PVC Windows Glossary--1

Awning: A PVC window that is hinged at the top of the sash, so that the bottom of the sash can swing open to the exterior of the building.

Aluminum: A malleable metallic element that has good electrical and thermal conductivity, high reflectivity, and resistance to oxidation.

Balances: A system used in tilt double-hung or tilt single-hung units that makes it easy to open and close your PVC windows.

Bay: A stunning picture PVC window combination that extends outside the house and is flanked on either side by operating casement of double-hung tilt PVC windows placed at 30, 45, or 90 degree angles. Available with head and seat boards.

Casement: A PVC window that is hinged on one side, allowing the window to swing open to either the right or the left.

Casement PVC Window: A window that opens from the side like a door. Historically, casements were the first working windows. They were strategically placed throughout a house to capture breezes and direct them through the rooms. PVC Windows Screens are hung internally to prevent dirt and insects from entering the house.

Condensation: Condensation occurs when excess humidity in warmer air is released in the form of water droplets onto a colder surface such as a pane of glass.

PVC Door Rollers: Two sets of tandem steel wheels with ball bearings for smooth operation. Usually found on sliding patio doors.

Double Glazing: Two panes of glass separated by an air-space to form insulating glass for PVC windows.

Double-Hung PVC Windows: A window with two sashes, upper and lower, that slide vertically past each other.

Extrusion: A form produced by forcing material through a die.

Eyebrow: Round top PVC window consisting of a partial radius head. Typically used above a tilt, casement PVC window or French door.

Fenestration: The placement (or arrangement) and design of the PVC windows and exterior PVC doors of a building. In Greek architecture, PVC windows began as simple openings in temples. These openings began to contain glass in the 13 th century, when clear glass was available for buildings such as Westminster Abbey. Another important shift in fenestration occurred in the 20th century when large windows became important components in commercial buildings.

Frame: The assembly of structural members (head, sill, jambs) used to fasten a PVC window sash or a PVC door panel to a structure.

Glazing: Refers to both the type of glass used in a PVC window and the actual process of installing glass in the PVC window frame or sash.

Glazing: The process of mounting glass into PVC windows and doors. Glazing also refers to the lowest quality of plate glass. The purpose of glazing is to retain the glass adequately under the design load, provide an effective weather seal, prevent loads or pressure points on the glass resulting from building movement, prevent glass-to-metal contact, and minimize glass breakage from mechanical or thermal stress. An insulating glass (IG) unit is two glass panes separated by a spacer and sealed. IG glass is offered in clear (no special coating) and high performance, which has a tinted, low-emissivity coating for exceptional energy efficiency.

Hardware: The locks, cranks and hinges on PVC windows and doors used to make them operational and secure.

Head: The horizontal piece that makes up the top of a PVC window or door frame.

Jamb: The vertical (left and right) portions of a PVC window or door frame.

Lockset: The complete lock system comprised of the lock mechanism, knobs, keys, plates, strikes and other accessories.

Low E Glass: Low E stands for low emissivity, a microscopic coating on PVC windows glass that helps keep your house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Low-Emmisivity: Low-e glass is manufactured by depositing a microscopically thin, transparent metal or metallic oxide layer on the glass. Low-e coatings reduce radiant heat loss, and can reduce the passage of UV rays. Use of heat-resistant (or absorbing) glass begain in the 1950s, as did the use of reflective (or mirror) glass.

Meeting Rail (Check Rail): The horizontal members of a tilt double-hung PVC windows sash that meet, and the vertical members of a slide/by sash that meet.

Mulled (Mulling): Joining two or more PVC window or door units together to form combinations. The joint is finished with an exterior mull cap or mull trim.

Muntin Bars: The narrow horizontal and/or vertical grilles in a True Divided Lite unit that separate individual lites, or panes, of glass.

Muntin: The individual pieces of a decorative grid that help divide a PVC window opening into smaller sections.

Pane: A single piece of glass within a PVC window or door.