I want to find the minimum requirements of specifications for aluminum windows and doors in US each state, especially the values of the design pressure, water penetration resistance and air leakage resistance. Is there anyone can help me? Thank you very much if you can. Thank you all the same if you can't.

 

That is a TALL order and I doubt you'll get info here on more than a few states, if that. Maybe you could post why you are looking for the information? One option would be to contact a major window manufacturer (Pella, for example) that would be doing business in all 50 states. They would possibly have that info but it may take considerable time and effort to dig it out.

 

Thankfully, big brother provides guidelines for almost everything we do.

I'm assuming that you're looking for window "standards", and they can be found at:

http://www.aamanet.org/upload/CMB-3.pdf

The AAMA/NWWDA 101/I.S.2-97 contains some standardized guidelines for the testing of wood, vinyl and aluminum windows and doors. In it, you will find the guidelines that many companies go by as they test their products for air leakage (ASTM E 283), structural performance (ASTM E 330), and water penetration (ASTM E 547).

Further information can be obtained on those standards by doing a Google search for the specific ASTM guideline. It may help to type it exactly and put it in quotes. As the_tow_guy mentioned, certain states may have more stringent requirements. In those areas, other ASTM testing guidelines would apply, since the minimum standards may vary by location- such as hurricane prone areas, where some codes require that windows be able to withstand 150 mph impacts, for example.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Day and thank you for your answers. I am embarrassed to say that it's my task to find those local requirements. I don't know how things work in the US and want to get help from you experts. May I ask questions here? Does your answers mean that only local windows manufacturers or testing laboratories have that information? Thanks a lot. I appreciate your great help.

 

The best people to ask would be your local building department, if you have one. They can tell you what requirements the windows in your area need to meet... or if they even HAVE any restrictions. In many parts of the country (like mine) there are hardly any inspectors, and they could care less what kind of windows you install. In fact, the mind set around here is "the cheaper the better".

Of course, they get what they pay for. And hopefully the window companies themselves have some sort of standards they hold to.

So yes, you could contact the window comapnies in your area and ask them what sort of ASTM requirements their windows meet, and that might give you a pretty good feel for what is the norm in your area. But what it really comes down to is what is required by codes, and thats the building inspectors. (or sometimes what the CUSTOMER demands.)