Windows: Ideas to Help keep the heat in and cold out!

Information to help when your home heating system is inoperative for hours or days. Plus other helpful Winter topics.
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Readymom
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Windows: Ideas to Help keep the heat in and cold out!

Post by Readymom »

Bubble Wrap

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Originally posted by susieM, at FluTrackers
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14668

I have windows which are made of very thin glass. Sometimes they break or crack, or the caulking around them falls loose (my house is old). I used to put temporary cardboard in the place of the broken windowpanes, but I've discovered that plastic bubblewrap...mine has bubbles that are about three to the inch... works even better, and lets the light in, too. Plus I don't have to see the tourists walking down my street or my neighbors anymore...I've put two layers on the windows. Can't feel the cold through the windows, anymore!

:arrow: (Jonesie)
I have a big roll of bubblewrap. Three years ago, the lowest price I found locally was at Home Depot in the USA.

It comes in a big box. In an emergency I can see where it would come in handy to cover windows to help keep out the cold. (Now I must go out and buy A LOT of extra tape....sigh.)

Here's a link showing current sellers and prices:
http://www.nextag.com/bubble-wrap/search-html

It is probably sold on ebay also.

:arrow: (susieM)
Try a staplegun, instead of tape....it's less messy, and quicker.
Readymom
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Are you losing heat through your windows?

Post by Readymom »

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Originally Posted by AnneZ at FluTrackers

Windows
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14668

Are you losing heat through your windows? - YES!

A lot of heat escapes through windows. Solutions include generously fitting lined or thermal curtains. ( in NZ Community Energy Action (CEA) provides households on low incomes with recycled curtains free of charge). Plastic window kits, also available from CEA, act as double-glazing and are relatively inexpensive and simple to install.

Plastic Window Kits

Plastic window kits are affordable alternatives to double glazing for doors and windows. They contain sheets of plastic film, which looks like cling-film, but is slightly thicker. The kit also comes with double-sided tape, and you use this to tape the wooden framing (around the window pane). You then cut out the plastic to fit the size of your window frame and fix it to the tape. Finally, you blow a hair dryer on the plastic, which shrinks it so that it is very tight.

The fitted plastic creates the air-tight gap that double-glazed windows have, which ensures that hot and cold air do not come into direct contact on your window pane. They cannot be used on most aluminium-framed windows and doors, as there is not enough of a gap between the window frame and the glass to work effectively.

Because they have been shrunk with a hair dryer to fit the window, they cannot be reused on other windows once fitted. The kits are meant to last one winter season, but there are accounts of households in Canterbury that have been using them for several seasons now.

Benefits

Plastic window insulation helps stop indoor heat escaping and largely prevents condensation from forming on the window (it won't form on the plastic either). For maximum benefit it is important to follow the instructions on the pack.
Heat loss and retention

A lot of heat gets lost through windows - 24% of the heat in an uninsulated house. Normal double-glazing prevents 50% of that heat being lost, and plastic window kits prevent 30% of that heat being lost. Using them in conjunction with thermally-lined curtains and pelmets is the best way to keep heat from escaping through your windows and doors.

:arrow: (susieM)
I tried that plastic window stuff, once. It is okay, but there are some problems with it...

The tape ruins the window edges, and to get it to look nice ever again, you have to sand them down and paint it all over again. I prefer the small holes that the staples make.

If a kid pokes their fingers through the stuff, it has to be done all over again. And that includes the tape, which won't stick so well the second time around...and has to be all removed brfore appling a second time.

Sometimes, the windows still get condensation between the plastic and the glass, which hasn't happened with the bubblewrap.

If you have a cracked pane, it must be replaced or taped before sticking the plastic on, or the condensation will not onl ruin the effect, but will build up mould on the inside of the window. With bubblewrap, a cracked or even broken or even non-existant pane doesn't bother it at all...it's still dry and warm in the house...although I've put double layers over cracked and broken and no-pane windows, just to be sure.

You must also have electricity and an electric hair-drier to install the plastic sheet and tape...after it's applied, you 'blow dry' it, and with the heat, the stuff shrinks.

Bubblewrap is much cheaper, easier to apply, easier to care for, and it works better. It's not all that opaque, either, with just one layer.
Readymom
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ANOTHER PRODUCT THAT MAY HELP

Post by Readymom »

Originally posted by Jonesie at FluTrackers

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The magic of plastic bubblewrap
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14668

It is cheap and effective insulation. It goes up anywhere, with just a flick of a staplegun. ---CONTINUED at LINK, above---

POST #5:
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14667

Another hint for staying warm: Home Depot and similar stores have a product in rolls called Reflectix that can be used over windows, to make tents, on feet, inside a sleeping bag, or as a body wrap. It's space blanket material with a thin insulation core. Love the stuff.
Readymom
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Re: Windows: Ideas to Help keep the heat in and cold out!

Post by Readymom »

Hat Tip: Image Science Teacher @ Current Events
* Link Unavailable. This site is no longer active and available to view on line.

I've bought several insulating panels of Styrofoam and have been cutting them (electric knife works great) to fit my windows. I need a tight fit so I can easily remove them on a sunny day. Also buying cans of insulating foam to fix any drafts as they occur and plenty of ductape for a myraid of reasons.

I have purchased lots of space blankets. There are so many ways to use them inside for comfort, and outside for extra reflective insulation. I've even made a few roman shades with them for areas I want to see out of.
(Made them with glue,ductape, rings and cord.)
Readymom
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Re: Windows: Ideas to Help keep the heat in and cold out!

Post by Readymom »

Windows-Insulating w. Bubblewrap

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Keeping the Cold Out of our Drafty Apartment
https://apartmentprepper.com/how-to-keep-your-apartment-warm/

-SNIP-

Our windows are not the most protective windows around. They are single paned aluminum windows that let in the frigid air. You can really feel the cold blast as you get closer to the windows. Upon hearing that freezing weather was coming, with a possible hard freeze, we decided we had to figure out a way to prepare for the event. Being in an apartment, there is not a lot of improvement you can really do. And we really did not want to keep raising the heat inside the apartment to avoid a huge electric bill. So we did some research on ways to improve our window insulation without doing major installation. We also wanted something that we could install ourselves, as well as being able to take it off after the weather improves.

-SNIP-

We opted for the middle ground: bubble wrap insulation. --- READ in FULL, at LINK above ---
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