Planning The Fun
3 hours ago
Friday, October 26, 2012
Insulation trick
What do you do if you can’t afford to change your inefficient windows? Maybe you are in an apartment and are stuck with the heating bill. It’s a shame to have your precious heating dollars fly out single pane drafty windows.
The older part of my house has old fashioned single pane windows that lose a lot of heat. The cheap and easy solution was to cover most of the windows with several layers of bubble wrap. A local store had piles of the stuff to get rid of. They were happy someone was going to use it.
While it blocks your ability to see outside, it does let a lot of light in the house. Bubble wrap has surprisingly good insulation properties. It works well at stopping drafts too. A few windows were not covered so I could see outside. Of course, I chose the better windows for that. The bubble wrap got me through the winter.
Since them I salvaged some wooden framed windows from a construction project. After cleaning, painting and repair, they were turned into old fashioned type storm windows. They were slightly bigger than my house widows, so all I had to do was screw them on the outside of the house. Of course, they have caulking and gasket material for tight seals. Unlike the bubble wrap, I can see out of them.
Two of my tall narrow “storm windows” are repurposed glass doors from a store cooler. Every few years the cooler doors are changed and just thrown away. A friend of mine salvaged enough of them to solar heat his chicken coop. The chickens loved it.
-Sixbears
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"Waste not, want not."
ReplyDeleteIf I was wasteful I'd have to get a real job. :)
DeleteAnd, "a chicken in every pot."
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! During the winter I attach plastic sheeting all along the bottom of the coop to keep out the drafts and snow. Did your friend replace a part of the roof with the glass panels?
ReplyDeleteNo. In the winter, when he really needs the heat, the sun doesn't rise very high in the sky here. *northern NH.
DeleteYou'll need those storm windows here in a few days lol. I used my voodoo and made the whirly girl miss us, thought I'd send it up your way instead. Figured ya'll could use a bit of rain.
ReplyDeleteHunker down up there she be coming....
Gee thanks Spud, for the voodoo that you do. We don't need rain, snow, or high winds, but looks like we might get it anyway.
DeleteGreat idea for using bubble wrap. We would fit styrofoam snug against the window, then make a curtain from material obtained from Wal-Mart. I bought the cheapist black material that was thick, placed velcro on the material and on the styrofoam, connected the two. And there you have it. Insulation and complete dark out windows. Making it warmer and dark enough to sleep, especially if you worked nights.
ReplyDeleteWhen we worked nights, we made sure our bedroom could be blacked out. Makes a huge difference for sleeping. Night work is hard enough.
DeleteI lived in an apartment near DC one time that was so cold in the blizzard of 84 that the roaches were freezing. There were gaps in the windows so I took wet paper towels and slapped them over the gaps and they froze in a minute and sealed the holes. I thought that I had saved the roaches but the mice came out and started eating the little buggers!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lovely apartment.
DeleteSometimes the weather patterns dump all the nasty weather well to the south of me. It doesn't make it over the White Mountains. 84 was one of those.
could you post a drawing of how your friend used the cooler doors on the chicken coop? where do you get the doors? supermarket manager?
ReplyDeletethanks. deb harvey