Window Insulation Ideas
Hi,
Just reading your site for the
first time. I live in California, where
both electricity and natural gas prices have risen dramatically this
past
summer and this winter.
My Question:
On your "Inside
Storm Windows" (I've been using one for about 7 years to
cover a louvered bathroom window/sieve), have you thought of putting
an additional layer of the plastic sheeting on the inside of the
frame? Wouldn't this give you two additional 'air films'?
Would that be worth the extra cost?
My Comment:
I have two single pane sliding
patio doors in my living room/dining room area. One is six feet wide
and one is eight feet. I thought I had read once about putting
horizontal dividers between that panes of dual panes windows to
block convection within the window. Anyway, I have used a
water-based contact cement to glue "bubble wrap" onto the
inside glass of these doors and also the window in the same room. It
seems much more comfortable and seems to have reduce my natural gas
usage from 2.8 therm/day to about 2.0 therms. And it will peel off
easily and the glue (contact cement) washes off with ammonia based
window cleaner. Beside that, it is cheap. $2.20 for glue and $3.15
per 25 sq ft for bubble wrap.
While it blocks the view, it makes
for very comfortable light during the day.
Regards,
Glen C.
To
answer your question about a second layer of shrink-film
plastic... yes, it would absolutely add an additional two
"air films" of insulating value. From the interior
window covers that I have built, it seems that the main benefit
comes from sealing off the cold air infiltration that plagues many
older windows. I believe I did once make a window cover with two
layers of shrink film, but I found the distortion in the view to
be objectionable. However, for many people this would not be a
problem. When I have made interior window covers for basement
windows, using plain polyethylene plastic (a.k.a. Visqueen) I have
used layers on both sides of the wood frame. There was no chance
of having a view, so what harm could come from an extra layer of
plastic?
Your "bubble wrapped"
approach to treating a patio door sounds like a pretty neat idea.
Bubble wrap could have a sort of "high-tech/industrial"
look, which some folks like. And it also might be just the ticket
for insulating cold single-pane windows in basements and garages.
Here in Northern Michigan I often see run-down old houses (and
especially mobile homes) with a piece of foam or fiberglass
insulation duct-taped across a window. Your bubble-wrap covering
seems to be a lot better approach when a person is willing to
forego the view.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
I just had another idea. Why not
simply build a wood frame that fits the inside of the window
opening (just like our
article), and use bubble-wrap plastic for a
"glazing" instead of that shrink film? The entire unit
can be removed at the end of the heating season and re-used the
next year. Of course, this would not work for patio doors. Those
would be best served with bubble-wrap glued directly to the glass.
BWM
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