I realize it is coming on summer time, but .. while the weather is good... The place I am in is a 70's duplex with metal windows. When it is cold at night, you can feel the cold air coming in through the windows. Is there a way to seal these windows? Something like weather stripping? Same for a sliding glass door. We have sliding glass door in a bedroom, that is also metal, and also of the
70's late 80's. You can feel the cold air coming in through that door also. Can it be sealed up, with something like weather stripping? Replacing the windows/door isn't an option... Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Are you sure that you actually have an air leak? It is also possible to feel the movement of cold air when the air is cooled by the glass and frame and then falls having become more dense than the surrounding air. This type of current can be amazingly strong if there is a big temperature difference and the window has a very low R factor -- like single pane glass and a metal frame. I'm sure that there are some websites that describe the methods for tracking down air leaks and of course there are companies that offer the service. If there are detectable leaks then relatively simple fixes like weather stripping and caulking may help you repair them without paying a fortune.
I have used 3m window film on my metal paned windows and it is great, cheap, keeps drafts out and lasts until the clear tape lets go about 4 months. It is shrink wrap material, clear and is invisible when applied correctly. Look at Home Depot.
From the single-pane glass/ aluminum frame windows I've seen, the problem isn't lack of weatherstripping it's the inablity of the window to insulate against the exterior climate at all.
One pane of glass just doesn't cut it anymore. Of course, it wasn't long after the energy-crunch of the 70's that they were outlawed in most northern climates yet continued to be installed in more moderate climates, even Florida where central Air is used like a Northerner would use a furnace.
As for the aluminum, it makes a great conductor too, useless as a window frame material.
Single Pane Window I think. Mostly a metal frame, with two sliding pieces of glass on the outside edge, and one large piece of glass in the middle. The windows have glass on the inside/outside, with the metal spacer between them.
I can feel the cold air about 5-6 inches from the window. Almost like a draft. I'm not sure how to go about weather stripping the window... I'd call a pro, but I'm SURE this is a good DIY job. .
Yes, exactly like weather stripping. There's actually quite a few different places where air can seep in through a badly-sealed window (the 70s was just before energy consciousness reached the building industry), and they have different solutions, but the most obvious is going over the existing stripping and finding holes to seal. Our 1970s aluminum storms used felt stripping, and it's badly deteriorating. The storms themselves are often out of square, permitting cracks on one side or another. The sash had a thin felt-like pad bumping up against the track and this, too, is a place where air can creep in.
Weatherstrip at least the edge of each sash. Make sure you seal the place where the two sashes touch, as well. You can use different materials depending on expense and what will fit or attach easily. Some have shorter lifetimes than others!
All of this is beside the problem that the window *frame* is a place where a lot of air can sneak past. Caulking on the inside *and* outside, along all joints, will most definitely help. There are also methods of putting insulation into voids in the frame itself, but these are very dependent on what you have.
Ultimately you'll want to go for the real energy-efficient solution, which is two panes of glass with something in between. This could be, at minimum, regular sash inside and storm window outside, or modern vinyl double-pane windows.
Same for a sliding glass door. We have sliding glass door
Think of a sliding door as a double-hung sash on its side. The edges should be weatherstripped the same way.
Replacing the
Replacing may well be worth considering when you contemplate all the work needed to truly rehabilitate your deteriorating outer skin.
Assuming the windows are 'sliders', remove the sliding side and examine it's edges. You should find some type of weather stripping embedded in a groove.
If similar to mine, this weather strip material has shrunk from both ends leaving about an inch gap, plus the material itself has worn down to xxxx.
Remove a short section (an inch long?) being careful to preserve it's shape. Take your sample to hardware/home improvement center and ask for matching weather strip.
I found my weather stripping had been 'crimped' into place when the window was made and would not allow the new material to slide into the groove, so I used a 'mototool' to grind off the interfering crimp inside the groove.
I assume the fixed pane has similar weather stripping, but have no idea how to get to it???????? Have heard it's easy to break the glass.
It's probably a safe bet the sliding door has similar weather stripping material. The trick is figuring out how to get the door out??
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