Solar window coverings, again
turtlelover
Now that fall weather has arrived, has anyone tried the solar blankets or the Carol Wright "solar curtains?"
We caulked around the outside of our windows in the summer, and have done so for the inside recently. Still cold.
Thanks for any insight,
Turtlelvoer
Jeff
> Back in July, there was a discussion about how to insulate windows
> against the cold.
>
> Now that fall weather has arrived, has anyone tried the solar blankets
> or the Carol Wright "solar curtains?"
I think that will be most effective against solar heat gain. That may
be a mixed bag at keeping the room warm. At least that's the case with a
friend who has metallic curtains.
I've been using bubble wrap on windows that benefit from solar gain,
reflectic (foiled bubble wrap) or polyisocyanuraturate sheets cut to fit
in windows I don't look out. On some, I've even just stuffed in some
more conventional insulation.
On windows I need to look out of I've made some interior "storm
windows" out of vinyl shower curtain liner. Transparent and durable.
All this has made a huge improvement in heat loss, but it may not be
aesthetically satisfactory to some (or most).
I have an old house though, and a lot of windows, so I needed to do
something.
Jeff
James
I'm looking at magnetic storm windows.
You can do it yourself, with a kit. You install a metal strip around
the window, buy plexiglas cut to fit and install magnetic molding
around the plexiglas. The magentic fit should keep it airtight, and
the plexiglas itself has better thermal resistance than glass.
Magnetite is what I am looking at.
James
webs...@cox.net
There also used to be (and maybe still is) a product for the inside.
You tacked this plastic film around the window trim, then gently
heated it. It shrank tight so it didn't show much, but it made
another layer of air. It should work some.
I'm using pleated window shades to stop some drafting, though my issue
is heat gain in summer, not loss in winter.
James
>
Essentially the shrink film does help with sealing leaks and adding a
layer of air. The advantage of the magnetic storms is that the
plexiglas adds more insulation itself, and is reusable. Insulation
works both ways, should help in summer as well, although if I was
doing magnetic storms for summer, I would chose a tinted versus clear
- you can get plexiglas that is specifically tineted to lower the
solar transfer.
James
Jeff
You will find the insulation value of the plex itself is negligible. The
R value is almost all in the air space, not in the glazing. On the other
hand the durability and reusabilty is a huge plus although at a much
higher cost.
You can find the heat shrink film at many places, often on sale. You
can also buy it in bulk, by the roll.
Stopping drafts should be your number one priority, they can leak
around all edges, then adding R value.
Jeff
Gary Heston
<webs...@cox.net> wrote:
[ ... ]
>There also used to be (and maybe still is) a product for the inside.
>You tacked this plastic film around the window trim, then gently
>heated it. It shrank tight so it didn't show much, but it made
>another layer of air. It should work some.
Also works well on attic access hatches; made a big difference when I
covered mine. Heater runs a lot less and it's more comfortable.
The film is available at Wal-Mart, among other places--I expect the
big-box home centers have it.
Gary
--
Gary Heston ghe...@hiwaay.net http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
Why is it that these days, the words "What idiot" are so frequently
followed by the words "at Microsoft"?
turtlelover
> On Oct 21, 11:20 am, James <jl...@idirect.com> wrote:
>> On Oct 21, 1:54 pm, Jeff <jeff@spam_me_not.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> turtlelover wrote:
>>>> Back in July, there was a discussion about how to insulate windows
>>>> against the cold.
>>>> Now that fall weather has arrived, has anyone tried the solar blankets
>>>> or the Carol Wright "solar curtains?"
<snip>
>
> There also used to be (and maybe still is) a product for the inside.
> You tacked this plastic film around the window trim, then gently
> heated it. It shrank tight so it didn't show much, but it made
> another layer of air. It should work some.
>
> I'm using pleated window shades to stop some drafting, though my issue
> is heat gain in summer, not loss in winter.
I neglected to mention that we bought a window film kit -- sorry -- so we're going to try them. I suppose this method would be better than simply hanging "solar curtains," since they're supposed to be air-tight.
We actually have storm windows (although they're 18 years old!). Our biggest problem is in our front bedroom. We have three windows (this is a row home), so the entire front wall is basically a window. Even with caulking, there seems to be cold coming in somewhere. I hope the window film makes an improvement.
Thanks for the ideas, everyone.
Best,
Turtlelover
Gary Heston
turtlelover <turtl...@DONOTenter.net> wrote:
[ ... ]
>We actually have storm windows (although they're 18 years old!). Our
>biggest problem is in our front bedroom. We have three windows (this is
>a row home), so the entire front wall is basically a window. Even with
>caulking, there seems to be cold coming in somewhere. I hope the window
>film makes an improvement.
If you're still feeling drafts after putting the film up, get some cheap
incense sticks and use them as smoke sticks to locate the leakage. Check
around outlets, light switches, and the baseboard.
Incense doesn't pose a fire hazard, it smells nice, and is cheaper than
one of the little smoke generators the pros use.