Would this work? (Plastic panels over windows)

I rent the current house, so I can't replace the very-old single pane windows.

The energy loss is apalling. I put a sunshade-material over them, which helps reduce the los of some cooling, but not much. The neighborhood brownshirts "prohibit" the use of window film such as bronze SolarStat, so the rental management company

I was thinking of getting plastic panels, sticking weatherstripping on one side, jamming that up against the outside on the wondows/windowframes and attaching it.

Question:

would that actually do anything to insulate them? In theory, it seems that it ought to create a dead air space, but is that actually how it'd work?

I'd look into a bronze-tint one that'd hopefully also reduce glare and reduce some of the infared exchange.

((It isn't, after all, window film...))

Thanks in advance,

- Kris

Reply to
Kris Krieger
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A. Start a new thread if you have a new topic. Changing the subject line after you already hit reply doesn't start a new thread. This thread is rewerved for Don drooling over his dream house. B. There are colors other than bronze in window film.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Yes, it works great. With minimal carpentry skills, I cut some 1x2, wrapped some shrink, and it's as good as storm window, light, easy, fast and cheap. Kris, ask for details if interested. Ken

Reply to
Ken S. Tucker

"Ken S. Tucker" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Sounds like something I'd done in Vancouver - the rental house has one window that the wind would literally blow through, so I got some 1.25"X3/4" trim, made a frame, stuck clear plastic on both sides (double-sided tape plus staples, to create a reasonably well-sealed dead-air space), then wrapped the outside with some weatherstripping.

I've gone as far, here, to put up some outdoor fabrig that's a dense-enough weave to block much of the insolation, but deciding where to do grom here because there is still so much energy loss. OTOH I also don't want to blow $120 per plastic panel (I was surprised at how expensive the stuff is).

I don't mind doing *some* things for rental properties - ut in some plants (because I enjoy that) and whatnot, but nothing else permanent and nothing that'll end up not being cost-effective.

Lowe's sells the trim for $0.50/ft, 10' per window for frames, 4 windows, $40, and I'd prob. get a lightweight "dropcloth", siince they sell large ones cheap. The clear shrink-type is very clear, but it's also more expensive and I've never seen that it remains "shrunk".

What I can't figure out is why only a very few people in this area have retrofitted their places with insulated windows. Maybe, as in Vanocuver, the "thinking" is that, since it doesn't get cold (as poeple told me time and time again) one doesn't need insulation...

Anyhoo, having gotten some proces back from local mfgrs for lexan etc panels, I'm thinking I might be better off getting the frame and plastic, and do the inside face of the outermost sheet with a light spray of mirror- chrome paint.

- Kris

Reply to
Kris Krieger

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