In our most recent look at window manufacturing terminology, we found the course of our studies and investigations colliding into one mega-term. We had been talking about conduction, convection, and condensation; and the way that these three terms related to the vinyl window, aluminum windows, and patio door manufacturing industry. The term that brought it all home was CRF, standing for Condensation Resistance Factor. This measure is a standardized quality rating describing a window’s ability to do just as the name implies, resist condensation. This is something that every window should perform well in if you hope maintain an energy efficient home environment. And this, the maintenance of energy efficiency, is the real goal of vinyl windows and aluminum windows. There is little wiggle room when it comes to the measure of a window’s quality and effectiveness. But we digress. To get back to the CRF rating, it would be good to point out that the standard is based on the AAMA standard and helps consumers find quality vinyl windows and aluminum windows. As a general rule of thumb with this measure, the higher the condensation resistance factor, the less like it is that condensation will occur. This is a good indicator of the quality of a window and can be a reliable gauge of a good window.

Now, to be sure, there are a lot of other factors that go into a quality window rating. There are measures, which we’ve looked at in the past, that describe a window’s ability to retain heat or cold, the amount of UV radiation that is allowed to pass through, the air leakage that occurs. Even beyond these stats, there are a lot of things to consider when buying replacement windows or patio doors. In the coming weeks, we’ll be looking at a few more of these factors and continuing along with our list of window manufacturing industry glossary terms.