Does bubble wrap on windows really help and any suggestions for sealing attic & basement doors

[Shallah Kali]

I want to cut the heat loss to the attic and basement but need to figure something that can be removed and put back up. Both are visible to visitors but more importantly we need to get in the basement regularly as that is where the washing machine and big freezer are. If it wasn't for that I would just say to heck with it and try duct taping plastic sheeting around the door frame ugly or not. Windows in the basement and attic leak like sieves and there is no way to afford replacements at this time. Many of the living level are almost as bad and we can't replace them now either :(

I am planing on trying the bubble wrap thing on the windows and then putting plastic around the entire frame of the leaky windows. Has anyone tried that and did duct tape work best? I live with my Mom and she threw a fit the last time I duct taped plastic sheeting to the woodwork around the window frame but it really cut the wind tho it blew off a few times on the windiest days.

Oh this sounds interesting - cardboard shutters made of layers of cardboard glued together, wapped in foil, and the edges duct tapped together.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/CardboardShutter.htm

[wildflower]

1. I don't know about bubble wrap,

but I did the thing with the plastic on the windows and a hair dryer, and it helped.

Bubble wrap does sound like a good idea, as it would be more insulated.

[Shallah Kali]

2. Those heat sealed window things are supposed to be good but I think they would blow off our windows

A good windy day or storm and they would pop off even tho duct taped all around the edge. I would get the plastic as tight against the fram as I could and duct tape every centemeter of the edge down and when it got windy the whole panel would bell out like a bubble until finally it would pop off a section of the frame. This year I am going to put more weather stripping around the window, put bubble wrap on the window itself and then tape down the plastic sheeting and to heck with how it looks. Oil is to cursed expensive to care about obscuring the view or how bad it looks.

I am trying to still think of a way to seal the cellar and attic doorways in a way that can be refastened tightly. The doorframes are pretty tight but still leak so if I was to put the selfstick weather stipping it would have be pretty thin. Maybe just tacking plastic sheeting at the top and draping it to the floor along with that would make a difference. Between tight budget and not wanting to give those &#$(*&#*(#$(& oil companies a penny more than we have to I am determined to weatherize the house the best as this non-handy person can!!!

[pengillian101]

3. I think bubble wrapping sounds like an excellent idea!

If you have trouble with it blowing off from the inside with duct tape, my thought is...

Why not apply it to the outside of the windows with a staple gun (or tiny nails)? Just a thought :-) Stop the cold from the outside first as it tries blowing IN to your house. It probabaly wouldn't look so pretty from the outside, but hey so what. Then, I bet you wouldn't even need it on the inside. (Just a guess.)

Really, that bubble wrap sounds like a great insulator idea!

It comes in rolls, ready to cut-to-size.

We had new windows installed recently and they leak like crazy. The installer said he'd fix them. Nothing yet. So I may be trying your bubble wrap idea myself. Thanks for the idea - stay warm!

:hi:

[Shallah Kali]

6. re: treating the outside & a page on bubble wrapping windows

The leaky windows are on the second story and I don't do heights as between my bad balance and phobia would have me clinging to the ladder and praying. You should see me when I clean my grandmother's gutters. I am nearly gibbering with fear the whole time. I can manage it only because the thought of her trying and going splat it is worse than the thought of me going splat. I would have to hire someone not having any friend or family member handycrafty enough or no longer physically fit to ask. Better I do it myself and save my $ to get these suckers replaced.

I *HAVE* seen windows with plastic sheeting stapled around from the outside before, usually with thin strips of wood around the edges where it was stapled down. Now if your windows don't have a storm window you can wrap your screen with plastic sheeting taping down the corners and that should help. This isn't enough at my house as the connections aren't tight enough on the windows lacking storm windows so I will be trying more selfstick weather stripping and rope caulk instead to block the leaks around both the storm and inner windows.

Here is a webpage with instructions on bubble wrapping windows
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm

They estimate it doubles the insulation value of a single glazed window :) I am hoping an appliance store near by will have some they are willing to give me as a few sites I found talking about this suggested.

[Warpy]

4. First, figure out what those drafts are from

If they're leaks between sashes or around edges, use rope caulk. It's cheap and easy and you just discard it when you open the windows next spring. Most hardware and big box stores should have it.

If the leak is caused by convection, the icy pane causing a draft as it chills air in the room and causes it to sink, then anything that creates an air space between the pane and the room will work. A couple of layers of bubble wrap are good because they still allow light into the room. The sheet of plastic duct taped to the frame works because it creates an air space between the glass and the room and you can still see through it reasonably clearly. However, you do have to seal it or you'll still get a convection draft.

Corrugated cardboard works too, got that dead air space right in it. So do heavy lined drapes with a cornice box above them to stop the convection draft.

You might want to get some calk and seal the outside, too, where the frame meets the siding. That can also help.

[Shallah Kali]

5. Thank you for mentioning the rope caulking

I was trying to figure out how to seal the double pane windows where they meet and leak. These have storm windows but leak all the same. We tend to get high winds in the winter snow storm or no that suck the heat right out of the house. They simply aren't tight enough tho I don't think it leaks around the frame but if I notice this after adding weather stripping and caulking I will be putting plastic sheeting all around the whole blasted thing.

The worst windows are the crank out type that don't have storm windows so we wrap the screen which is on the inside with plastic sheeting. I will try adding thin weather stripping around where those edges as well as wrapping the screens because as I said before even adding more plastic sheeting duct taped to the frame I would wake after a windy night to find the sheeting blown off and hanging by one corner where the tape managed to hold. With both kinds of windows it is not merely convection. When the winds rise the windows whistle as it leaks around them. If I ever win enough $ I won't just replace those windows I am buying a windmill to make some money off those windstorms!!!

[Grey]

7. When I put up the bubble wrap

I used clear packing tape to hold it in place and do some piecing.
It works really well but next year I am going to add a layer of clear plastic to create another layer.
The house is so much warmer, I even did all the basement windows. Love this idea.

[NMDemDist2]

8. well hi stranger!!!

so glad to see you

:pals:

[Grey]

9. I've been here, I just lurk alot.

Good to see you too.

[conscious evolution]

10. Instead of ducttape

try to find gaffers tape.
Gaffers tape is used in the entertainment industry by set builders.It looks like ducttape but is much,much stronger.

Here is an idea that might provide a little heat.On south facing windows use black plastic and leave a two or three inch gap at the top and bottom.
The black plastic sheeting will hopefully retain heat.The heat will draw cold air in thru the bottom.As it rises it will warm the air and return it to the room thru the top gap.
In theory it should work.Actual mileage may vary.