do you put plastic on your home windows

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
4,023
as a kid I remember every year putting plastic on the windows of the house for winter. they were aluminum framed single pane windows. my house has double pained insulated windows. is it still necessary to put up plastic? also any other energy efficiency tips is appreciated!
 
I do. It does make a difference at least for my home in particular. I have one window that is particularly drafty, haven't changed it yet because the size is awkward.

If you have newer windows that are installed properly, I don't see the plastic being necessary.
 
Windows are a big loss and those single vs double pane and plastic windows are all a pretty big scam. Most of the modern windows are garbage too. Their design is to only last a few years per some reading Ive done.

Some good reading, IMO:
http://eastrow.org/articles/vinylwindows.html

But to your question, the windows were probably not well maintained and leaked, so plastic over them kept an air pocket that sealed some of the leaks. Unfortunately, often air leaks around the window frame and moulding; the glass is ALWAYS lossy.

Id sure up windows that have air leaks around them, make sure the mouldings are sealed well and there arent any lossy air pockets in the pockets to the sides of the windows, and then call it a day. If you have a lossy window that for whatever reason isnt reasonable to replace witha quality wood unit, I'd get a storm window and install that for a permanent enclosure. From what I recall when I friend tried doing plastic on all his windows in a leaky rental home, it wasnt cheap.
 
We put up the plastic. Have a 1960's ranch with the original single pane windows. Figure the plastic is cheaper than replacing the windows for now... It makes a big difference. 3M is the clearest IMO, we have a large picture window and 3M makes an oversize window pack. I use the cheaper brands on the bedroom windows. I try to buy them on sale in the spring when they put them on clearance.

With double pane windows, I doubt you need the plastic....
 
We have used 3M window insulation film with good success. It is applied inside with tape and then heated with a hair dryer to get the film tight. They would work well on your double paned windows and cut down on any air leakage.

These kits work better than any of the plastic exterior ones.
 
I've used it with good results in past homes. 3M is the best. I used a less expensive brand one year and I had problems cleanly removing the tape in spring.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Windows are a big loss and those single vs double pane and plastic windows are all a pretty big scam. Most of the modern windows are garbage too. Their design is to only last a few years per some reading Ive done.

Some good reading, IMO:
http://eastrow.org/articles/vinylwindows.html

But to your question, the windows were probably not well maintained and leaked, so plastic over them kept an air pocket that sealed some of the leaks. Unfortunately, often air leaks around the window frame and moulding; the glass is ALWAYS lossy.

Id sure up windows that have air leaks around them, make sure the mouldings are sealed well and there arent any lossy air pockets in the pockets to the sides of the windows, and then call it a day. If you have a lossy window that for whatever reason isnt reasonable to replace witha quality wood unit, I'd get a storm window and install that for a permanent enclosure. From what I recall when I friend tried doing plastic on all his windows in a leaky rental home, it wasnt cheap.

I replaced 30 years old aluminum single pane windows and patio doors in my house to vinyl double pane about 10-12 years ago.

It reduce the heat in summer and keep warm air in the house better in winter. It also reduce the outside noise substantial. To me it looks better too. So far all the windows are working well, so I don't they are scam.
 
I changed my old rattling, leaking noisey windows out for Superior Windows double glass Argon filled insulated ones. The best money I have ever spent on anything, period. Living on the highway used to be a pain because of the noise, no more , its like living on a side street now. Lifetime warranty that is transferable too, all for $189 installed!!!
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Windows are a big loss and those single vs double pane and plastic windows are all a pretty big scam. Most of the modern windows are garbage too. Their design is to only last a few years per some reading Ive done.

Some good reading, IMO:
http://eastrow.org/articles/vinylwindows.html

But to your question, the windows were probably not well maintained and leaked, so plastic over them kept an air pocket that sealed some of the leaks. Unfortunately, often air leaks around the window frame and moulding; the glass is ALWAYS lossy.

Id sure up windows that have air leaks around them, make sure the mouldings are sealed well and there arent any lossy air pockets in the pockets to the sides of the windows, and then call it a day. If you have a lossy window that for whatever reason isnt reasonable to replace witha quality wood unit, I'd get a storm window and install that for a permanent enclosure. From what I recall when I friend tried doing plastic on all his windows in a leaky rental home, it wasnt cheap.

I replaced 30 years old aluminum single pane windows and patio doors in my house to vinyl double pane about 10-12 years ago.

It reduce the heat in summer and keep warm air in the house better in winter. It also reduce the outside noise substantial. To me it looks better too. So far all the windows are working well, so I don't they are scam.


Given the savings and diminishing returns, I'd say ROI isn't that great.

h00029_07a_lg.jpg


Kind of like the hybrid car argument...

Because if your home is anything like mine, it has around 35-40 windows. Even if at $189 each, you're talking $6700, likely more if any are bigger windows or whatnot. To save 200/yr best case.

Yet the windows are designed, per the link I provided earlier, to last 10-20 years. That's only $2000-4000 in energy saved. So you don't even break even, let alone get a return.

And on older homes, wood windows often have superior aesthetics, even if a full size storm window is applied.
 
Originally Posted By: SevenBizzos
I spent nearly $50 on plastic one year and didn't notice any difference in bills or temperature. Pass.


m experience as well when i tried it one year.
 
depends on how bad your windows are.

I'm going to do my tri-bay window and thats about it.
 
Originally Posted By: FXjohn
if the wind whistles through your windows, try the plastic.


Reminds me of an apartment I had in Buffalo, NY. When the wind was blowing you could see the curtains move. I'm sure some plastic would have helped.
 
The main reason I replace 15 30+ years old aluminum windows and 3 patio doors with vinyl was to reduce the noise from a busy street on the back of my house, secondly it makes the house looked better. I paid around $12-13k for those vinyl windows and patio doors.

We didn't use much energy at all, my cost of electricity and natural gas was less than $800-1000 a year with old windows, it's about $600-800 now, $45-50 a month for 8-9 months and $60-70 a months in winter.
 
this year I put the plastic on the Windows in my front room. it used to be drafty. now it is much nicer/ comfortable.
even if my heating bills don't change(I bet they go down significantly) the increase in comfort was worth it.
it was time consuming to clean well and make sure all of the double sided tape was nice and tight.
in the end it probably took about 35 mins per window
 
Yep, since the windows are horribly drafty at my current place. It made a large difference in both our heating and A/C bills. The plastic will billow in on very windy days.
 
Our home has 35 (I think) windows-it would be rather impractical to cover them with plastic.

We built our home in 1995-1996 and used high quality windows-after 18 years they don't leak and are still as comfortable and energy efficient as they were when they were new.

Even the older windows aren't hard to make a lot more energy efficient-some weather stripping and insulation in the cavities will make a world of difference. The biggest downfall of the old windows is the single pane glass-there's not much you can do to make a single pane of glass more energy efficient.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top