Our living room has a dual pane, three section older wooden window that doesn't keep out the cold -40 deg Celsius weather (Saskatchewan eh!). Ice builds up when it is this cold (the ice is about 1/2 thick on the bottom of the window. Windows dimensions: 48" x 75".
My questions:
Any advice / suggestions / comments / tips on installing a plastic window insulator kit on this window (heat shrunken type)?
We have 3 rolling down blinds that are screw mounted to each of the inner frames of the window. How are we going to apply this plastic and still use the blinds? The plastic has to be applied on the inner window casing doesn't it?
Hi, How is the humidity in the house? Too much will cause the ice build up. Can you make the furnace fan run all the time on low speed to circulate air? How about applying the plastic on the window frame? Cold here too, I am in Calgary. Tony
We don't presently have a humidifier, nor a humidity guage to measure the humidity.. I am thinking that it might be a bit humid in our house, but not too bad. I'm worried about the heat we are losing out of the livingroom window (it is quite cool in the room).
I could try this...
don't think it would hold onto the inside of the frame (doen't it use double sided tape?)
forecasted low tonight here in Regina : -26 deg C...
I've installed a bunch of these, mostly on my Mother's condo's windows. The only trick is that the surface you apply the tape to must be clean, dry, and fairly warm. I wipe off the surface with rubbing alchohol prior to attaching the tape. She had aluminum window frames, and I had to use a heat gun to warm the frames slightly before the tape would stick (I suspect they may have been a bit moist due to condensation). Also, after you apply the tape to the frame, wait
10-15 minutes before applying the plastic to allow the adhesive to set a bit so the pull from the plastic doesn't peel it off the frame.
As you suspected, you won't be able to work the shade as it will be inside the plastic since it generally goes on the outer part of the moulding around the window. You might be able to apply the tape and plastic behind the shade, applying the tape flat to the edges of the window frames rather than to the outside edges of the window moulding, but it might not hold. And it wouldn't be as effective as it wouldn't be sealing the joint between the window sash and the outer frame.
Another option would be to use one of the ouside kits, but you are not going to be able to apply it when the weather is so cold (like you'd want to be out there fooling around with it now anyway!)
The good news is that the inside kits really do make a difference. My Mom's windows leak air so bad it is almost difficult to seal the last edge of the plastic to the tape because the air is trying to billow out the plastic. But once it's attached to the tape and the plastic is shrunk with the heat gun (or hair dryer) it pulls it flat, and is quite clear. If you press on the plastic though, you can still feel the pressure of the air from the other side. And the room truly does feel warmer.
how about build a temporary wooden frame you can put around the whole window and attach the film to it?
also, engineer a small hole or two (i.e. a tiny wood frame inside the larger temporary one) in the temporary wood frame where you can have the blinds cords coming through then use clear duct tape or something similar to close the small hole when not opening or closing the blind?
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