theblairhouse Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I'm renovation an older house in Montrose. All 36 windows have had new rope and the weights repaired. When the windows are locked shut they are still loose within the window frame. The cold or heat will escape the house. Please advise what options are available to improve the existing windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbarz Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) I'm renovation an older house in Montrose. All 36 windows have had new rope and the weights repaired. When the windows are locked shut they are still loose within the window frame. The cold or heat will escape the house. Please advise what options are available to improve the existing windows."This Old House" did a show on that last year... try searching their website. www.ThisOldHouse.comBut it sounds like you need to add weather stripping between the frame and window. You could have added spring balances instead of replacing the weights... Edited April 17, 2009 by rbarz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREASER Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 as horrible as it sounds, you can take thouse white alum windows from home store, make a frame by double stacking 2x4s and stagering them with the window behind it. When its done, it looks exactly like a trad. wood window from 10ft. Its the depth and the effect of the frame. I cant explain in text. If curious pm with email and will send a pic. After the first one (4hrs) I was poping them out in 2hrs. your able to use the extra where the weights were and get an extra inch of window Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan the Man Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Preservation Magazine just did an article on this in their last issue.http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine...ma09window.htmlI'd build wood-framed storm windows, in the style of old decorative insect screens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerlooper Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Unfortunately much of the commentary regarding windows in the national magazines relates to heating climates. Down here even the cheapest double pane window will get some bang for the buck. If you want to feel the miracle effect of a good double pane window, next time you are near one that has full sun on it, put the back of your hand in the light, and then open the window and get full direct sun unfiltered. The really good argon filled sashes are amazing. You won't feel any sun at all. If keeping single pane glass, I would select a few windows that would be opened regularly (like south and north to get summer cross ventilation, bath and kitchen), and caulk the rest shut. The next thing is to try to keep the IR from every hitting the glass, and that means shading of some kind on the outside, like Phifer sunscreen. Put that on the east and west sides that get a lot of sun. Putting shading on the inside only absorbs the heat on the shade and then retransmits the heat into the room. Also there are thermal films that go on glass. Never put thermal film on insulated glass, by the way. Yes the economics of replacing windows are questionable. Good replacement sash like Pella can be $800+ per double window with labor. Recapture could take years even with energy credits and the like. The biggest bite of the elephant is in venting and insulating the attic, especially if the AC and ducts are up there. Soffit vents feeding ridge vents, radiant barrier if possible. I'm renovation an older house in Montrose. All 36 windows have had new rope and the weights repaired. When the windows are locked shut they are still loose within the window frame. The cold or heat will escape the house. Please advise what options are available to improve the existing windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREASER Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Ridge vents are really being questioned now...my elec. bill went down considerably when I replaced the upstairs window with double pane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Ridge vents are really being questioned nowthey can be effective with the right roof design (meaning it spans the length of the roof). my parents have a ranch and their electric bill went up went when theirs was installed. they ended up putting the turbines back and their bill dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREASER Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 thats exactly what the roofer said. Turbines are better. Best choice are the solar powered fans (according to the roofer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerlooper Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Every house/ roof is different and needs a custom approach to venting the attic. The purest design I have found is in a regular gable roof, to have continuous soffit vents feeding a continuous ridge vent. And with radiant barrier applied under the rafters, the air flow up from the soffit vents to the ridge will constantly clear the hot air from between the rafters. I have seen a maximum air temp of 108 in a H-town attic with this design (using a datalogger). That is less than 10 degrees above ambient. Now if you have a more complex roof design, with a lot of hip ridges ("pyramid shape"), this will not work. Turbines or large roof ventilators will the the option. Also if you have only limited soffit or no soffit, may have to use small roof ventilators near the edge of the roof to get more air into the attic. Some ridge vents come with mesh in them apparently to keep snow and leaf debris out. I would not use those. With the "clear" vents you will get some small debris into the attic, such as very small leaves and the like, and even some rain during very high wind events. That is the price of the ridge vent. Maximum reading I have ever had in an unvented attic is 139 deg F. Any halfway decent venting can get that right down to 120, and with decent venting and RB, down to 110. There is also the "cool attic" model out there but there are so few that there is little data to work with. This is where you use spray foam (or batts) under the roof deck and leave out the ceiling insulation. Possible drawback is that eventual roof leak would not be detected for some time, during which structural damage is sustained. thats exactly what the roofer said. Turbines are better. Best choice are the solar powered fans (according to the roofer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVK Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'm renovation an older house in Montrose. All 36 windows have had new rope and the weights repaired. When the windows are locked shut they are still loose within the window frame. The cold or heat will escape the house. Please advise what options are available to improve the existing windows. I had 1/4" thick glass pane made the size of the entire window, installed weather striping tape around the inside edge finished with the black wood frame (30s Garden Villas house) WVK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Also there are thermal films that go on glass. Never put thermal film on insulated glass, by the way.Are you talking about the 3M films? We have 29 or 30 windows , 10 of which face east or west. We have cellular shades on them, which provide some insulation, but do you think the film would actually work? It's not cheap to have installed, but a lot cheaper than new windows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerlooper Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'm sorry I don't have firsthand info regarding films. You will need to do your own DD on that. Maybe do one and see what happens? Internet unfortunately is 99% product promotion and 1% information, and just try to find that 1%. Are you talking about the 3M films? We have 29 or 30 windows , 10 of which face east or west. We have cellular shades on them, which provide some insulation, but do you think the film would actually work? It's not cheap to have installed, but a lot cheaper than new windows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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