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Steep Slope Application Method of installing asphalt shingles on roof slopes greater than 21 inches per foot. Step Control A control method in which a multiple-switch assembly sequentially switches equipment (e.g., electric heaters, multiple chillers) as the controller input varies through the proportional band. Step controllers may be actuator driven, electronic, or directly activated by the sensed medium (e.g., pressure, temperature). Step Flashing Flashing application method used where a vertical surface meets a sloping roof plane. Stile A structural member of a parallel or glazed door. An exterior or perimeter member of a window, other than the meeting, check, rail in a double-hung window. Stile The upright or vertical edges of a door, window, or screen. Stool The wooden base or support at the bottom of a window e.g., the shelf-like interior piece that extends across the bottom of a window opening. Stool The shelf-like board of the interior part of the window sill, against which the bottom rail of the sash closes. Stop The molding on the inside of a window frame against which the window sash closes in the case of a double-hung window, the sash slides against the stop. Also called bead, side stop, window stop, and parting stop. Storm Windows A second set of windows installed on the outside or inside of the primary windows to provide additional insulation and wind protection. Story A horizontal division of a building the portion between one floor and the floor above or below it. Story-Type Buildings A building comprising of floors separated by impermeable layers. Strainer Used to remove foreign material from the water flow. The mesh size determines the size of the material/debris being removed. Stratified Air The formation of layers of different densities, in a body of fluid that is not mixed well. The variation in densities may be due to difference in temperatures. The term ""thermal stratification"" is often ascribed for this condition. Stringer A long horizontal timber which is used to connect uprights in a frame and/or to support a floor. Stringer (Step) One of the enclosed sides of a stair supporting the treads and risers. Strip Shingles Asphalt shingles that are approximately three times as long as they are wide. Strongback An L-shaped wooden support attached to tops of ceiling joists to strengthen them, maintain spacing, and bring them to the same level. Structural Component A component which supports non-variable forces or weights (dead loads) and variable forces or weights (live loads). Structural Inspection A special inspection of load bearing members in a building. Strut A piece of wood fixed between two other pieces or members, designed to receive pressure or weight along its length. Stucco A cement plaster that is used as a finish for exterior wall surfaces, usually applied over a metal or wood lath base. Studs Vertical pieces of lumber usually spaced on 16 or 24-inch centers and attached to top and sole plates, forming the structural core of interior and exterior walls of a house Subfloor Boards, planks or plywood nailed to floor joists to provide structural rigidity and a base for finish flooring. Suction Piping Refrigerant piping from the evaporator outlet to the compressor suction inlet. Sump A pit in which fluid collects to be pumped out with a sump pump. Sun Control Film A tinted or reflective film applied to the glazing surface to reduce visible, ultra-violet, or total transmission of solar radiation. Reduces solar heat gain in summer and glare. Some can be removed and reapplied with changing seasons. Superwindow A window with a very low U-factor, typically less than 0.15, achieved through the use of multiple glazings, low-E coatings, and gas fills. Supplementary Heat The auxiliary or emergency heat provided at temperatures below a heat pump's balance point. It is usually electrical resistance heat. Also known as the heater package. But supplemental heat can also be gas or oil - fired equipment. Supply Air Air delivered to a conditioned space and used for the purpose of ventilation, heating, cooling humidification or dehumidification. Supply Ventilation A system in which air is supplied to a space, so creating an internal positive pressure. Air leaves the building through adventitious or purpose provided openings. Suspended Ceiling A ceiling system that is supported by overhead, structural framing. Swale A shallow depression in the ground to form a channel for drainage. Switchable Glazings Glazings with optical properties that can be reversibly switched from clear to dark or reflective. System A combination of interacting or interdependent components, assembled to carry out one or more functions. Tab The exposed portion of strip shingles defined by cutouts. Tap (Screw Thread) A tool used to cut internal threads. Tap Drill A drill used to form hole prior to placing threads in hole. The drill is the size of the root diameter of tap threads. Tap-A-Line A device used to puncture or tap a line where there are no service valves available sometimes called a saddle valve. Technically Exhaustive A home inspection is technically exhaustive when it involves the extensive use of measurements, instruments, testing, calculations and other means to develop scientific or engineering findings. Conclusions and recommendations. Temperature A degree of hotness or coldness as measured by a thermometer measurement of speed of motion of molecules. The property of an object, which determines the direction of heat flow. When the object is placed in thermal contact with another object, heat flows from the higher temperature object to the lower temperature one. It is measured either by an empirical temperature scale based on some convenient property of a material or instrument, such as the celsius scale, or by a scale of absolute temperature, such as the kelvin scale. Temperature Difference Degree of change between two temperatures. Temperature Humidity Index The actual temperature and humidity of sample of air, compared to air at standard conditions. |