Chapter 18 Windows and Doors

Windows From an English expression meaning ‘wind eye’ Window evolution Holes skins/fabrics translucent membranes glass multiple layers of control Glazing, insulating airspace, low-E glass, insect screens, weather-stripping, curtains, blinds, sash, etc. Typically produced in a Factory efficiency, cost, quality

Permanent Prime Windows Prime Window – permanently installed Storm Window – removable, auxiliary unit Combination Window – incorporates both More common today Permanent Prime Windows (fixed)

Types of Windows Types of Windows Fixed, single-hung, double-hung, sliding Casement, awning, hopper Types of Windows Skylight, roof window Terrace door, French door, sliding door Types of Windows

Double-Hung Fixed

Top-Hinged Side-Hinged Top-Hinged

Window Frames Wood Advantages: Disadvantages Commonly: Good thermal insulator Easily worked Disadvantages Shrinks & swells, subject to decay Requires frequent repainting (maintenance) Commonly: Wood composites used, with an Exterior cladding of plastic or aluminum

Window Frames Aluminum Advantages: Disadvantages: Uses & Finishes: Relatively inexpensive Requires no repainting Disadvantages: Thermal conductor – requires a thermal break Uses & Finishes: Common in commercial & institutional Usually anodized or permanently coated

Window Frames Plastic (relatively new, but wide use – 40%) Advantages: Low cost - 1/3 less than wood or clad wood Good thermal insulators Require no repainting Disadvantages: Not stiff Very high coefficients of thermal expansion Most common – polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Window Frames Steel Advantages: Disadvantages: Strength Acceptable thermal insulators Disadvantages: Require permanent coating

Muntins “thin wooden bars into which the glass in mounted within each sash”

Glazing Single Glazing Double Glazing Triple Glazing (somewhat rare) Acceptable only in mild climates Double Glazing Generally the minimum required by code (or single with storm) Triple Glazing (somewhat rare) Double glazing with Low-E glass has equal performance Double Glazed

Safety Considerations Break-resistant material Required for glass in doors, large lights near the floor, and glass doors Generally tempered glass utilized Fire Escape Window openings large enough to escape typically required in each bedroom. Casement and Awning Windows Avoid adjacent to poaches or walkways

Window Testing & Standards Thermal and structural performance Performance Grades established covering Wind pressure Water resistance Structural performance Air infiltration Operating force Energy efficiency (insulating value, solar heat gain, visible light, air leakage)

Window Installation Rough Opening “the rough opening height and width for the hole left in a framed wall to permit installation of the window” Slightly larger than than the window outside dimensions Flashing (prevent water and air infiltration) Install, plumb, fasten

Doors Categories Interior Exterior Fire resistance & sound transmission important Exterior Weather Resistance most important

Types of Doors

Types of Doors Glass & Louvered Panel Doors

Glass French Doors Louvered Door Panel Door Glass & Wood Entrance

Types of Doors

Metal Facing Core of a Hollow Core Metal Door

Hollow Metal Frame Anchorage

Hinges

Door Opening Swinging Bifold Accordian

Door Opening Pocket Sliding Bypass Sliding Surface Sliding

Door Opening Overhead Coiling

Locksets & Strikes Deadbolt Deadbolt Strike Strike Lockset Lockset

Wood Doors Stile and Rail Doors Flush Doors Rail Panels float in stile & rail Accommodate expansion & contraction Popular in higher quality buildings Flush Doors Majority of the market (< $) Cores: Solid or Hollow Rail Stile Stile

Door ‘Cores’ Solid Core Door Hollow Core Door Wood Blocks Wood Composite Mineral (fire doors) Hollow Core Door Veneered faces w/ Interior grid Paperboard or Wood

Entrance Doors Subjected to the Elements Sheet Metal & Molded GFRP Well constructed (wood, metal, or plastic) Weatherstripped (prevent air & water leakage) Sheet Metal & Molded GFRP Popular alternative to wood Often constructed to simulate wood Cores filled with plastic foam (superior thermal performance)

Prehung Doors “doors already mounted on hinges in a frame, complete with weatherstripping (if needed), ready to install by merely nailing the frame into the wall.” Both interior & exterior doors Quicker, less costly to install

Steel Flush Doors Painted sheet metal faces Common in nonresidential Solid or hollow core Typical Solid Core uses: Exterior doors Need for increased Fire resistance More rugged construction needed Better acoustical properties needed Flush Steel Doors

Fire Doors Rated for fire resistance Uses: Labeled Exit stairways, between rooms & exit corridors, within exit corridors, fire walls, etc. Labeled

Fire Door Criteria Fire Doors must: Must swing in the direction of egress travel Must be self-closing Must be equipped with hardware that opens the door if people press against the door in the direction of egress travel Restrictions: Amount of glass by the fire classification Size of louvers Frames must be rated