Shrink-wrap for home windows
T. Kelley Boylan
product I've never seen -- a sort of shrink-wrap for windows. According to
him, one puts the plastic over the window, heats it, and it shrinks to
provide a better air seal. As I live in a drafty two-flat, that'd be a
gift from the gods, but the heck if I know where to find this mythical
product. Anyone know?
Thanks.
-Kelley-
T. Kelley Boylan
Author, Que Publishing
Reviewer, Ziff-Davis
Resident, Chicago
Throwing, baseballs
Mitchell Marks
Park), and put it up in my then-s.o.'s living room. It did help
somewhat with drafts, but shouldn't be thought of as insulation.
Measuring and trimming the panels, and sticking down the edges, were a
rather tedious task; though handling it isn't as bad as, say, Classic
Saran Wrap. (But maybe I'm just a klutz and it could be done in ten
minutes.)
Good luck,
-Mitch
>>>>> "TKB" == T Kelley Boylan <kel...@tezcat.com> writes:
TKB> In discussing preprations for the upcoming winter, a friend
TKB> mentioned a product I've never seen -- a sort of shrink-wrap
TKB> for windows. According to him, one puts the plastic over the
TKB> window, heats it, and it shrinks to provide a better air
TKB> seal. As I live in a drafty two-flat, that'd be a gift from the
TKB> gods, but the heck if I know where to find this mythical
TKB> product. Anyone know?
--
Mitch Marks Technical Support Staff mitc...@cs.uchicago.edu
INFJ Computer Science Dept. m-m...@uchicago.edu
Ennea 4/5 Univ. of Chicago (312) 702-9864 (ofc)
DSM-III-R: 300.40 1100 East 58th Street 702-7108 (fax)
241-7166 (home) Chicago IL 60637 USA 490-0121 (pager)
::: Any two people may be talking to each other, at any moment, in a civilized way about something trivial, or even something complex and delicate. And inside each of the two there runs a kind of dark river of unconnected thought, of secret fear, or violence, or bliss -- hoped-for or lost -- which keeps pace with the flow of talk and is mostly neither seen nor heard. And then at times one or both of the two will catch sight or sound of this movement, in himself, or herself, or, more rarely, in the other.
And it is like the quick slip of a waterfall into a pool, like a drop into darkness. The pace changes, the weight of the air, though the talk may run smoothly onward without a ripple or quiver. -- A. S. Byatt, "The Chinese Lobster"
Geordie Korper
Joseph M Montefinese
kel...@tezcat.com (T. Kelley Boylan) wrote:
>In discussing preprations for the upcoming winter, a friend mentioned a
>product I've never seen -- a sort of shrink-wrap for windows. According to
>him, one puts the plastic over the window, heats it, and it shrinks to
>provide a better air seal. As I live in a drafty two-flat, that'd be a
>gift from the gods, but the heck if I know where to find this mythical
>product. Anyone know?
Indeed, any hardware store will stock the stuff. Avoid super cheap 'generic'
brands (3M introduced product). If the windows are drafty, you will
experience a *HUGE* benefit to using this stuff. Be patient and careful upon
installation. Good Luck.
Joe Montefinese
"To be is to do." -Aristotle
"To do is to be." -Nietzche
"Do be do be do." -Sinatra
Murray Arnow [C]
>
> In discussing preprations for the upcoming winter, a friend mentioned a
> product I've never seen -- a sort of shrink-wrap for windows. According to
> him, one puts the plastic over the window, heats it, and it shrinks to
> provide a better air seal. As I live in a drafty two-flat, that'd be a
> gift from the gods, but the heck if I know where to find this mythical
> product. Anyone know?
>
>
> -Kelley-
>
> T. Kelley Boylan
> Author, Que Publishing
> Reviewer, Ziff-Davis
> Resident, Chicago
> Throwing, baseballs
the most recognizable being 3M.
Harold A. Driscoll
> A few years ago I got some of this at Ace Hardware (the one in Hyde
> Park), and put it up in my then-s.o.'s living room. It did help
> somewhat with drafts, but shouldn't be thought of as insulation.
> Measuring and trimming the panels, and sticking down the edges, were a
> rather tedious task; though handling it isn't as bad as, say, Classic
> Saran Wrap. (But maybe I'm just a klutz and it could be done in ten
> minutes.)
It is a lot like putting plastic wrap on leftover food. Sometimes it goes
on rather gracefully, other times it all sticks together and you feel
like a klutz. My brother swears that an industrial heat gun works better
than a hair dryer. The only year they worked for me was when I was able
to play the "show me" and let him show off his skill and toys.
If you have drafty windows you'll get a benefit. Since it traps about an
inch of air, you can give it an insulation rating of R-1.
Your best bet is to find someone who has been successful installing it,
and get the exact same model and brand. You need a decent grade of
plastic, of course, but what really matters is the stickup-stuff that
holds it around the window.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Harold A. Driscoll email: <har...@driscoll.chi.il.us>
#include <std/disclaimer> http://www.interaccess.com/users/driscoll/
Garret Gengler
the tape they supply isn't sticky enough to hold the film under tension.
It's worth the extra for the best.
-Garret