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Windows can play a key role in beautifying your house and overall appeal of the architecture. The importance of windows in homes cannot be stressed enough. In addition to increasing the aesthetic appearance of your humble abode, it is also a vital source of ventilation and light.

Installing new windows in place of the old ones is a very exciting prospect. The challenge is to find the best-suited window for your house based on your design and weather conditions. The jalousie windows have been long associated with Hawaii and with good reason. It has been a part of their heritage. Providing 93% of ventilation from the trade winds, they can be adjusted in different positions to suit your needs. Depending on the blade, they can offer total blackout, partial or a clear view. Hawaii has a beautiful climate throughout the year and with the trade winds it naturally gets, they are the best sources of ventilation at inexpensive rates.

In this article, we will examine the pros and cons of jalousie windows which have been popular as home windows in Hawaii and examine its better alternatives.

Types of Jalousie Windows

There are many types of Jalousie windows. You can select different colors which suits your housing color scheme.

Depending on your particular requirement for home windows in Hawaii, these are the following materials you can choose from:

• Vinyl
• Aluminum
• Acrylic
• Conventional wood

  Application

The strength of jalousie windows is its ability to maximize ventilation by air to enter through the window area. Due to mass production and low-cost manufacturing, they were quickly adopted by homes in Hawaii, Florida and southern California. As home windows in Hawaii, their disadvantages outnumber its benefits.

Functioning of Louver Windows

The jalousie windows are ideal for ventilation, allowing air to pass freely while keeping out the unneeded elements such as debris, dirt and water out. There are a set number of fixed blades that are attached to a frame.

Are Jalousie and Louver Windows Different?

Among the Hawaiian residents, louver and jalousie windows are considered as one and the same. But there is a key difference between both, which sets them apart. In the case of louver windows, they have fixed slats that are immovable. However, the jalousie windows have movable slats that are parallel to each other.

So, the next time you choose home windows in Hawaii for home improvement purposes, keep in mind that there are key differences between both.

Jalousie Windows are Unideal in Hawaii

As home windows in Hawaii, the jalousie windows are exceptional for ventilating your house throughout the year. However, they provide less security in comparison to glass pane windows. Even though the modern jalousie windows have mechanical clips and levels, the gaps still allow rainwater to enter during heavy storms.

To prevent rain and leakage, the manufacturers have installed weather stripping on every blade as well as individual grooves. This does disallow rainwater to enter and cause damage, the sliding glass windows offer better security in comparison. The double pane hung windows and sliding glass windows both provide tremendous security against heavy rains which is commonplace in Hawaii. Apart from that, they also provide better insulation, cooler temperature and lower energy bills.

Easy Points of Entry

Apart from that, there are other faults that Hawaiians have found with these windows. When the aluminum clip jalousies are closed, they are not tight enough and easily allow dirt, dust and water to enter the room. Similarly, when air-conditioner is operating during summer days, the cool air seeps through the cracks just as easily. This also exposes the hardware which starts to deteriorate due to salty environment. The blades tend to fall out, leading to theft and property damage.

Surging Repairing Costs

On the repair front, the jalousie windows are the easiest to repair. As is the case with many window types, an entire window replacement is needed due to any smaller issue. But in the case of a jalousie window, one or two panel/slat can be easily replaced without changing the entire frame or window.

In addition to that, the mechanism that opens and closes these slats is easy to repair and work with. On the downside, due to the weather conditions prevalent in Hawaii, these repairs are required more than often. Due to this reason, their constant repairing is bit of a hassle compared to its alternatives. This makes jalousies highly inefficient as home windows in Hawaii.

Helpless Against External Conditions

As is widely known among the homeowners, wooden home windows in Hawaii are a big no-no. They are not only vulnerable to air pressure, but they are equally weak against speedy decay due to wetness and insects. The biggest threat to wooden windows is heat and swelling due to moisture which affects its original state.

The manufacturers of Jalousie windows have now shifted to aluminum and glass variants due to the downright disadvantages of wood in Hawaiian weather. This has greatly assisted in improving the durability of these windows, but their vulnerability to heavy storms and less security in comparison to single and double pane windows make it unideal as home windows in Hawaii.

The windows in Hawaii need to withstand the effects of salty air and rainwater throughout the year. Due to this reason, their maintenance is an added cost and a reason for deterrence by homeowners. This does not mean that wooden windows are unideal, but it means that they are highly inadvisable for Hawaiian weather.

Where Do We Come In?

Are you browsing for home windows in Hawaii that fully suit your needs? Then look no further. The team of Sunburst Windows Hawaii is excited to assist you and guide you through this process. Be it upgrades, replacements or repairs, you will be completely satisfied with our suite of services.

Feel free to call us for a free estimate or an in-home consultation. You can also call us at 808-650-2287 and one of our representatives will be in touch with you immediately.