A ? about window terminology

[DavidLeBlanc]

When I was living in a studio apartment in SF, the only opening window (as I recall) had mounts midway between top and bottom on both sides, such that the window could tilt out at the bottom and in at the top.

Do such windows have a name in the trade? It was a marvelous window for getting a breeze, although, if the breeze got up too much, it was an equally marvelous and LOUD self-closer!

[peg_688]

Transom window . Poor egrees in a fire, commonly fround over doorways 30 to 50 years ago.  Smart people then hot air rises put the exhaust window up high , the in flow down low .   The dbl hung both windows operate , open the top air out , well you get the idea .  Now most folks turn on the A/C and waste more energy, go figure  ???HTBH  ;)PEG  

[DavidLeBlanc]

Hmmm... in my world, a transom window is hinged at the bottom and the top opens outward.

With the window I had, it was better to flip the window so that the bottom opened out and the top opened in so that it could stay open if it rained. It might have worked better if the top opened out and the bottom opened in, but it worked well enough for SF - not noted for hot (or even warm!) weather. My excuse was that I had an unobstructed S facing window.

[Amanda_931]

Not what I'd call a transom.  Which is generally a window over a door or another window, originally, I think, opening, but now often fixed.  Although when I looked it up (search with definition:transom what came up first was a bit strange.  And it didn't want to be copied or I'd have put it here.

But I'd agree that there was poor fire egress (or ingress for the fire fighters)

[spinnm]

I remember what you're talking about David.

The hinge/pivot was toward the center, right?  I've also seen some transoms which operated that way, tho on a much smaller scale.

Don't know what the name was.  Probably went out of fashion with code egress and the desire for screening.

They still make "awning" windows...all the mfgs...with the hinge at the top.  You can still invent the same ventilation tricks that were used in the days b4 AC.

On the windward side, awnings down low with a fixed pane above.  On the leeward side, windows up high.  You can get quite the little "loop" going if you design it right.

[jraabe]

Pivoting windows have been around for a long time and have some interesting advantages and some special problems.

Velux makes such a window in a skylight:



PS - Most old transom windows that I have seen opened inward with the hinge on the bottom. These are called hopper windows in most areas.

[DavidLeBlanc]

What John has posted resembles the window I'm talking about. It was quite large - moving towards picture window size. Few to no bugs in most of SF, so screens unneeded.

[Chuckca]

Take a look at this:

http://www.loewen.com/home.nsf/windows/transom

[DavidLeBlanc]

Thanks for the link, Chuck. On that site, "my" windows are called access windows.

[Amanda_931]

Oh, so that's how they were going to both "leave your screens and drapes alone" and have 180⁰ (or was it 90) degree rotation.  ingenious. (more obvious if you roll over some of the "others"--little squares at te bottom of the picture.  Not what they're showing in the drawing.

Might or might not have been what David had, not quite what is called "awning" windows, which I think just hinge out.

I'd call hopper windows, hopper windows.  What they're called in the pictures at the stores and web sites.

[John Raabe]

Learn something every day...

That Loewen "Access" window (I don't know anyone else who uses that term for this type of window) is quite interesting.

The hinges are much more sophisticated to be able to turn 180º around. This is not just an old fashioned pivot window.



It sounds like they have a way to have it hinge on one or the other sides so it operates as a casement or awning and meet egress requirements for bedrooms and such.

Quite an interesting solution.