Vinyl window
Also called PVC window, uPVC window
A window built from hollow extrusions of rigid PVC.
A vinyl window is made of rigid PVC extruded into hollow, many-chambered lengths. The lengths are mitered and the corners are welded by melting the ends together, so the frame is one piece with no joints to leak.
Vinyl is the cheapest common material and needs no paint. It insulates well because of its chambers. It is also the least stiff and it grows and shrinks the most with temperature, so its members are bulkier than wood or metal ones and long ones need reinforcement. The color runs through the material and cannot easily be changed.
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Related
- ExtrusionA length of frame material made by pushing it through a shaped die.
- ChamberOne of the hollow cells inside a vinyl extrusion.
- ReinforcementA metal bar slid inside a vinyl chamber to stiffen it.
- Glazing beadA removable strip that holds the glass in its pocket.
- Composite windowA window built from extrusions of wood fiber mixed with plastic.