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Windows A-Z
When
replacing the windows in your home, you may be faced with a number of
terms and phrases that are unfamiliar. Nobody should make you feel
uncomfortable by using language that leaves you wondering what they
mean.
Here are some terms that you should be familiar with...
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Air Chambers - Small honeycomb spaces within the sash and
frame which help to insulate and strengthen the window.
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• Air Infiltration - The amount of air that passes between
a window sash and frame. In windows it is measured in terms
of cubic feet or air per minute, per square foot of area.
The lower the number, the less air the window lets pass through.
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• Argon Gas - An odourless, colourless, tasteless, non-toxic
gas, which is six times more dense than air. It is used to
replace air between the glass panes to reduce temperature
transfer.
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• Awning Window - A top-hinged window that swings outward
for ventilation.
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• Balance covers - Covers the balance cavity holding the coil-spring
balance system inside the jamb
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• Balance System - Device for holding vertically sliding sash
in any desired position through the use of a spring or weight
to counterbalance the weight of the sash.
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• Bay Window - An angled combination of three windows that
project out from the wall of the home. The windows are commonly
joined at 30- or 45-degree angles.
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• Bow Window - An angled combination of windows in 3-, 4-
or 5-lite configurations. The windows are attached at 10-degree
angles to project a more circular, arced appearance.
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• Butyl - A rubber material that seals the glass to the spacer,
creating an airtight and watertight IG unit. Butyl has the
lowest gas permeability of all rubbers.
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• Cam Lock and Keeper - The mechanisms that pull the sash
together when placed in the locked position.
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• Casement Window - A window with a side-hinged sash that
opens outward for ventilation.
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• Centre of Glass U - and R-values - The U- and R-values measured
from the centre of the glass to 2-1/2" from the frame.
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• Condensation Resistance Factor - A measure of the effectiveness
of a window or glazing system to reduce the potential for
condensation. The higher the condensation resistance factor,
the more efficient the window and glazing system.
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• Conduction - Energy transfer from one material to another
by direct contact.
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• Convection - Heat transfer by currents that flow from a
warm surface to a colder one.
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• Dead-air space - The space between the panes of glass of
an I.G. Unit.
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• Desiccant - A material used in insulating glass to absorb
water vapor which causes fogging.
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• Double Hung Window - A window that has two operable sash
which slide vertically.
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Double-strength Glass - Glass with a thickness of approximately
1/8".
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• ENERGY STAR® - ENERGY STAR® is an independent government
program establishing a standard set of guidelines to recognize
the energy efficiency of various products. ENERGY STAR® guidelines
are used in conjunction with a variety of building materials,
including windows and patio doors. Over the past ten years,
ENERGY STAR® guidelines have helped double the efficiency
of windows they endorse.
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• Fusion-welded - The process of joining materials by melting
them together with extreme heat (over 500?F), resulting in
the materials uniting into a one-piece unit.
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• Geometric - Specially designed windows classified as either
Straight line Geometric such as rectangles, triangles, trapezoid,
octagons, pentagons, etc., or Radius Geometric which include
half-rounds, quarter-rounds, full-rounds, sectors, ellipses,
eyebrows, etc.
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• Glass - An inorganic transparent material composed of sand
(silica), soda (sodium bicarbonate), and lime (calcium carbonate)
with small quantities of alumna, boric or magnesia oxides.
Available Styles: Clear, Bronze, Grey and Tinted.
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• Glazing - The process of sealing the glass to the sash.
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• Glazing Bead - A strip of vinyl, which surrounds the edge
of the glass and holds it in place in conjunction with other
sealants.
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• Grids - Decorative horizontal or vertical bars installed
between the glass panes to create the appearance of the sash
being dividing into smaller litres of glass.
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• Head - The horizontal top portion of the main frame.
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• Head expander - A vinyl shape cut the width of a product
and placed on the head, fitting over it snugly. This piece
is used as a filler to expand or lengthen the unit from the
head and take up the gap in the opening between the unit and
the opening in the unit.
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• I.G. Unit (Insulating Glass Unit) - Two or more lites of
glass separated by a spacer and hermetically sealed at the
glass edges.
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• Intercept® Spacer System - Spacer system using a U-channel
design to reduce the number of conduction paths.
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• Jamb - Vertical sections of the main frame.
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• Keeper Rail - The horizontal section of the sash where the
keeper is attached.
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• Keeper Stile - The vertical section of the sash where the
keeper is attached.
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• Krypton Gas - An inert, odourless, colourless, tasteless,
non-toxic gas, which is about 12 times denser than air. It
is used to replace air between the glass panes to reduce temperature
transfer and deter convection. Used when a higher performance
is desired than that produced with Argon gas.
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• Lift Handle - A handhold for raising and lowering the sash.
Handle implies that the handhold is not continuous across
the sash.
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• Lift Rail - A handhold for raising and lowering the sash.
Rail implies that the handhold is continuous across the sash.
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• Lite - A unit of glass in a window.
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• Low E (Emissive) Glass - Glass with a transparent metallic
oxide coating applied onto or into a glass surface. The coating
allows short-wave energy to pass through but reflects long-wave
infrared energy which improves the U-value.
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• Main Frame - The head, sill and jambs sections of a window.
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• Mechanically Fastened Frame - Refers to frames fastened
with screws.
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• Meeting Rail - The horizontal sections of a pair of sash
that meet when the sash are closed.
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• Mullion - A vertical or horizontal connecting unit between
two or more windows.
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• Obscure Glass - Glass that has been made translucent instead
of transparent.
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• Patio door - A glass door that slides open and close on
adjustable tandem rollers. Available in 2- or 3-lite configurations
with the operable panel available in any position.
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• Picture Window - A window that has no moveable sash.
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• R-value - Resistance a material has to heat flow. The higher
the R-value, the greater the resistance, the better the insulation.
R-values are the reciprocal of U-values (R-value of 4 is equal
to U-value of 0.25)
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• Radiation - Wave energy transmitted directly from one object
to another through the atmosphere or through transparent or
translucent materials. The energy radiated is transmitted,
absorbed, reflected or a combination of all three.
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• Sash - The part of the window, which contains the glass.
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• Shading Coefficient - The ratio of solar heat that is transferred
through a glazing material relative to the solar heat transferred
through 1/8" clear glass. The lower the number- the more
efficient the window is at reducing solar heat gains.
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• Sill - The horizontal, bottom section of the main frame.
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• Sill Extender - An extrusion that is attached to the bottom
of the window to cover the gap between the sill and the rough
opening.
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• Single-strength Glass - Glass with a thickness of approximately
3/32".
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• Slider Window - A window in which the sash move horizontally.
Sliders are available in a 2- or 3-lite configuration, with
the 3-lite having operable end vents.
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• Sloped sill - The sill of the window that has a downward
slope to the outside. This sill has sufficient degree of slope
to aid in water runoff.
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• Solar Heat Gain - The percentage of heat gained from both
direct sunlight and absorbed heat. The smaller the number,
the greater the ability to reduce solar heat gain.
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• Spacer - Material placed between two or more pieces of glass
in order to maintain a uniform width between the glass, and
prevent sealant distortion.
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• Stile - The vertical sections of the sash.
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• Tempered Glass - Glass with a surface compression of not
less than 10,000 psi, or an edge compression of not less than
9,700 psi. When broken, the glass breaks into pebbles instead
of shards.
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• Tilt Latch - Mechanism that unlocks the sash and allows
it to tilt in from the main frame.
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• Total Unit U- and R-values - The U- and R-values of the
window calculated from the average U and R-values from the
center of glass, edge of glass, and frame.
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• U-value - Amount of heat transferred through a material.
The lower the U-value, the slower the rate of heat flow and
the better the insulating quality. U-values are the reciprocal
of R-values. (U-value of 0.25 is equal to R-value of 4)
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• Vent-lok - Latch mechanism on the interior face of the sash
which retains the window in a partially open position for
ventilation.
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• Visible Light Transmittance e - The percentage of light
that is transmitted through glass in the visible light spectrum
(380 to 720 nanometers). The higher the number the higher
the percentage of visible light transmitted through the window.
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• Weather-stripping - Material used to form a weather-resistant
seal around operable sash.
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• Weep Holes - Small openings designed to allow water to escape
that might otherwise accumulate in a window's sill.
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