Draft-proofing Sash Windows

[RJH]

Any recommendations to draft-proof some fairly recent double glazed sash windows? The gaps are very small - less than a mm I'd say - but a fair breeze manages to find its way through. Gapseal

seems to get decent reviews, but I can't see quite how it works - is it some sort of blu-tack? It's also quite expensive.

I'd like it to look quite inconspicous (so secondary glazing's out), and easy to remove once winter's passed. I'd leave one of the smaller windows untreated for ventilation.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You can replace the stop beads with a type with a built in seal.

[RJH]

Staff bead? Yes, thanks, they do have those - although fitting better would probably help. It seems to be mainly the part where the top and bottom sash glazing bars meet

[RJH]

Ahem - sash rails meet (I think)

[Andy Burns]

looks like a squishy foam rod that you wedge into place with a forked stick?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Andy Burns explained on 23/11/2018 :

I agree, either rod or tube, probably only good for single use. Easy to replicate for much less outlay.

[tabbypurr]

if they're wood, cut a slot into the side of the sashes & put folded over plastic in about the thickness of 2l bottles. Works well.

BT

[harry]

A job for a bit of sellotape.

[newshound]

I like that.

Years ago for my Victorian house I found a very cheap product that was basically a polythene strip probably an inch wide and half a millimetre thick. Came on a long roll, probably ten metres. This had a groove run down the centre with a pinching tool so that it was deformed into a very shallow "Vee" with a couple of mm upstanding if you held the other side down flat. It had pinholes along one half, you used small panel pins to nail it to the window frame, so that the rising part of the Vee sealed against the sash. Once nailed down, you could increase the angle if you needed to.

Come to think of it, perhaps you nailed it to sash. You could also put a run along the top or the bottom of the frame although obviously sticky foam strip will also work there.

Worked fairly well.

Can't spot anything like it on Google, but this is a commercial version of tabby's idea

[tabbypurr]

One could probably make suitable strip by spiral cutting a 2l bottle.

17p Plastic bottle with unridged sides (Aldi water): 9.5" high 12.5" circumference. Gives 119 sqin.

If you cut it 1.5" wide, that gets you about 119/1.5= 79" or 2m from one bottle.

IRL you'd get less, as spiral cutting tends to give notches in the edges which must be sheared off.

NT

[RJH]

Not far off - white electrical insulating tape seems to have done the job.

Thanks for the other suggestions - I'll take a look at the Vs/brush tape when it warms up a bit

[RJH]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[newshound]

True to the spirit of DIY!

[tabbypurr]

Quicker than trying to find the stuff online I reckon.

NT

[Jim K]

[Jim K]

Biddy Baxter would be proud ;-) How many have you done?

[Jim K]

You'll be glad of the fresh air by then...

[Jim K]

Whoosh...