrip, poorly-fitting windows, faulty installation, or just because of cold winter weather. If you have cold weather but low humidity, condensation can not occur. Both have to be there. If you're experiencing ice buildup on your windows, you have too much humidity given the current outside temperature with the existing glass system that is in the home (assuming that the windows are properly installed and not defective in some way). IÂm guessing you have aluminum spacers on double glazed windows from Marvin. There are TWO basic solutions: raise the glass temperature or lower the humidity. That's it in a nutshell - those two things. More about those in a bit. First, I'd buy a digital hygrometer from Home Depot, Radioshack, a hardware store, etc. to measure the amount of humidity in the house (about $10-$29). You need to know that. Then I'd contact the Marvin dealer or their distributor to see if there is anyone that can come to the home to troubleshoot any obvious problems (it sounds like youÂve already tried that though). They can hopefully also provide you with a brochure on condensation that has recommended humidity levels for various outdoor temperatures. Most window manufacturers have one. You can even look online for window manufacturer's recommended humidity levels.

RAISE THE GLASS TEMPERATURE - There are many things that can be done to raise the glass temperature. For old existing windows, the best solution is often to replace them with modern, energy-efficient windows. Obviously that's not your ideal solution - you have a newer home with 17 year old windows. Another way to increase the glass temp is to upgrade to Low E glass, but let's hope you already have that. But there still ARE many ways to improve your situation. One that doesn't cost anything is to keep your window shades open during bitter cold spells (or have between-glass shades which wouldnÂt stop circulation in the room against the glass). Although you will avoid the huge temperature drop previously mentioned, privacy is compromised when shades are open or partially open, and it may help but not completely solve your problem because yours is so severe. Other ways to raise the glass temperature include taking out roomside casement screens during the winter, using free standing fans or ceiling fans to better circulate air against the glass, and adding a storm window (I hate to see that though - it shouldn't be necessary).

LOWER THE HUMIDITY - I haven't searched for any previous posts on reducing humidity, but if they exist could someone please post a link to that topic? One of the best solutions for a new home is to have an air-to-air heat exchange ventilator installed to the furnace. It's required by code I believe in Canada and some northern states now. It brings in the dry fresh air from the outside and exhausts the stale humid air - giving you healthy air to breathe and lowering the humidity to the desired level. New homes are built so much more airtight than older homes, so they often need mechanical help to get air exchanges. Older homes exchanged air by being drafty. Dehumidifiers will help too, but are not as effective, since they usually can't get the humidity low enough. Great for basements though. Other ways include running exhaust fans when showering (and leave them on for a while), or simply stop bathing ;-)

In summary, unless there is a defect with the windows (there probably isn't), condensation can and will occur under the proper conditions. Even ice can form if the humidity is high enough, the temperature is low enough, and other factors are in place such as restricted airflow to the glass. You need a humidity-measuring device to see if your humidity is too high. You might want to contact the Marvin dealer again. And ultimately somebody has to address raising the glass temperature or lowering the humidity. Let us know what happens, please!

What Marvin window did you get installed

15-year-old thread, and even when the OP posted in 2007, the windows were already 17 years old. So they were living with these for 17 years before posting about them, hmm. Plus, it is clearly a bad installation issue.

No Marvin/ Warranty are crap 2023 Marvin Elvate turned into Marvin DESCEND just within 80 days 7 windows 1 patio door huge cracks and or flaking on all fiberglass exteriors. Drafty. Yellowing white interior factory fiish. Vendor took almost a year to come out and patch and ignore drafty and flaking. They claim I approved all work done and that I have to find My own Pro Painter get a quote for interior have them approve and then get windows painted. Installer Alexander Company Burlingame CA just putting all blame on product they don't care they got paid.