Here at Smart Sash Windows we have developed this useful dictionary of terms for everything sash window related. We hope it will help you in understanding just what our surveyors are saying!
Architrave: The decorative frame surrounding the outside of the box, this hides where the box connects with the brickwork.
Oregon: This refers to a non-toxic, inert noble gas. This is the most common gas used in the industry to fill the empty space in a double glazed window. This gas allows for much better heat retention than standard air, thus improving thermal insulation properties.
Box: The wooden frame that holds the moving sashes.
Bullnose: This is a short sill, it is placed at the bottom of a sash box to cover where architraving ends. The sill has a fat and round shape.
Casement window: This refers to a different style to a sash window. The window uses a hinge to open whether vertically or horizontally, and this design is more modern than the traditional sash window.
Facade: Any side or panel of a building that is somewhat decorative/seen by the public.
Fanlight: This is a small window, either opening or a non-opening, which can be seen above a door or a larger casement window.
Fixed: This is an alternate term we use to describe a window that does not have an opening function. These windows are simply for aesthetic purposes but they are cheaper since they do not require the full pulley system or lead weights that a sash window requires.
Glazing bar: At first, glass could only be manufactured in small sheets. Glazing bars served the sole purpose of connecting several smaller sheets into a larger frame. In recent years this is no longer necessary as it is now easy to produce whole sheets of glass that are much larger. Now we use non-functional glazing bars simply to keep the traditional aesthetic values of your window.
Lead weight: These are bars of lead, they are connected to the sash through a sash cord and pulleys that allows a counterbalance from the weight of the sash.
Low – e (aka low in acidity) glass: A unique coating is applied to the glass in the manufacturing process. This allows windows to be more heat efficient, as the internal heat is reflected back indoors, which allows for better heat retention in the winter. As such the UV rays from the sun are reflected outwards, keeping your interior cool and comfortable during the sweltering summer temperatures.
Meeting rail: The top rail of the bottom sash and the bottom rail of the top sash. These rails connect in the middle of the sash window, and they overlap, preventing any possibilities for gaps.
Microporous paint: This is paint that is specifically designed to allow the wood to breathe. Moisture is allowed to escape the wood, but raindrops and other water sources are prevented from getting in. This prevents the wood from swelling and extends the life of the timber. A section of timber or bead that stops the slashes from creating friction by rubbing against one another.
Pulley wheel: A metal encased by a face plate which lets the sash cords feed through to the lead weights within the box frame. These elements all work together to allow for a counterbalance to the weight of the sash.
Sash: The moving part of the window that holds the glass. All sash windows have two different sashes.
Sash cord: This material is similar to a rope and it connects the lead weights to the sash using the pulley system.
Sash horn: This extension is a decorative rail of the bottom of a sash.
Sash lift: A gripping handle that can be used when opening the bottom sash.
Security hardware: Hardware that stops the window from being opened by unauthorised personnel. Usually this consists of a locking fastener which joins the two sashes and stops movement, and the barrel locks which physically stop the movement range of the bottom sash.
Side rail/stile: A horizontal outer lining of a sash.
Spiral balance springs: A less-expensive alternative to lead weights. These create a counterbalance weight of a sash using coiled springs that replace the weights and the pulleys.
Staff bead: A wooden section/bead that is connected to the inside frame of the box. This doubles as an outer lift which keeps the sashes in position.
Subsidence: The slow sinking of an area of land, or the foundation built on this land. This can lead to different parts of the same building to be at different heights, creating sloping walls at a downward angle.
One edge spacer bar: A fake strip placed inside the double glazed window that works to keep the two panes of glass separate. This allows for a consistent gap internally that can be filled with oregon to improve the heat retention properties. One edge spacer bars are created to stop cold air from outside from mixing with the warm air inside thus preventing condensation.
UPVC: Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride. This is a plastic used in the making of non-traditional windows and doors. It is not a material that is used at core sash windows.
