Do you put plastic over your windows?

Keith Tanner wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: I used to in college, but I don't know if I waited too long and the walls were cold or if it was something else about the paint but I had a terrible luck getting them to stick.

Cleaning the sills well helps a lot. You also want to put the tape in shear instead of tension.

That was my problem. The way the frames are made, the tape wants to pull up. Fortunately, my house is tiny and doesn't cost a lot to heat, despite the fact the Anderson windows are totally shot - the dual-pane seals have failed and there's all sorts of crud between the glass. I'll replace the windows with new-construction versions (replacement type now) when I have the siding replaced and have the house wrapped (among other fixes & changes).

I found a lot of cold air was coming into my basement.

Sealing all the gaps seemed to help.

More than half of the cellar is above ground level. House built on a hill.

House built in 1850's by a man who did not own a level, plumb bob or straight edge so yes I plastic my windows.

Our issue is the area around the windows, next year the house will be foamed and I will probably still add plastic

Not since I moved to New Mexico

Bubble wrap can be a good insulator if you don't need to see out the window, but want to allow light in.

fasted58 said:

What about this type inside kits?

 

 

Bringing this thread back. I was thinking last night about some sort of heat shrink window coverage, and alas I did see it here.

How does this hold up year after year? Is there a better system than this two sided tape and cellophane?

I've been using panda plastic with duct tape, black on the outside white on the inside, but it seems every 2 weeks I need to reseal the tape. I'm looking for something I can put up in October and forget about until April. And no, replacing the windows or moving are not possibilities.

I was gonna suggest new windoze.  Oh well.

Before I bought NEW WINDOZE, I tried the plastic window film kit.  It worked.  I mean, it cut down the draft I had next to my computer desk.  Not like my NEW WINDOZE did, but to a significant degree.  I didn't mess with it and it lasted the winter.

This might be a little extreme, but I used to know the son of an architect who built himself a very nice passive solar, energy-efficient home in the ritzy suburbs of Albuquerque, NM, overlooking the Rio Grande.  He had cut window-sized sections of foil-backed polystyrene board, doubled them, and taped them together around the edges.  These he would use to cover his windows at night, and remove them in the morning.  Might have been worth his while, since a couple of long exterior walls of this house were almost completely glass, in order to afford a view of the city of Albuquerque and the Sandia mountains beyond. 

The view looked a lot like this:

APEowner said:

Not since I moved to New Mexico

That's my hope!  Sell this 1894 museum of BX wiring, no grounds, curtains that move even when the window is closed. 

Where  are you?

RevRico said:

fasted58 said:

What about this type inside kits?

 

 

Bringing this thread back. I was thinking last night about some sort of heat shrink window coverage, and alas I did see it here.

How does this hold up year after year? Is there a better system than this two sided tape and cellophane?

I've been using panda plastic with duct tape, black on the outside white on the inside, but it seems every 2 weeks I need to reseal the tape. I'm looking for something I can put up in October and forget about until April. And no, replacing the windows or moving are not possibilities.

It depends on where you can put the two sided tape. If your windows allow you to wrap the plastic around the exterior of the frame (90 degree angle into the frame), it will stay in place for years. I'd recommend only using the 3M branded stuff and cleaning where the tape is going to go with rubbing alcohol first. If someone used non-paintable caulk on the frame, the tape won't stick.

914Driver said:

APEowner said:

Not since I moved to New Mexico

 

That's my hope!  Sell this 1894 museum of BX wiring, no grounds, curtains that move even when the window is closed. 

Where  are you?

I'm in Albuquerque.  I moved here from Upstate NY about 6 years ago. 

Last year I pulled the screens off the windows, wrapped the screens in shrinkwrap, and put them back up. Made a huge difference in our 1950s era house with original windows. Sure it isn't a total seal, but it made a difference. Of course I'm here in Atlanta where we only get a few days a year below freezing.

I have very recent replacement windows in my house (2012).  They did a nice install and I siliconed all the seams where the casing meets the sill and trim.  I get pretty much zero draft, even with a strong wind.  I have candles in the windowsill and they don't move unless it is a serious wind.  Even then they just float a bit.

The only "draft" I get from the windows is the cold glass cools the air and it flows down, so in my case I don't think the plastic will help much.  As soon as the cold air convects to the plastic, it will conduct through pretty easily and then just convect again.  The plastic is mostly for preventing air penetration from gaps and leaks, but if that isn't your issue, the plastic won't do much.

Aftrer reading this i ordered some plastic. Then got home and realized that most of the windows i would put it on have blinds that will interfere. It should still help on some of the windows. Most of them are original from 1927.

We have (I think) 6mil plastic we roll up for the summers and that reach the floor. These fit behind the black out insulated floor length curtains. The window are Anderson double panes, the entire house is only 14 years old. With the amount of straight line winds we have, I am glad we did it. 

EvanB said:

Aftrer reading this i ordered some plastic. Then got home and realized that most of the windows i would put it on have blinds that will interfere. It should still help on some of the windows. Most of them are original from 1927.

If you don't mind a slightly tacky looking installation, I have installed the plastic over the blinds, provided they are mostly recessed in the window frame.  I then create a "box" of scotch tape around where the draw strings come out fo the blinds header and then make a tiny slit to pull them through.  You're then able to operate the blinds and have still have plastic over the window.  I then use a piece of painters tape to seal the hole.  You can peel this to operate the blinds, then restick it.  If the blind's header has any sharp-ish corners/edges that presses against the plastic, I'll cover these with scotch tape as reinforcement as well.

If your blinds are outside mount, just take them down, put up the plastic, then reinstall the blinds, reinforcing where the mounting screws will pierce the plastic with tape.

In reply to FooBag :

I may try that. I don't open the blinds on those windows much anyway and i am planning on putting curtains up soon.

Air infiltration is your enemy.

Most plastic jobs I’ve seen are a long way from air tight, so no they are not doing that much. 

I did it in the house I grew up in every year. 150 yo drafty old house.   I don’t think it did much. 

Start sealing holes with a caulk gun. When it’s time to worry about the windows, but some weatherstripping before you buy plastic. 

Stand beside your windows with a lit candle.  Is the flame bouncing around?  If yes, plastic.

A candle shows air infiltration. 

I can’t figure out why plastic is a better solution than proper weatherstripping.  It’s like using caulk on a roof leak instead of proper flashing. 

Or perhaps window glazing compound is bad. Then they need some maintenance. 

To the OP: double glazed Anderson casements with proper insulation?  No, you don’t need plastic. It’s a waste of time.