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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Insulation question: Does that window plastic do anything with modern double pane windows?

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  Dec. 8, 2011 8:35 p.m. Wonkothesane Reader

  I know some of you guys are insulation experts, so I figured I'd throw this out there. Every year we go through and put some of that shrink-wrap plastic on the windows in our house as well as using insulated comb-style curtains.

  This year we went through and put in 6 new double-pane gas filled windows. It's pretty sweet, you used to be able to stand in front of the windows and feel the wind (original 1950s single pane windows), but now you can't feel anything at all through or around them when they're closed.

  Would the plastic or insulating curtains help much on these new windows, or should I only be focusing on the couple of windows I didn't replace yet?

  Thanks!

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  Dec. 8, 2011 8:49 p.m. petegossett SuperDork

  IME, with double-pane windows, it's usually the voids around the windows that leaks the most.

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  Dec. 8, 2011 8:58 p.m. Wonkothesane Reader

  petegossett wrote:

  IME, with double-pane windows, it's usually the voids around the windows that leaks the most.

  Oh yeah, that's why there's no voids around the windows :) I love Great Stuff expanding foam!

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  Dec. 8, 2011 9:00 p.m. RossD SuperDork

  Every little bit of insulation helps, but my thought is no, you dont need the plastic. Lots of utility companies have some good records and trends of your energy usage so you can actually quantify if you need the plastic and curtains. Mine are available online when i pay my bill.

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  Dec. 8, 2011 11:38 p.m. curtis73 Dork

  The plastic works a little. Its cheap, too. Basically you are isolating another dead air space. In order for the heat to get sucked out, it first has to pass through the plastic. It also uses that barrier to prevent conduction - cold air falling off the glass and being replaced by hot air. By covering it with plastic you are adding one more barrier. If the plastic doesn't get as cold as the window, you are preventing convection. Since the plastic has a lower conductivity of heat you are preventing conduction. Since the plastic is transparent to light, it does nothing for radiation.

  Overall, you get what you pay for. Its Saran Wrap on a window. Don't expect miracles.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 4:42 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

  Focus on the windows you didn't replace yet.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 7:22 a.m. novaderrik Dork

  i discovered that a roll of plastic stapled to the outside of my house- right over the windows and everything- really helped keep the wind out and heat in.. my house was built in 1948 and still had the original windows, and i actually put the plastic up on a -20 degree night with the 30mph north wind doing all the hard work of holding the plastic in place while i stapled it to the original wood siding.. the difference inside was immediate- i could sit in my living room without huddling under a blanket and the furnace actually shut off once in a while..

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  Dec. 9, 2011 7:24 a.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

  Agree with fox, concentrate on the remaining windows. On the older single pane windows, it's better to make sure there are no gaps and use outside storm windows. Part of the reason for that is the gap between the two gets warm due to the greenhouse effect and that will help keep the room a bit warmer. The front door of one of my houses was a dark gray color behind a full view storm door and in the late afternoon 1 1/2 hours of direct sunlight would make it too hot to touch, even when it was 35 degrees outside.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 9:14 a.m. rotard Reader

  I'd consider some heavy drapes instead. The plastic just looks terrible.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 11:10 a.m. Gearheadotaku Dork

  The idea of the plastic to stop the drafts. Modern windows should have less of an issue, but if your plastic puffs out when the wind is blowing, it's giving you some benefit.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 11:19 a.m. SVreX SuperDork

  The insulated drapes still help. The plastic is a waste of time on the new windows, assuming they were well sealed to the frames (they usually are not).

  Did the installation include REMOVING the interior trim and insulating the pocket in the wall where the window counterbalances used to be?

  Most northern replacement window installations remove the sashes and seal the new window frame against the original stops, but fail to remove the interior trim and insulate the enormous void in the wall behind the trim. They just cut the ropes of the balance weights and let them fall into the wall.

  As previously noted, every little bit helps, but the contribution of the plastic is not even measurable. Spend time working on other air infiltration (drafts) like electric outlets, bath fans, door weatherstripping, air duct leaks, etc.

  The time you spend putting plastic over your (already decent) windows would be better spent with a caulk gun in other areas.

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  Dec. 9, 2011 2:42 p.m. Wonkothesane Reader

  Thanks for all the discussion about it.. That's kinda what I figured.
  

  SVreX - These windows weren't counter-weighted, which was nice, but anywhere I saw a gap (and a few places I didn't) are now full of expanding foam. Like I said, there's no flow around/through the new windows now. When I do something like this, I do it good :)

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  Dec. 9, 2011 2:49 p.m. wearymicrobe HalfDork

  uship is as good as the perosnal you accept as your shipper.

  for the love of god avoid

  https://www.allamericanautotrans.com/

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  Dec. 9, 2011 4:22 p.m. SVreX SuperDork

  Did you mean to post that in this thread?

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