Anybody have any experience of using this stuff, in particular the version supplied by this lot:
or
Giving some thought to it at the moment - live in an old house with original leaded-light windows so white uPVC replacement windows isn't exactly a favoured option!
Thanks David
Don't forget to work out how you will store the rigid sheets in the warmer months and keeping them scratch free. A better solution might be a thinner, more flexible sheet fitted to a roller blind mechanism. Attach steel foil strip to the blind edges and self adhesive magnets around the window.
My father made a similar system 50 odd years ago using velcro as the draught seal when I was a child. It did an excellent job of warming up a room with draughty sash bay windows.
Bob
You could use tape measures for the edges perhaps. Incorporating the tape measure and roller-blind mechanisms could generate a robust mechanism; finding the right sort of decent transparent sheet might be tricky though (I think that LDPE would be translucent whereas something like polycarbonate, whilst transparent, isn't particularly flexible).
Fit the stuff to each sash rather than over the whole window in 1 piece and it never need be removed. Dont kid yourself you'll get the performance of dg though, when the outer layer is leaded.
NT
As long as the gap is less than about 20mm and there are no draughts the insulation should be about the same. Its the still air boundary layers that do the actual insulating not the glass.
The problem is going to be sealing it well enough to stop the inter pane draughts.
I have similar problems but I'm negotiating with the LBO to have seconday triple glazing. Not that the negotiations are going well. Apparently people in listed buildings are supposed to pay higher energy bills, or something.
You'd think they'd like to see the galvanized Critalls replaced with hardwood small pane DG in my 18thC grade 2 listed cottage, but no.......
Galvanized Critalls is what we have. The LBO is trying to convince me that they are original windows made in 1728.
Ho, Ho, and I say again, Ho.
I have used a similar magnetic/acrylic sheet system in the past to reduce the draughts from casement bay windows. They worked fine, the room was definitely warmer and less draughty, and being plastic were light in weight and safe to handle. The sheets were prone to getting scratched, and in VERY windy weather they would sometimes lift off the magnetic strips in places and make a bumping noise when they snapped back. For summer storage I just stood them behind a wardrobe. All the windows have since been replaced by upvc double glazing but I would use magnetic secondary double glazing again if I had to.
Some years ago I used a version which was simply rolls of plastic magnet for the glazing and the metal strip for the window, you bought the sheet separately.
The installation was no problem, and they seemed pretty effective. When I eventually had the windows replaced, I noticed that one batch of plastic sheet had gone cloudy and brittle, so you need to be sure you are using good stuff.
Chris
In message , Tabby writes
Need to make sure that windows are draught proofed though.
No, but it'll still make a quite a difference IME. We have secondary Dg on a lot of our sash windows here (installed by a previous owner). This si the stuff with sliding sashes in a a metal frame, installed to the unside of the window frame - probably a 40mm gap? maybe more.
We ahd it our in our sitting room for the last few weeks whilst renovation and decoration of the windows is carried out and it is noticeably colder/draughtier in there than with it in. (much noiser as well from traffic)
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