Sealing Old Aluminum Sliding Windows

[Guv Bob]

The only thing wrong with them is that they leak all the way around -- around the edges, where the windows meet each other when closed or open. They are 50 year old aluminum frames, single pane, with no vinyl finish, but otherwise look like this...

The seals between the glass and the frame are OK. It's the aluminum-to-aluminum contact points that leak.

And while I'm asking... if I can seal them properly, the next thing would be any tips on painting them white or some other type finish so they match the new ones as closely as practical?

Thanks folks!

Bob

I guess I forgot the question... LOL!! Any tips on where to get sealing materials for these old windows?

[Guv Bob]

Double pain replacements are my first choice, but with so many other fix-up jobs to do this summer, it would kill the budget to replace all of them. So we'll replace the 3 on the rainy/windy side of the house and leave the rest for next time.

The only thing wrong with them is that they leak all the way around -- around the edges, where the windows meet each other when closed or open. They are 50 year old aluminum frames, single pane, with no vinyl finish, but otherwise look like this...

The seals between the glass and the frame are OK. It's the aluminum-to-aluminum contact points that leak.

And while I'm asking... if I can seal them properly, the next thing would be any tips on painting them white or some other type finish so they match the new ones as closely as practical?

Thanks folks!

Bob

[David Martel]

Guv,

What sort of seals, rubber, felt, et c.? I'd start looking for seals at the local glass shop. They'll have catalogs and advice at least. Google window seals.

Dave M.

[bob haller]

might be best to install storm windows

[clare]

Forget trying to find them online. Find a good bricks and mortar glass and window shop. Here in Kitchener it would be Reinharts. If it's available he'll either have it or know where to get it - and he'll know how to install it, and he's as reasonable as they come.

[nestork]

If you're getting air leakage around the sliders, then the problem is most likely that the weather stripping on the sliders is worn out or missing. My experience is that on sliding aluminum windows, there is only weather stripping on the vertical ends of the sliders, not at the horizontal tops and bottoms of the sliders.

One of the most common kinds of weather stripping used on older aluminum sliders was "Fin Seal" made by the Schlegle company:

If you can find any weather stripping like that on your windows, it's Schlegel Fin Seal, and you can buy it in different widths and pile heights at places that repair windows.