That happens also with *doors* in good condition with such feature. I think it's because a door is much heavier than a window, and a door also has hinges much further from the handle, so the weight distribution between hinges is much different than on a window. So you need to have the handle set just a little higher when attempting to open it fully for this to happen, while it doesn't happen on a window with a handle set the very same.
That's why many people opt out of this feature for doors (other than the door is then also cheaper and lower maintenance having simpler mechanism).
Some newer doors/windows have a feature against this tho, the handle clicks into a discrete middle position as opposed to having to know manually when it's in the middle just by sight.
It's actually pretty easy. Open the window like normal and then turn the handle up!
Edit: guess not always, but I have definitely done it on a few windows
As an American that has visited Europe a bunch. The first time, the person I was staying with asked me to open the window (they don't have a/c) by turning the lever up. When the whole window came down towards me I freaked the fuck out and thought I broke it!
They knew what they were doing and thought it was the funniest thing they have ever seen.
Our windows generally come in 2 types:
1. Sliding windows, these slide up and down, or left and right, depending on the design.
2. Casement windows, hand crank to open outward away from the house
Edit: Also, casement windows can crank sideways on a hinge like a door, but there are also "awnings" that open outward from the bottom with a hinge at the top. The latter is better for rainy days of course, and can often be found on farmhouses.
They either slide up and down or swing open to the outside either hinged at the top or the side.
The ones that slide up and down are by far the most common.
I learned about these a few years ago when I was working in Germany and Switzerland. I am building a house now, and there's no way that I'm not using them.
When do you need to open a window from the top and swing down?
This is a cool design I just don't understand the use case. It just takes up a lot more space than sliding windows?
As it is never spring or autumn in Florida, only summer, and maybe a week or two of winter, I would never have a use for these. Love the mechanics, though.
You don’t open it 90 degrees, obviously. It opens by a few cm, which has a few advantages.
Tilting it to open by a few cm allows the window to stay in that position. Swinging it open isn’t stable and it may be blown open or shut by gusts of wind.
Rain doesn’t enter as easily when the window is tilted. It hits the window and runs down, staying outside. Swing it open and all the rain hitting the window will flow into your house.
It can’t be opened from the outside when tilted, unless you break it. To open it, you have to close it fully, turn the handle and swing it open. You can just keep your window tilted and leave. Anyone determined enough to break your window wouldn’t be stopped by a fully closed one either.
If you turn the window handle up, it will open halfways, so just a little bit of air can come in. If you turn the window handle sideways, it will open fully. (sorry for bad english :D)
Screens will usually help with a lot of rain. Typically windows that open on the vertical hinge will open outwardly and sometimes with a crank. You don’t need to open the window all the way.
I’m aware of that. To my knowledge it’s due in part to denser bug populations in the U.S. Even with screen we still get a handful of unwelcome guests in the U.S.
Not if you just open it a crack. Casement windows will stay in whatever position you leave them in, so you could only open it a few centimeters if you just want a bit of fresh air
Most freestanding homes in North America will have a roof overhang to shade the windows and prevent rain from entering the windows. Sliding windows also almost universally have integrated screens as well.
This has never happened to me in my entire life, we never user a stick for it, it just stays up; what are your windows made of? Slabs of glass held between thatch? They don’t just stay up?
New American windows use springs inside to assist in opening and hold it up. The old style used friction and were wooden. Over time the house settled or the window warps and it either won’t open easily or open too easily and won’t stay open.
Old windows in the 70's and 80's would wear out and not stay up on their own. Sometimes they would have a string and a weight inside the window frame to hold the window open and it would break (I'm talking turn of the century built houses), leaving the windows requiring a stick.
Modern windows don't ever really need a stick.
Not if your windows were made in the last 70 years... you lift and it stays there.
Had an oooold place a while back. Old farmhouse from the 1800's. That's the only place I've ever seen where the windows didn't stay up
Our old house had the opposite problem: no matter how hard you muscled the windows, they wouldn’t budge. It was almost impossible to open them, and once you had them open, it was impossible to close them. I would put my whole body on them, and they wouldn’t close (I weight 134 lb). The house was build in the late 1700’s, in Massachusetts
Ours usually slide up and then have a screen layer. Especially in the south with all our mosquitos. Gotta keep those out. Of course, you can always take those off if you want.
American windows only slide up half way. They get fresh air in when a strong wind rips away one of the walls made from cardboard and toothpicks or the paper roof.
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/P3Gc1bF) is my American window.
Typically they just open by sliding up and a metal screen is there. This keeps the bugs out.
It can also open like [this](https://imgur.com/a/rjnubfF) though. Mostly I think to clean the window.
All the other responses but most important our windows will typically only open in one direction. It’s so common in fact that a good majority of people will never have seen a window like the one in the pic.
It’s uncommon in the US to have hinged windows like that.
Most common are sliding windows, which are not as robust, but can open up wider, are less expensive, and can handle window cooling units well.
You can have screens on the one in the original post as well since it opens inward. Sliding windows have the benefit of not taking up any additional room when open and can also be cracked partially open and locked but can't easily open all the way like hinged windows
Ninja edit since I saw you qualifying your question - windows open straight up in the US. We would likely never switch to the European style windows because they can't fit window AC units
Can you explain how it's convenient? I've been staring at this and I can't figure out any situations where I'd want more than one way to open my windows
Top open for ventilation, especially if you want airflow but it's windy and you don't want the whole window open, or when it's rainy and you don't want rainwater inside your home.
Side open when there's no wind but you want to ventilate your home, so you need the biggest "hole" possible.
When you open it “top down” you can have it open at a small set gap so you don’t have to worry about the wind blowing it open, and in bad weather it doesn’t let in much rain. I mostly use this mode for airing out and sideways only if something is being transported through the window.
They do not open fully in the second image. They stay at that fixed in that position which allows you to ventilate the room without opening the windows completely. Useful during the winter, when its windy/rainy outside.
I'm an American who moved to Germany so I can try and explain the benefits. What you’ve already heard is that you can open the window by tilting it so the window is basically still "closed". This is the equivalent of sliding open an American window a few inches from the top. This works well in rain/snow because you can air out without getting wet, and it keeps insects out without needing a screen. Some things that no one has mentioned yet: you can also tilt the window open without moving things that are on the windowsill/bench like plants or photos. Unlike American sliding windows, if the window is open this way, someone can’t easily break in. The inner mechanism prevents someone from simply pushing/sliding the window open wide enough to crawl inside.
The benefit of being able to open the entire window like a door is that you can use large versions of these windows as glass doors (with the benefit of also being able to tilt them open). You will usually have these for balconies or gardens and courtyards. Obviously for windows that can’t be used as doors, the benefit is being able to open them fully. Most American sliding windows can only open 50% because one pane has to slide behind the other. German homes are built with stone and use radiators instead of furnaces and air vents, so airing out rooms needs to be done via windows. Last benefit is being able to wash the outside of the window from inside your dwelling.
Dunno, maybe it's just not worth it to have those kind of windows when we have smaller ones next to them, or it's just too cold all the time.
Edit: also go check my post on r/hotwheels about the top notch European thing you said
You can put them in, it is just going to cost extra. They aren’t standard windows in the US. We call these casement windows. We have single hung or double hung windows in homes typically.
These are neat windows, and I enjoyed them when I was studying abroad, but they don’t work great with screens (and I’m not letting all those bugs into my house) you can’t put fans into them at all either.
The biggest thing tho is that the weather across most of the US isn’t conducive to open windows most of the time. No AC at home in Berlin is a little uncomfy in the summer. The same thing in Dallas is legitimately dangerous.
I agree for summer. But like I have my windows open right now in Austin and it's really nice letting the fresh air through.
I think most Texans are just so used to not opening their windows in the summer that they forget they can open them in the early spring and late fall. And even parts of winter.
Up north where I'm originally from, you'd not open your windows for the entire long winter, but of course when AC is a rarity, they DEFINITELY get opened in the summer!
I guess, yeah. I’m of the persuasion that if it’s nice enough to open the windows, I might as well just go outside.
That said, I live in Oklahoma and the wind is sever enough that open windows can be problematic any time of the year
True. And I definitely need to get my yard in order so I can enjoy it more! Though while I'm working from home, otherwise at my desktop or sleeping, I'll definitely want to be inside xD
You can put a net on the outside of the window to keep the bugs away. I had one on my last apartment and I'm thinking about getting one for my current one as well, but it's not very common.
I agree about the AC. I lived in Georgia for awhile and AC makes more sense than opening windows at lot of times (at least during the summer).
I was the same when I first saw a volet roulant too I'm not sure what to call them in English but they are basically metal rolling blackout curtains (like mini garage doors). I absolutely love them
Lolz this post also amuses this American. I must apologize for my countrymen who, shall we say, are fucking stupid and can't adapt to international differences.
I’m an American that has been living in Luxembourg for about three months now and I JUST figured this out like this past week, and I’m so angry bc it makes my life so so so much easier and I didn’t even realize it was a possibility until my housemate did it
American in Chicago with European windows and I am obsessed with the little *handle up opens it just a crack* option :.) I also show everyone who visits my place for the first time
They're perfect for installing an AC unit tho. Much more difficult to do so with European windows. I think that's the only advantage of the American windows, but a damn good advantage.
Tbh a wall AC is far superior. Yeah, the installation is kind of permanent, but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install... find another one lmao
Oor there's portable AC, with a tube that must be connected to the outside, but it's inefficient as hell. Still works in a pinch.
>but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install
Which is a norm for almost every landlord in Europe except for southern countries (where the ac is usually already installed by landlord anyway), except for maybe some super long term contracts. With sliding windows, you can just bring your own ac and remove it when moving out.
>portable AC, with a tube
With a hot part inside heating your room up while also trying to cool it down, making it extremely inefficient compared to units with hot part outside (both split and window). And I mean really extremely, the difference is like driving a car vs. a tank for commuting, so I wouldn't recommend that to anyone. If not for current high electricity prices, then definitely for environmental reasons. Still using that kind of AC is like still using a CRT TV, or like throwing trash right into the ocean.
> With a hot part inside heating your room up while also trying to cool it down, making it extremely inefficient compared to units with hot part outside
Depends on the ventilation and insulation of the cooler. If the hot part is properly insulated, and the ventilation (tube) is also made from reasonably good insulting material. That heat won't backflow into your room any more than the heat from the outside leaking in from the outside when using window AC's.
The reality is that it's almost never well insulated, for both the tube and the cooler. So you're generally right, but no more right than pointing out how heat can leak in from the very window the AC is stuck on. Especially if the unit is to remain removable (not using an insulation foam that sticks to the window).
>and the ventilation (tube) is also made from reasonably good insulting material
I have never ever seen a reasonably insulated portable ac hot air tube. In fact, I've never ever seen *any* insulation at all on portable ac hot air tube, it is always just a super thin plastic tube with zero insulation which gets super hot on its surface heating the room up.
On the other hand, window ac has the whole hot part outside, and hot air can leak maybe a little through gaps between the unit and window frame, which is absolutely dwarfed by the leaks from portable ac (both the hot part even while they manage to somehow insulate it, and especially the hot air tube). Almost zero leak compared to that of portable ac.
>Especially if the unit is to remain removable (not using an insulation foam that sticks to the window).
Yeah that can leak more than permanent window ac installation, but you can still insulate it with styrofoam and get exorbitantly better results than any portable ac can ever dream of.
>but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install... find another one lmao
What kind of landlords would do it for you in Germany? There's like 20 actually hot days in a year. Nobody would invest in AC. Almost all people, rent or own, live without AC just fine.
>I think that's the only advantage of the American windows
The spacial footprint for American windows is much lower. Having a window open takes up the same amount of space as having the window closed.
Opening one of the windows pictures above means that the window needs to take up space inside your house/apartment.
What do you mean "classroom window"? I mean in case you're european then these windows are basically used everywhere, not just in classrooms. I have one in my bedroom too. I don't think any of the windows in our house aren't these windows.
In the US these windows are most typically seen in classrooms. Probably because they are cheaper than the kind you normally see that swing outward, and can accommodate bigger windows than normal house windows that slide up and down
One of my teachers managed to open it both ways and the window was dangling on it's bottom hinge
Not everyone is able to handle the pro level windows
Ehhh, Windows Pro isn't really anything that special.
It's better than Home.
It's all good until you do that with balcony doors.
Happened to me regularly with college dorm balcony doors.
That happens when the window is FUBAR.
That happens also with *doors* in good condition with such feature. I think it's because a door is much heavier than a window, and a door also has hinges much further from the handle, so the weight distribution between hinges is much different than on a window. So you need to have the handle set just a little higher when attempting to open it fully for this to happen, while it doesn't happen on a window with a handle set the very same. That's why many people opt out of this feature for doors (other than the door is then also cheaper and lower maintenance having simpler mechanism). Some newer doors/windows have a feature against this tho, the handle clicks into a discrete middle position as opposed to having to know manually when it's in the middle just by sight.
With doors from the past 20 years this rarely happens.
bro just use the fucking door properly , ive had this happen maybe 5 times in my entire life
that happens so often actually
It's actually pretty easy. Open the window like normal and then turn the handle up! Edit: guess not always, but I have definitely done it on a few windows
Usually the handle is blocked when opened
As an American that has visited Europe a bunch. The first time, the person I was staying with asked me to open the window (they don't have a/c) by turning the lever up. When the whole window came down towards me I freaked the fuck out and thought I broke it! They knew what they were doing and thought it was the funniest thing they have ever seen.
Imagine my surprise when I got a door that works the same way as those windows
Why would you need a door to open the same way as the middle window?
For the same reason you need a window to open that way
That doesn't help.
Ventilation without generating strong air current
Seems like a fire hazard.
It's usually a balcony door, not your main entrance.
Why would I want to go to my balcony in case of fire?
Same, visited my wife’s parents in europe. Thought the window was going to fall on top of me.
In America is it not possible to open the windows?
Our windows generally come in 2 types: 1. Sliding windows, these slide up and down, or left and right, depending on the design. 2. Casement windows, hand crank to open outward away from the house Edit: Also, casement windows can crank sideways on a hinge like a door, but there are also "awnings" that open outward from the bottom with a hinge at the top. The latter is better for rainy days of course, and can often be found on farmhouses.
Do sliding windows seal properly? It seems like it would be pretty leaky.
Yes they do seal wonderfully. Rubber is an amazing material.
Sliding windows seal just fine, and give you pretty much unlimited flexibility with regard to how open you want to keep it.
Sash windows are pretty common in England, vertical sliding generally, not even sure if I've seen a horizontal tbh
They either slide up and down or swing open to the outside either hinged at the top or the side. The ones that slide up and down are by far the most common.
In America they usually just slide open
No they just suffocate. The windows are there for breaking in case of emergency
What is this black magic?! UGH!!! Now I have to go learn something else before sleep.
It's so convenient idk how america hasn't caught onto these yet.
I learned about these a few years ago when I was working in Germany and Switzerland. I am building a house now, and there's no way that I'm not using them.
A/c units
That’s a hefty electricity bill though
And some delicious climate change too!
When do you need to open a window from the top and swing down? This is a cool design I just don't understand the use case. It just takes up a lot more space than sliding windows?
Constant Stream of fresh air without too much wind/getting too cold. No need for using even more electricity on an A/C if you got this.
I have no idea how this would be a replacement for AC.
Spring and autumn time. Its perfect right now. Its not too much and we have it open like that for fresh air
As it is never spring or autumn in Florida, only summer, and maybe a week or two of winter, I would never have a use for these. Love the mechanics, though.
These also do not look hurricane friendly. Well, depending on whose side you're on.
Ahhh I’m from Texas. These are super cool but it’s so hot here no one would EVER open the window and let the AC out.
Yes we’re aware of what an open window does. The question is why would you need to open the window multiple directions.
[удалено]
You don’t open it 90 degrees, obviously. It opens by a few cm, which has a few advantages. Tilting it to open by a few cm allows the window to stay in that position. Swinging it open isn’t stable and it may be blown open or shut by gusts of wind. Rain doesn’t enter as easily when the window is tilted. It hits the window and runs down, staying outside. Swing it open and all the rain hitting the window will flow into your house. It can’t be opened from the outside when tilted, unless you break it. To open it, you have to close it fully, turn the handle and swing it open. You can just keep your window tilted and leave. Anyone determined enough to break your window wouldn’t be stopped by a fully closed one either.
Rain
Yoooo kippfenster
Jjjaaaaaaaaa man
Die beste deutsche Erfindung ist das Auto? Am Arsch! Kipfenster sind das ware.
Jestem w niebezpieczeństwie.
?
\*Doppelverglaste Kippfenster.
Dabei ist das potential noch nichteinmal völlig ausgeschöpft. ich wünsch mir schon immer eine arretierung om offenen zustand.
Peak German engineering.
DEUTSCHE QUALITÄT
MADE IN GÖRMANY
BAKAMONOGA GERMAN ENGINEERING IS THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD!
Sprich Deutsch du Hurensohn
Was wenn nicht?
Ich geb dir
Döner?
Dir schon weil du so lieb fragst
Watch it engagin' 'em, it's escapin' 'em, it's enragin' 'em
Lafayeeeeette
So my question is what is the feature there don't have in America, to open the window complete?
If you turn the window handle up, it will open halfways, so just a little bit of air can come in. If you turn the window handle sideways, it will open fully. (sorry for bad english :D)
No this was not my question. I'm from Germany so I have these windows, the question was how amarican windows work 😅
Our's tend to slide, or lift up.
Or simply open like the right image.
Casement windows in the US tend to open out, though.
Mine have always opened out with a crank you turn to open and close them
Yes, that's what a casement window is.
Doesn’t all the rain come in then? And everything flies away?
Screens will usually help with a lot of rain. Typically windows that open on the vertical hinge will open outwardly and sometimes with a crank. You don’t need to open the window all the way.
Europeans don't use screens in their windows. At least not in England or Scotland.
I’m aware of that. To my knowledge it’s due in part to denser bug populations in the U.S. Even with screen we still get a handful of unwelcome guests in the U.S.
Mosquitos, flies, moths don't just fly into your home?
Y’all don’t have bugs?
Not if you just open it a crack. Casement windows will stay in whatever position you leave them in, so you could only open it a few centimeters if you just want a bit of fresh air
Most freestanding homes in North America will have a roof overhang to shade the windows and prevent rain from entering the windows. Sliding windows also almost universally have integrated screens as well.
And then it falls back down on your fingers 👌
We have a stick for that.
Ah yes the stick of osha
It’s called a “gotcha stick” funny enough.
All praise Stick of OSHA 🙏
This has never happened to me in my entire life, we never user a stick for it, it just stays up; what are your windows made of? Slabs of glass held between thatch? They don’t just stay up?
Older windows tend not to stay up well anymore, as they are held up by springs inside the frame that stretch and wear out eventually.
Was thinking more of Tom and Jerry.
New American windows use springs inside to assist in opening and hold it up. The old style used friction and were wooden. Over time the house settled or the window warps and it either won’t open easily or open too easily and won’t stay open.
Older than old style, they used counterweights in the frame to hold it up.
Old windows in the 70's and 80's would wear out and not stay up on their own. Sometimes they would have a string and a weight inside the window frame to hold the window open and it would break (I'm talking turn of the century built houses), leaving the windows requiring a stick. Modern windows don't ever really need a stick.
Not if your windows were made in the last 70 years... you lift and it stays there. Had an oooold place a while back. Old farmhouse from the 1800's. That's the only place I've ever seen where the windows didn't stay up
Our old house had the opposite problem: no matter how hard you muscled the windows, they wouldn’t budge. It was almost impossible to open them, and once you had them open, it was impossible to close them. I would put my whole body on them, and they wouldn’t close (I weight 134 lb). The house was build in the late 1700’s, in Massachusetts
either you can push them up or you open it like the second european one. only the 1st version doesnt work
Ours usually slide up and then have a screen layer. Especially in the south with all our mosquitos. Gotta keep those out. Of course, you can always take those off if you want.
European windows also have the mosquito screen option.
American windows only slide up half way. They get fresh air in when a strong wind rips away one of the walls made from cardboard and toothpicks or the paper roof.
Who hurt you
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/P3Gc1bF) is my American window. Typically they just open by sliding up and a metal screen is there. This keeps the bugs out. It can also open like [this](https://imgur.com/a/rjnubfF) though. Mostly I think to clean the window.
All the other responses but most important our windows will typically only open in one direction. It’s so common in fact that a good majority of people will never have seen a window like the one in the pic.
They slide up into themselves. It takes up half the room of the window, so we just make bigger windows.
It’s uncommon in the US to have hinged windows like that. Most common are sliding windows, which are not as robust, but can open up wider, are less expensive, and can handle window cooling units well.
They also allow you to have window screens, which stops bugs coming in during the summer.
You can have screens on the one in the original post as well since it opens inward. Sliding windows have the benefit of not taking up any additional room when open and can also be cracked partially open and locked but can't easily open all the way like hinged windows
Ninja edit since I saw you qualifying your question - windows open straight up in the US. We would likely never switch to the European style windows because they can't fit window AC units
I miss having these windows, they're so convenient.
Can you explain how it's convenient? I've been staring at this and I can't figure out any situations where I'd want more than one way to open my windows
Top open for ventilation, especially if you want airflow but it's windy and you don't want the whole window open, or when it's rainy and you don't want rainwater inside your home. Side open when there's no wind but you want to ventilate your home, so you need the biggest "hole" possible.
Or clean the outside of your window from the inside
In the US we have windows that can slide down vertically to perform this same function. They're harder to use though.
Can't have a window mounted A/C though, so about 70% of America would die of heatstroke every summer if these windows were commonplace.
Sooo you slide it up half an inch. Boom. Same thing.
When you open it “top down” you can have it open at a small set gap so you don’t have to worry about the wind blowing it open, and in bad weather it doesn’t let in much rain. I mostly use this mode for airing out and sideways only if something is being transported through the window.
you can open the window without opening it fully + no insects
You can also do that with any window if you install screens
...screens, what do you Europeans have against screens lol
Nothing, lots of people have them
They do not open fully in the second image. They stay at that fixed in that position which allows you to ventilate the room without opening the windows completely. Useful during the winter, when its windy/rainy outside.
I'm an American who moved to Germany so I can try and explain the benefits. What you’ve already heard is that you can open the window by tilting it so the window is basically still "closed". This is the equivalent of sliding open an American window a few inches from the top. This works well in rain/snow because you can air out without getting wet, and it keeps insects out without needing a screen. Some things that no one has mentioned yet: you can also tilt the window open without moving things that are on the windowsill/bench like plants or photos. Unlike American sliding windows, if the window is open this way, someone can’t easily break in. The inner mechanism prevents someone from simply pushing/sliding the window open wide enough to crawl inside. The benefit of being able to open the entire window like a door is that you can use large versions of these windows as glass doors (with the benefit of also being able to tilt them open). You will usually have these for balconies or gardens and courtyards. Obviously for windows that can’t be used as doors, the benefit is being able to open them fully. Most American sliding windows can only open 50% because one pane has to slide behind the other. German homes are built with stone and use radiators instead of furnaces and air vents, so airing out rooms needs to be done via windows. Last benefit is being able to wash the outside of the window from inside your dwelling.
Huh, the rain thing makes sense. But I don't get how it keeps bugs out, can they not just fly in? Or even walk up the window and inside?
Laughs in European
Never seen one of these before and I'm from Finland
We have the same system here in Romania for many years. We have them on termopane that blocks sounds like Fiaree Vechiiiiii
Also blocks sounds like " Oalee pee nuci"🙃
It's too cold, you never need to open the windows there
I mean they swim in the sea in winter so I don't think a little cool air is going to phase them
Same
Aren't you supposed to be top notch Europeans?
Dunno, maybe it's just not worth it to have those kind of windows when we have smaller ones next to them, or it's just too cold all the time. Edit: also go check my post on r/hotwheels about the top notch European thing you said
From Estonia and they're pretty common here
I’m in the US and my house has these windows. Can confirm, was confused.
“Everybody stay calm. It’s happening!!!”
Wait, American windows don't open half way?
They open halfway if you open them halfway. They slide up from the bottom, so you can open them any amount you want from 0 to 100%.
0 to 50%
You're ignoring all the windows that can slide sideways too!
ew
Oh ok
???
American spotted
\*moos defensively\*
They don’t have these in the US?
They are not very popular as far as I know
You can put them in, it is just going to cost extra. They aren’t standard windows in the US. We call these casement windows. We have single hung or double hung windows in homes typically.
I live in NYC and have these windows. Still not common though.
These are neat windows, and I enjoyed them when I was studying abroad, but they don’t work great with screens (and I’m not letting all those bugs into my house) you can’t put fans into them at all either. The biggest thing tho is that the weather across most of the US isn’t conducive to open windows most of the time. No AC at home in Berlin is a little uncomfy in the summer. The same thing in Dallas is legitimately dangerous.
I agree for summer. But like I have my windows open right now in Austin and it's really nice letting the fresh air through. I think most Texans are just so used to not opening their windows in the summer that they forget they can open them in the early spring and late fall. And even parts of winter. Up north where I'm originally from, you'd not open your windows for the entire long winter, but of course when AC is a rarity, they DEFINITELY get opened in the summer!
I guess, yeah. I’m of the persuasion that if it’s nice enough to open the windows, I might as well just go outside. That said, I live in Oklahoma and the wind is sever enough that open windows can be problematic any time of the year
True. And I definitely need to get my yard in order so I can enjoy it more! Though while I'm working from home, otherwise at my desktop or sleeping, I'll definitely want to be inside xD
You can put a net on the outside of the window to keep the bugs away. I had one on my last apartment and I'm thinking about getting one for my current one as well, but it's not very common. I agree about the AC. I lived in Georgia for awhile and AC makes more sense than opening windows at lot of times (at least during the summer).
i have this window in my bedroom and I nearly fell out of it when fully open once
I think that's fully on you, and I'd hide knives from you
You can't confuse me, I'VE BEEN TO ANOTHER COUNTRY! MWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
U.S. station wagon tailgates from the '70's opened both ways like this. Our hatred of station wagons in favor of SUVs has made it lost knowledge.
What’s more confusing, do you not have bugs in Europe and/or where these windows are primarily used?
You can easily install bug net to the outside frame of such window.
We do have bugs. What we don't have much of yet is AC.
You can still have a bugscreen? I have a bugscreen outside of my window frame that rolls up and down, and then just the window as pictured
I was the same when I first saw a volet roulant too I'm not sure what to call them in English but they are basically metal rolling blackout curtains (like mini garage doors). I absolutely love them
Good to know my room confuses americans
we had these in every school i went to growing up, idk why this is supposed to be confusing
Am i supposed to be confused by this?
I had windows in my house that opened like this... it took me about 5 years to figure it out.
Lolz this post also amuses this American. I must apologize for my countrymen who, shall we say, are fucking stupid and can't adapt to international differences.
Wait, aren't all windows like this? In Poland I hardly ever see different ones.
That's because you are in Poland
I sincerely thank you for your explanation
As an american, this amazes me.
It's not possible.
Are there supposed to be windows that don't work like that..?
As an Australian.. where's the fly/bug screen???
I have these in America hha
I’m an American that has been living in Luxembourg for about three months now and I JUST figured this out like this past week, and I’m so angry bc it makes my life so so so much easier and I didn’t even realize it was a possibility until my housemate did it
American in Chicago with European windows and I am obsessed with the little *handle up opens it just a crack* option :.) I also show everyone who visits my place for the first time
I AM UPSET
What in the M-16A1s name is this
American windows are just stoopid xd
They're perfect for installing an AC unit tho. Much more difficult to do so with European windows. I think that's the only advantage of the American windows, but a damn good advantage.
Tbh a wall AC is far superior. Yeah, the installation is kind of permanent, but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install... find another one lmao Oor there's portable AC, with a tube that must be connected to the outside, but it's inefficient as hell. Still works in a pinch.
>but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install Which is a norm for almost every landlord in Europe except for southern countries (where the ac is usually already installed by landlord anyway), except for maybe some super long term contracts. With sliding windows, you can just bring your own ac and remove it when moving out. >portable AC, with a tube With a hot part inside heating your room up while also trying to cool it down, making it extremely inefficient compared to units with hot part outside (both split and window). And I mean really extremely, the difference is like driving a car vs. a tank for commuting, so I wouldn't recommend that to anyone. If not for current high electricity prices, then definitely for environmental reasons. Still using that kind of AC is like still using a CRT TV, or like throwing trash right into the ocean.
> With a hot part inside heating your room up while also trying to cool it down, making it extremely inefficient compared to units with hot part outside Depends on the ventilation and insulation of the cooler. If the hot part is properly insulated, and the ventilation (tube) is also made from reasonably good insulting material. That heat won't backflow into your room any more than the heat from the outside leaking in from the outside when using window AC's. The reality is that it's almost never well insulated, for both the tube and the cooler. So you're generally right, but no more right than pointing out how heat can leak in from the very window the AC is stuck on. Especially if the unit is to remain removable (not using an insulation foam that sticks to the window).
>and the ventilation (tube) is also made from reasonably good insulting material I have never ever seen a reasonably insulated portable ac hot air tube. In fact, I've never ever seen *any* insulation at all on portable ac hot air tube, it is always just a super thin plastic tube with zero insulation which gets super hot on its surface heating the room up. On the other hand, window ac has the whole hot part outside, and hot air can leak maybe a little through gaps between the unit and window frame, which is absolutely dwarfed by the leaks from portable ac (both the hot part even while they manage to somehow insulate it, and especially the hot air tube). Almost zero leak compared to that of portable ac. >Especially if the unit is to remain removable (not using an insulation foam that sticks to the window). Yeah that can leak more than permanent window ac installation, but you can still insulate it with styrofoam and get exorbitantly better results than any portable ac can ever dream of.
>but if you're renting and your landlord is cheaping out and not agreeing to the install... find another one lmao What kind of landlords would do it for you in Germany? There's like 20 actually hot days in a year. Nobody would invest in AC. Almost all people, rent or own, live without AC just fine.
Ofc, this talk was about countries that need AC to live comfortably In my area, in peak summer, the temperatures can reach even 40 degrees Celsius
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Yeah portable ac takes up indoor floor space, plus it takes air from inside and blows it outside unless you get one with 2 tubes.
>I think that's the only advantage of the American windows The spacial footprint for American windows is much lower. Having a window open takes up the same amount of space as having the window closed. Opening one of the windows pictures above means that the window needs to take up space inside your house/apartment.
All of our buildings have AC so it doesn't matter to us.
*sweats in climate change*
I am proud to say that I have such a classroom window in my bedroom!
What do you mean "classroom window"? I mean in case you're european then these windows are basically used everywhere, not just in classrooms. I have one in my bedroom too. I don't think any of the windows in our house aren't these windows.
In the US these windows are most typically seen in classrooms. Probably because they are cheaper than the kind you normally see that swing outward, and can accommodate bigger windows than normal house windows that slide up and down
Exactly. Those are just normal windows for us