Plastic Film Window Coverings

[DennisArrow]

My home is an "A" Frame style with a LOT of large glass openings facing west........This is great for solar gain in the winter and thank YOU God, I have very large oaks and hickories shading the house in the summer..........

The problem is all of that glass and cold winter heat loss/cold gain..........Yes, the glass/frames are caulked well and the wind is not infiltrating; but am concerned with the radiating of cold through the glass and yes, it is single pane solar plate glass..................

Yes, I could easily put up different types of glass; but right now the cost is totally prohibitive..........I KNOW that the plastic stretch films WORK by adding that additional bit of vapor barrier and dead air........This is truly an option; but what I wonder is:

One puts down double sided tape along the edge of the window frame to stick the film to........the question is: does the tape come off easily from the window frame and NOT leave a residue????????..................thanks Guys........God bless.........Dennis

 

[MicroPilot]

My home is an "A" Frame style with a LOT of large glass openings facing west........This is great for solar gain in the winter and thank YOU God, I have very large oaks and hickories shading the house in the summer..........

The problem is all of that glass and cold winter heat loss/cold gain..........Yes, the glass/frames are caulked well and the wind is not infiltrating; but am concerned with the radiating of cold through the glass and yes, it is single pane solar plate glass..................

Yes, I could easily put up different types of glass; but right now the cost is totally prohibitive..........I KNOW that the plastic stretch films WORK by adding that additional bit of vapor barrier and dead air........This is truly an option; but what I wonder is:

One puts down double sided tape along the edge of the window frame to stick the film to........the question is: does the tape come off easily from the window frame and NOT leave a residue????????..................thanks Guys........God bless.........Dennis

It leaves a residue, but I'd rather have this than a tape that didn't leave a residue, but maybe doesn't stick so good.

 

[Bird]

I'm sure it depends to some extent on the material those window frames are made of. We used that stretch film more than one Winter on the windows and the roof vents in our fifth-wheel when we were full time RVers and never had any residue left on the frames when we removed the film in the Spring. Of course those frames were painted metal frames.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

If I picture this right, you have large panes of fixed glass in the end of the A-frame, with some small sections of operable window? You should talk to a glass contractor about adding real storm windows to your house. On the fixed pane sections, they can remain up all year, and only have to be removed if you want to wash the space between windows. The storms over the operable windows can operate the same way, allowing you to open the windows on nice days.

The best spacing between glass is about 0.5 to 0.75 inch, which breaks up the convection cells between the glass. If it were my house, I would look at just stopping in a new layer of glass right over the large fixed windows, giving you most of the advantage of factory thermo-pane at a fraction of the cost. You would be surprised how inexpensive glass is as a building material, and in the current construction turndown you won't have any trouble finding a glass contractor who is willing to give you a reasonable price for the work. Talk to them.

 

[mmurphy]

WD40 sprayed in to a rag. Or GOOP, is a good remover of adhesives also.

 

[DennisArrow]

Thanks for the thoughts guys...........As stated earlier to replace the windows or put another fixed pane over them, right now would be a bit to expensive for me.........Yes, I have contacted several glass shops about doing this; but they advise me about the cost, and then about sweating problems and what it will do to the wood frames..........

Hmmmm........will the plastic film coatings also induce sweating?????????????

By the way the windows are:

2---48X48"
6---24X60"

They have a 45 degree angle cut across the end windows but those are pretty much the dimensions..............

The 2 sets of French doors are double paned "high dollar" from andersen and do work really well................

The casing/window frame on the inside is stained what looks to be pine........It is basically 3/4 X 1.5 inch laid against the glass with the 3/4 reveal being where I would put the tape and wonder if it leaves a residue................thanks........Dennis

 

[Bird]

will the plastic film coatings also induce sweating

I couldn't say on your kind of windows, but it never did on the RV windows.

 

[bp fick]

We have a big old bay window that faces west and is exposed to the Northwest. Not ideal at all. I used plastic kits intended for doorwalls. Worked great!!!!
Absolutely great. I did put up two kits, to make a kind of double pane of plastic, if you will.

We bought two different "brands" of window kits and on one the tape came right off, no sweat. On the other, it came off, just not as easy. I wouldn't be too concerned about the tape residue, as the modern tape leaves little or none. You are going to have to buy plastic in big sheets or off a roll, I assume.

 

[DennisArrow]

So, is it worth the effort of putting up the stuff and then fooling with the residue?????.............thanks guys.......Dennis

 

[MF RED in MT]

So, is it worth the effort of putting up the stuff and then fooling with the residue?????.............thanks guys.......Dennis

We have a log home and this is what I did: I made a 2"wide x1"deep wooden frame for each window and installed the double back tape, installed the clear window plastic to the double back tape (purchased 4' rolls), then stapled the clear window plastic to the wood frame. On the other side of the 2"x1" wooden frame I attached closed cell 1/2"x1/2" weather sponge tape with the sticky side. I install the completed frame to the interior side of the window trim using wood screws. Put em up in the fall and take em down in the summer, .
Hope this can help you, KC :thumbsup:

 

[Lloyd_E]

I used the stuff last year for the first time.

It did make a huge improvement in cutting the down the drafts in 150+ year old windows with wooden storm windows too! The clean up yaks minutes not hours.

lloyd