Window Replacements or Renewals

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Terry S VostorPoorly sealed cracks around windows are a major source of air leakage into and out of your home. Save up to 30 % on both heating and air conditioning bills and keep soot and other airborne pollutants from entering your home by sealing the cracks with weather stripping. With a few tools, even the least experienced person can make his or home draft free.

There are several simple tests that you can do to check for drafts. Hold your hand up near the windows frame on a cool, window day. If you can feel a breeze, then you need some weather stripping that is appropriate for the window and the type Weather stripping comes in flexible tolls of foam, vinyl, metal and felt and in sheets of clear plastic. Self adhesive foam weather stripping is the easiest to install but wears quickly. Because it forms a seal when crushed by a closed window this type of weather stripping is effective in casement windows. It should not place where there is friction. On double hung windows, foam should be used only where the sash meets the upper and lower window frame, not inside the channels.

Tubular gasket weather stripping consists of a rubber or vinyl tube with an aluminum backing. It lasts longer than foam, but must be nailed into place. On double-hung windows, it is attached to the outside upper edge of the top sash and the bottom edge of the lower sash and the bottom edge of the lower sash, the exterior of the upper sash bottom rail, and the outside lengths of the window.

Spring-tension metal stripping is the longest lasting weather stripping, but takes the most effort to install. On double-hung it is nailed along both channels. On double-hung windows it is nailed along both channels and where the sashes meet the window frame and each other. The seal is formed when the springy free edge presses against the sash. Metal stripping is also appropriate for casement and sliding windows.

Felt weather stripping, available in various widths and thicknesses, can be stapled or nailed to wooden windows along the rails. Felt is good for windows that have narrows gaps to seal. However felt is highly susceptible to dampness, mold and abrasion- all of which significantly shortens its life.

Clear plastic insulating film is another form of weather stripping. It is easy to install, easy to remove at season’s end, and is sold in kits at your local hardware store.

To determine the quantity of weather stripping to buy, measure the perimeter of the moving parts for each type and size of window and multiply by the number of windows of each type. Simply add totals for each window type and size to get the total length of weather stripping needed.

For some homeowners adding weather stripping is a means to a comfortable, nicely heated home. To others it’s keeping their furnace running less often and saving heating fuel bill costs. To many home and property owners it a simple matte of both comfort and fuel cost budget savings.

Terry S. Vostor

Furnasman One Hour Heating One of Winnipeg’s Premier Heating TradesPower Vac Winnipeg

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