what are you asking?

Which marvin glass combination is best for this climate in a ultimate double hung g2?

Picking the right glass pack can be tricky . Cardinal 272 on surface 2 is a pretty good all around glass pack for dual pane. Sunrooms and west facing windows may benefit from there 366 glass.

+1 to Todd's and Oberon's feedback. Depends on how the house is oriented, built, thermal mass, and a whole host of other questions...but Low-e 272 from Cardinal is a solid blend of a performance criteria that meats most applications.

Is there a nonconductive spacer option available?

We spec'd our windows with different SHGC and U values depending on which side f the house they were on.

We baseline specify everything here in 366 (California). I highly recommend it for west facing windows.

366 would be nice for the summer but not in the winter. We do have overhangs on most west windows.

Does marvin use Cardinal glass?

Can u get any Cardinal glass in a marvin window? I would like solar heating in the winter and try to keep the u- values low for the winter.

Has anyone spec. Triple pane? What was the extra cost?

I didn't see an option for a warm edge spacer for marvins but i could of missed it.

“Cardinal 272 on surface 2 is a pretty good all around glass pack for dual pane. Sunrooms and west facing windows may benefit from there 366 glass.”

I agree with the first sentence, but not with the second sentence for this OP. She says she is located in central MN. LowE 366 is overkill, not necessary in that latitude even for sunrooms and west facing windows, and the homeowner is risking a green tint to the windows with 366-level coating. Get the LowE-272. The dealer didn’t mention it because LowE-272 comes standard with the Marvin windows (and all the windows from large manufacturers), and the non-standard LowE-366 is not needed in MN.

“Does marvin use Cardinal glass?”

Cardinal glass is used by all the large manufacturers like Marvin, Andersen, Kolbe, and Pella.

“Has anyone spec. Triple pane? What was the extra cost?”

Triple pane glass is an upcharge, but we can’t tell you what the upcharge is - too many variables like which line of Marvin windows are you getting, are they casements, double-hung, or what, and what sizes. You need to get a few quotes from different contractors, or, if you are only working with your builder of your new build, get the quote for the difference with triple-pane from him.

Remember, the quality of the installation is as important, and maybe more important than the windows themselves.

I didn't see an option for a warm edge spacer for marvins but i could of missed it.

Stainless steel XL has been Cardinal's primary spacer since 1992, until Cardinal introduced the Stainless Endur a couple years ago. Both are warm-edge spacers that were designed to last for a very long time in an IG system. The biggest change from XL to Endur was warm-edge performance, with the Endur improving edge temperature performance by about 1.5 degrees versus the XL.

To compare, the most commonly used non-metallic spacer on the market is superspacer. Superspacer is actually available in five different variations, depending on application. The Endur stainless steel metal spacer is actually warmer than two of the nonmetal superspacer versions, and is .8 (8/10's) of a degree cooler than the best performing superspacer variant.

I know that Marvin has transitioned to the Endur, but I don't know if it's 100% or if its specific to certain products. I don't have a lot of confidence that your dealer (based on what you have said so far) would know the difference...but you can ask and see what he says.

Has anyone spec. Triple pane?

If you end up ordering triple pane units, then there is basically no appreciable edge temperature difference between the different warm-edge spacer systems. Even aluminum isn't half bad in a triple pane configuration.

If you are seriously considering triple pane, and you have decent overhangs on your south-side, then I would suggest that you consider using LoE-180 on surface 3 and I89 on surface 6 of the IG units.

Some people have understandably expressed concern about using I89 on surface 4 of a dual pane IGU due to the potential for lowered condensation resistance when using I89, but when installing a triple pane the concerns about potential condensation resistance problems are substantially lessened to the point of almost no concern at all.

The combination of LoE-180 and I89 will give you both excellent high solar heat gain and U factor numbers, if that is what you are looking for. If you are installing triple pane, then for your other windows, I would suggest a combination of 272 on surface 2 and 180 on surface 5 for the best combination of U-factor, SHGC, and especially maximum visible light transmission in that application.

Thanks. That is some great info.

I will get a quote on triple pain but the marvins are at the top of our budget so its probably not going to happen.

If i only picked the windows in our living room and sun room would a person notice a difference in indoor comfort in those rooms?

That's a tough question to answer with a yes or no because of all the potential variables involved, especially in a new build when you have nothing to compare it with.

But as an example I grew up in minnesota and now live in northwestern wisconsin. My current house has triples (that I specifically spec'd) and i wouldn't change them out for anything.

Seeing temps at an below -20's and I have never seen one drop of moisture on any of these windows (except bathroom windows following a shower) and we don't take any extra steps to control indoor humidity during the winter.

condensation on wood windows can be a an issue.