The cleaning industry like any industry has a myriad of terms, and the window cleaning industry is no different. So to make you like a little easier, we have put together an exhaustive list of terms and definitions so you know what your window cleaner is talking about!
Glossary of Terms
AIRSPACE |
The measured distance between the inner surfaces of the two pieces of glass in an insulated unit. |
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ANNEALED GLASS |
Non- |
How Glass is Fabricated |
ANODISE |
An electrochemical process that increases the natural oxide coating of aluminum. |
Clear anodizing gives aluminum a smooth consistent surface that reduces corrosion, especially in salt air. Color anodizing can be effected by the use of dyes or special alloys. |
APPLIED MUNTIN |
A muntin in a glazed window that does not actually separate individual lights of glass. |
This muntin may be of a material different than the main frame- |
ARCH TOP |
Any window with a horizontal sill, vertical jambs, and a head that is curved upward. |
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ASTRAGAL |
A channel on a sliding glass door panel, which allows another panel to slide into it. |
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BALANCE |
A device in a hung window that allows the sash to be adjusted to any position between fully open and fully closed. |
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BAY |
A combination of three window units mulled together with the end units offset at a 45 degree angle. |
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BUMPER |
A soft vinyl or rubber cushion that prevents the moving panel of a sliding glass door from striking the jamb on the fixed panel side of the door. |
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CAULKING |
A soft semi liquid material used to seal cracks around a window and doorframe adjacent to the wall opening. |
Normally, this is applied from a tube in a caulking gun. |
CLERESTORY |
A window in the upper part of a lofty room, usually out of reach from the floor. |
These windows can be fixed or operating and an extension device is used for operating clerestory windows. |
COLONIAL LITE |
Windows with small rectangular panes or divided lites and designated as a 12- |
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CONDENSATION |
A condition caused by warm moist air coming into contact with a colder object with moisture appearing on the colder surface. |
A large difference in the temperature of either side of a window and humid air present on the warmer side will cause condensation to appear. |
CTF |
“Cut To Fit” |
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CUSTOMER |
One that buys goods or services. |
An individual with whom one must deal. |
DEIONISED WATER |
Water that has had the ions removed from it. It is 99.9% free of any impurities which cause water spots |
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DI WATER |
see DEIONISED WATER |
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DOGHOUSE WINDOW |
A fixed- |
Also known as a pentagon or a double rake head. or a dormer |
DOOR |
A movable device used to close off the entrance to a structure, room, or covered enclosure, typically consisting of a panel of glass, wood or metal. |
It slides horizontally or swings on hinges. |
DOUBLE HUNG |
A type of window with two vertically moving sashes, with each sash employing balances. (See BALANCE and HUNG) |
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EXFILTRATION |
The escape of air from a structure. |
The opposite of infiltration. |
EYEBROW |
A fixed lite window with a gently arched head similar in appearance to one’s eyebrow and has jambs of equal height. |
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EYELID |
A fixed lite window with a gently arched head similar in appearance to one’s eyelid. |
Similar to an eyebrow but the eyelid has no jambs. |
FIXED FRAME |
A type of window with no operating parts, just simply, a frame and glass. |
Also, referred to as a Picture Window. |
FIXED LITE |
A light of glass in a window or door that does not operate. |
It is usually the upper light of a single hung window. Sometimes the same as a picture window or fixed frame window. |
FIXED PANEL |
The non- |
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FIXED VENT |
The non- |
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FRAME |
The outer members of a window or door. |
The frame includes the head, sill or threshold, the two jambs and the meeting rail of a window. |
GLASS |
Any of a large class of materials with highly variable mechanical and optical properties that solidify from the molten state without crystallization. |
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GLAZE |
The act of installing glass or other glazing materials, such as plastic, into a window or door. |
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GPM |
Gallons per minute |
Water Fed Pole |
GREEN HOUSE WINDOW (Garden Vu) |
A five- |
The unit contains shelves and has ventilating apparatus. |
GRID |
A removable muntin pattern applied to a single light of glass. |
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HEAT- |
This glass is produced in much the same way as tempered glass, but with lower levels of surface compression. |
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HUNG |
A type of window with one or more vertically moving sashes that employs balances. |
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INFILTRATION |
The air or moisture that leaks through the cracks of a window or door from outside of a structure. |
The opposite of exfiltration. |
INSULATED GLASS |
A light of glass made up of two sheets of glass, a spacer bar filled with a desiccant material placed between the two sheets at the perimeter, and a sealant applied around the entire perimeter of the assembly. |
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INTERNAL MUNTINS |
Muntin bars located between the sheets of glass in an insulated glass unit. These muntins are purely decorative. |
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IWCA |
International Window Cleaning Association |
Nonprofit trade association committed to raising the standards of professionalism within the window cleaning industry. |
JAMB |
The sides or outermost vertical side members of a window or door frame. |
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KEEPER |
A part of a locking device attached to the frame or mid- |
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LAMINATED GLASS |
The permanent bonding two pieces of glass together with a tough plastic interlayer (polyvinyl butyral) under heat and pressure. |
Automotive |
LATCH |
The locking device on a door or window. |
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LIGHT |
A piece of glass in a window or door. |
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LOW- |
Low emissivity glass, it is a glass type with a transparent coating applied to its’ surface that helps keeps your house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. |
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MULLION |
A horizontal or vertical member that holds together two adjacent lights of glass or windows or sections of curtain wall. |
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MUNTIN |
A part of a window that divides a light of glass into smaller sections. |
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MWCoA |
Master Window Cleaners of America |
An association for residential and route window cleaners |
OBSCURE GLASS |
A type of glass with one surface roughened in such a way as to reduce visibility but yet allow light to enter a structure. |
This type of glass is often used in bathroom windows. Also referred to as translucent glass. |
PANE |
A lite of glass. |
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PANEL |
A part of a door, or sometimes a window, composed of a light of glass and surrounded by a frame. |
Panels can be fixed in place or movable. It is similar to a sash or vent. |
PASS- |
A single- |
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PATIO DOOR |
A sliding glass door used in a patio area. |
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PICTURE WINDOW |
A non- |
Living room |
PRIMARY WINDOW |
A window installed into the wall of a structure. |
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PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) |
A material used to make vinyl window parts, weather strip and glazing bead. |
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PYROLYTIC |
Decomposition or transformation of a compound caused by heat. (sp) Pyrolitic not in the dictionary Pyrolytic is the correct spelling. |
Produced in the factory, not sprayed on site. “Pyrolytic or “Hard coat” reflective coatings and Pyrolytic Low- |
RAIL |
The outer members of a sash. (See STILE) |
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REFLECTIVE GLASS |
A type of glass with a mirror- |
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REGLAZE |
To glaze a window or door again or to replace broken or defective glass or other glazing material in a window or door. (See GLAZE) |
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REVERSE OSMOSIS |
In simple terms, reverse osmosis is the process of pushing a solution through a filter that traps the solute on one side and allows the pure solvent to be obtained from the other side. More formally, it is the process of forcing a solvent from a region of high solute concentration through a membrane to a region of low solute concentration by applying a pressure in excess of the osmotic pressure. The membrane here is semipermeable, meaning it allows the passage of solvent but not of solute. The membranes used for reverse osmosis have no pores, the separation takes place in a dense polymer layer of only microscopic thickness. In most cases the membrane is designed to only allow water to pass through. The water goes into solution in the polymer of which the membrane is manufactured, and crosses it by diffusion. This process requires that a high pressure be exerted on the high concentration side of the membrane, usually 5 MPa – |
Pure Water Window Cleaning |
ROLLERS |
Wheels attached to the bottom of the sash or panel of a window or door that allows it to slide easily. |
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SAFETY GLASS |
A type of glass designed to prevent injury if it is broken. (See LAMINATED GLASS and TEMPERED GLASS) |
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SASH |
Normally the moving segment of a window, although sash is sometimes referred to as fixed sash. |
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SASH STOP |
A device placed near the top of the jambs of a hung window to prevent the sash from striking the head of the window. |
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SCREEN |
A product used with a window or door, consisting of a four- |
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SIDELITE |
A fixed lite rectangular shaped window that is placed next to a door for ornamentation and/or to allow light to pass through. |
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SILICONE |
A plastic type material used for sealing cracks in window frames, and is used sometimes as a glazing compound. |
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SILL |
The threshold or lowest horizontal member of the frame of a window or door. |
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SKYLIGHT |
A type of window installed in the roof of a structure to allow admittance of sunlight. |
Fixed in placed or they can be of a type that opens for ventilation. |
SLIDING GLASS DOOR |
A type of door with one or more horizontally sliding glass panels. |
It is commonly used for access to patios and may be called a PATIO DOOR. |
SQUEEGEE |
A T- |
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STACK |
A condition where one or more windows are attached above another window or door that is to be installed in a structure. |
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STILE |
Another name for the vertical side rails of a sash or a sash jamb. |
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STOOL |
The part of the framing around a window located at the bottom of the window opening and either under or next to the window’s sill. |
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STORM WINDOW |
Attach to or over a prime window, are called secondary windows. |
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STRIKE |
A part of a locking device into which the moving portion of the latch engages. |
The moving parts to the lock are usually located on the sash or panel of a window or door, while the strike is located on the jamb or meeting rail. |
TCL |
see TRUE CUT LITE |
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TDL |
see TRUE DIVIDED LITE |
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TDS |
Also called Total Dissolved Solids ; a measure of the total amount of dissolved material in the water. |
Water Fed Pole |
TDS METER |
Total Dissolved Solids – |
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TEMPERED GLASS |
A type of safety glass that has been heat treated so when it breaks it separates into very small pieces that reducing the possibility of injury. |
Doors, windows located near doors, and other locations where safety is critical. |
THERMAL BREAK |
A type of window that employs an insulating material in the sash and frame members to reduce the flow of heat either inward or outward. |
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TINTED GLASS |
A special type glass with additives, usually metallic particles that reduce the passage of sunlight. |
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TRANSOM |
A fixed lite rectangular window that is placed over a door. |
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TRUE COLONIAL |
A pattern of muntin bars using horizontal and vertical members to form a “tic tac toe” design on a light of glass by dividing a single glazed light into smaller individual pieces. |
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TRUE CUT LITE |
also known as “french pane”; one of as many as 4 to 15+ small panes of glass that make up an entire window or door |
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TRUE DIVIDED LITE |
Sometimes referred to as “French Windows”; Windows and doors that have anywhere between 4 and 15 (or more) small panes of glass |
French Windows |
VINYL |
A shortened form for polyvinyl chloride or PVC. (See PVC) |
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WATERFED POLE |
A telescopic pole fitted with a brush and a means of delivering water for window cleaning |
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WEATHER STRIP |
A part of a window or door, used to seal the cracks around moving sash or panels against the passage of air or water, when the door or window is in the closed position. |
Weather strip can be made of metal, vinyl, wool pile or other materials. |
WEEPHOLE |
An opening at the sill of a window or door allowing moisture to drain free. |
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WFP |
See “WATERFED POLE” |
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WINDOW |
An opening constructed in a wall or roof and functioning to admit light or air to an enclosure, usually framed and spanned with glass mounted to permit opening and closing. |