Life hack how to insulate windows.
Warmth in a house or apartment is a guarantee of comfort, coziness and well-being. To do this, we install central heating in our apartments, build underfloor heating, etc.
However, it is important not only to deliver heat to the house, but also to preserve it.
Most of the heat leaves our apartments through the windows, insulating which you can significantly improve your living conditions in the cold season.
Let's look at quick ways to insulate, both modern plastic windows and old wooden ones. Let's start with the simplest and cheapest ...
1. Do you want to insulate the window? - Wash him!
Heat leaves our apartments not only due to drafts, but also to go outside in the form of infrared radiation.
Conventional glass, being transparent to visible light, has a low level of transparency to infrared rays that transmit heat.
But contaminated glass, losing transparency in the visible part of the spectrum, significantly increases it in the infrared spectrum. Therefore, to keep warm, it is enough just to wash the window before the start of the cold season.
However, in the spring it will not hurt to do this either - so that less radiant heat penetrates into the apartment in an already hot summer.
The inside and (necessarily!) Outside should be washed with a product based on ethyl or ammonia. This will allow, firstly, to cleanse grease contamination, which is especially important for the kitchen, and, secondly, to avoid stains left by the salt dissolved in water, which remains after the moisture has evaporated.
In addition to the glass, the frames also need to be washed - we will glue seals, insulation and more on them. It sticks poorly to dirt, but falls off quickly. You don't want to re-glue the seal in the middle of winter with wide open windows?
2. Traditional methods of window insulation
If you don't particularly want to invest, for example, when it comes to temporary housing, you can insulate the windows with what is at hand. So, a quick overview of the most budget options:
- If the window, balcony door or window leaf does not close tightly enough, then in the hardware store you can find self-adhesive rubber seals of different thicknesses. If the glue does not stick well in the cold, then you can use a household hairdryer or fan heater.
- The joints between the frames and the sashes, as well as along the outer perimeter of the frame, are clogged with cotton wool, foam rubber or tow and sealed with masking tape. It does not stick very reliably, for some reason it can be easily washed afterwards. You can, of course, at least glue it with a plaster, but then you will have to tear it off with paint.
- Learning from nature: Wasps build their nests from chewed cellulose. You can get a mass similar in composition from white toilet paper soaked in water. It is better not to use colored newspapers and newspapers - they are painted. We squeeze the resulting gruel and hammer it into the cracks. We also glue the top with masking tape.
- The properties of insulation and adhesive tape combine self-adhesive foam or polyethylene foam - a reliable, convenient and inexpensive means of insulation that can quickly seal the cracks on the windows. It is sold in rolls, like scotch tape.
- Finally, you can simply cover all the cracks with plasticine or good old window putty. But in the spring you will have to tinker seriously to scrape them off. So this option should only be used as a last resort (when the gaps are large and unequal).
Features of insulation of plastic windows
It makes no sense to glue new plastic frames - they have sufficient tightness. However, over time, the mechanisms are loosened, and the seal becomes unusable. What methods will help determine where the cold air is coming from:
- raise your hand and feel the cold streams;
- candle - it will be seen how the flame is waving;
- paper - the sheet, due to its light weight, will move if it is brought to a draft.
There are not so many reasons, more often - poor-quality installation, shrinkage of the house or wear of the sealing rubber bands. An important condition is insulation from the outside. This is done with plaster, polyurethane foam or polystyrene. Blowing around the entire perimeter indicates that it is time to change the entire seal.
How to seal windows with toilet paper. How to glue windows with soap for the winter
We glue the windows with soap
A person has always thought about improving living conditions and the comfort of his home. It has always been so at all times. Strong winds and harsh winters do not leave much choice, forcing residents of houses to seal up the windows and insulate their homes. Of course, at this stage in the development of the construction industry, there are many modern technologies for sealing windows and further retaining heat. Also, no one canceled expensive plastic windows, which can forever solve the issue of saving heat in your apartment.
But not every family can afford to buy modern windows, and they just got used to glue the windows with soap for the winter in the old fashioned way.
Or in some other old and proven way, it doesn't matter. There are a large number of old and quite effective methods for sealing windows, which remain relevant to this day.
We will discuss the most famous and widely used available method of sealing windows with strips of paper or cloth and simple laundry soap.
Eliminate disadvantages
The primary task before starting pasting windows is as follows.
There are more convenient pasting methods
It is necessary to carefully inspect all potentially dangerous places from where cold air can flow into the room. Determine which method you want to insulate the windows. Then you need to purchase materials and tools at hand, if necessary. One of the simplest and most affordable methods of insulation in material terms is pasting the windows with soap for the winter. This is the most popular and favorite method that our grandmothers and mothers used in those years when there was no talk of other innovations. The work, in principle, did not require much physical effort and consisted of several stages:
- carefully seal up all the cracks found with rags or cotton wool, using a knife;
- cut paper strips;
- Wet the papers in soapy water and carefully stick them on the window frames.
The main advantage of this method is that white paper or fabric is not noticeable and does not violate the aesthetic appearance of the window. The soap itself serves as a glue and sealant at the same time, and also does not allow the cold or wind to pass through. Also, already cut paper or fabric strips can be used several times, without losing the quality of window insulation. The disadvantage of this budget method is that the paper can come off when the temperature drops.
When the warm season comes, strips of paper or fabric can be easily and without much physical effort peeled off by simply moistening them with warm water. Usually, old wooden windows are pasted over with this very affordable and effective method. In addition, instead of cotton wool, you can use other materials that are on the farm.
Last few tips
Before the cold snap, every person begins to think about such an importantthe question: how to save heat and insulate the windows? This issue is all the more urgent and acute with increasing prices for energy resources. It is known that poorly glued windows do not retain even half of the heat. Nowadays, there are modern insulating materials that allow you to effectively glue windows and contribute to an impressive retention of heat. But with such a variety of means, the choice always remains only for the person, which method of insulating windows is modern or old-fashioned to choose.
Paper tape
- If you don't want to bother too much, you can tape the window over.In this case, do not hesitate, because masking tape (the most popular in this business) begins to appear on store shelves quite early - in the first months of autumn. If you have not had time to stock up on the necessary equipment, do not worry.
- Alternatively, use regular tape (wide, of course). You will also need a hairdryer to melt ice on the windows and non-sterile cotton wool, which is easy to find at your nearest pharmacy. You need to make bundles of cotton wool, and then place them in the slots.
- Before you start insulating, first dry the windows with a hair dryer - this way the adhesive tape will hold better. The last stage includes sealing with tape. This method will allow you to quickly insulate your house, but it has its drawbacks: such an adhesive material may not adhere well.
Insulation of the window sill, drainage and slopes
If there are no cracks on the frame, and the heat still escapes from the room, it is possible that the problem is the presence of cold bridges in the space under the window sill or inside the slopes. In this case, repair and insulation of wooden windows will be required at the same time.
Polyurethane foam
Universal insulation for windows - polyurethane foam. It can be used for filling gaps and installing slopes.
To exclude the loss of heat from under the window sill, it is necessary to clean out from the space under it the old fallen off plaster, scattered foam, caked cotton wool or another type of insulation that has become unusable. Then install the foam canister into the gun and blow the insulation into the slot
At the same time, it is important to remember that the composition is expanding several times. Excess foam can be easily cut off with a knife after drying
To seal large gaps under the windowsill, it is better to use polyurethane foam.
Also, foam is blown into the seam between the frame and the wall and along the edges of the slope, then any insulation is laid and the slope is made of plasterboard, plastic or sandwich plates. Temporarily it must be fixed on the wall with masking tape. All joints must be coated with sealant.
Polyethylene film
Insulation of windows in a wooden house can be done by other methods. A new and still insufficiently proven method is to seal the window opening with a completely transparent plastic wrap. The method is not entirely aesthetic, since it is difficult to glue the film absolutely evenly. It can only be partially smoothed out with a hairdryer. But, judging by the reviews, the method allows you to reduce the heat loss of the window to the level of a blank wall, which is much more effective than gluing or sealing cracks.
Sealing a window opening with a film significantly reduces heat loss, although it does not look very aesthetically pleasing
The film is fixed in different ways:
- Double-sided tape;
- Furniture stapler;
- Masking tape.
This cold protection is easy to install and remove. The same film can be used multiple times.
Since you can insulate old wooden windows for the winter in different ways, it is best to use several at once in order to eliminate not only obvious problems, but also those that may arise in cold weather.
It is recommended to insulate windows with your own hands in summer or autumn, because many types of work cannot be performed in the winter season.
How can you glue the windows for the winter?
Due to the rise in prices
for electricity and heat, people begin to actively paste over windows with everything that is under
hand comes across, just to reduce the likelihood of a cold entering the house
air in the winter. Some use the proven old-fashioned method,
using soap and paper, and someone buys a specialized glue designed
for plastic windows - a lot of options. However, there is also a modern way
insulation. And if it is done correctly, then in cold weather you can raise
room temperature by 5 ° C.
Video about the best way to glue the windows for the winter
So that a person does not break
his head about how to seal the windows for the winter, the industry made for him
maximum number of possible options:
Paper method
Windows are glued with
using paper that is sold in the form of ribbons. Any convenient
adhesive base in order to carry out this process. You can take for this
soap, flour mixture, kefir - everything that comes to hand. But this construction in
the form of a paper tape, unfortunately, for a short time retains its abilities and with
time passes cold air into the house.
Scotch tape for windows
Using paint
scotch tape for gluing windows - the simplest, most economical and more effective way
insulate your house. If it cannot be found on sale, then the usual
economic wide tape can successfully replace it. In addition also
you will need cotton wool and a hairdryer. It is used to dry ice. If the place where
tape will be attached, do not dry properly, then it will instantly
peel off. It is better to purchase non-sterile cotton wool. Houses in the process of cotton wool
rolls into a bundle, and all existing cracks in the windows are already clogged with it. If they
very narrow, you can do without cotton wool. Attaches to a well-dried window
Scotch. The better to seal the windows for the winter, the more heat will be stored inside.
premises.
Foam rubber on a sticky basis
Another thrifty
an option is pasting with foam rubber on a sticky basis. Such heaters are very
there are many in specialized super-markets, and it is suitable for insulating wooden windows and for plastic ones. The sticky base on foam rubber can keep the insulation on
window during the entire cold season. The only drawback is high
moisture permeability to the material, due to which it may suffer in the process
tightness.
Silicone sealant
Rubberized seal
It is the most reliable and
long-term option for pasting the window for the winter. The only thing that he
will come out more expensive in the price category. Before starting the insulation process,
you need to thoroughly wash and dry the surface so that it does not slip.
These methods will help
owners of any kind of window to increase the heat saving in the room.
Preparatory stage
Before work, be sure to thoroughly rinse the surface of the windows, dry and soak with alcohol or gasoline to degrease. Otherwise, adhesive insulation will not last long. Then dry the window frames again and proceed with the procedure.
Carry out insulation before the onset of cold weather. This will not only provide comfortable working conditions, but also provide suitable humidity, provide an opportunity to immediately perform internal and external insulation. In addition, it is impossible to work with many materials in the cold, since at low temperatures they lose their practical properties.
After warming, the surface also needs to be washed or cleaned. Read here how to clean windows after renovation. And then we will consider various means of how to glue the windows.
Window putty
Paper or window putty is an affordable and quick method. For work, you will need old newspapers or paper, water and two parts of crushed chalk or a part of clay.
Grind newspapers, mix the components and as a result you get a viscous, plastic mass, which can be used to seal up any, the smallest and narrowest, cracks and gaps. From above, for aesthetics, the putty is covered with decorative elements.
You can buy ready-made construction putty. This is a rather laborious process, since before starting it is required to remove the old putty, then apply new material, level it, if necessary, close it with glazing bead and paint.
After the procedure, it is easy to clean the window from the putty. In addition, the product does not absorb moisture. However, the effect will only last for one season. In addition, the putty prevents the window frames from opening. Therefore, with the onset of heat, the agent is removed, and the windows are thoroughly washed. Before next winter, in order not to blow, you will have to glue the frames again.
How to insulate plastic windows. 7 proofs that insulating plastic windows is not a complicated process
Each house is unique. Someone has an apartment in a high-rise building, and someone has an architectural masterpiece of a design bureau. However, all, without exception, dwellings are united by windows. In ancient times, these were simple gaping squares in the walls, and in the modern world, crystal clear glasses framed in plastic. They allow not only sunlight to penetrate, but also cold air. It has long been no secret that even the highest quality "plastic", over time, loses its main advantages, for which it was delivered. And the lion's share of the heat floats away through the windows. So how do you keep additional positive degrees in your apartment? The answer is simple - insulation, as the simplest and most effective way.
Here you can find tips, after reading which, you will learn how to insulate plastic windows without specialists.
Cold test in 1 minute
The old windows have been safely thrown away and your new ones are sparkling. Warm, reliable, beautiful. Those where the manufacturer is obliged to adhere to quality standards and take into account all weather conditions - wind protection, frost resistance and heat. It seems that all the stories about the cold can be forgotten, at least for 5-7 years. But, experts advise doing a very simple test for crevices and drafts on a regular basis.
For this you need:
- Walk along the joints with a lighter or lighted match. The deflecting fire will quickly reveal the slits that are invisible to the eye;
- To slobber your finger and run it along the perimeter of the window. A sharp coldness on the skin will serve as an excellent indicator even for a small draft.
Important! Pay attention to the frame from the inside. Frost, ice or condensation should not be present
Causes of the cold
Plastic windows are not a panacea for the cold. And there can be many reasons for this.
Here are the main ones:
- Depressurization. Glass by itself is not able to retain heat for a long time. If a special spray is applied to it, it becomes "warm". The heat lasts a little longer, but, nevertheless, it is not enough for a comfortable room temperature during winter minuses. A double-glazed window forms a sealed chamber where air or gas is contained inside. It is thanks to the air space, which does not conduct heat well, that a barrier to cold is created. If the glass has moved away from the frame, then the "air cushion" is obtained with a hole - unpressurized;
- Incompletely blown out cracks with polyurethane foam when installing windows;
- External slopes not sealed in time and, as a result, the destruction of the polyurethane foam under the influence of the environment;
- Loose window closure due to aging and drying out of the rubber seal. To avoid this for a long time, it is enough to lubricate the rubber with glycerin twice a year. Thus, it will become softer and more elastic;
- Cracking between the frame and the wall of the house. This is due to the natural subsidence of the house.
Scotch, cotton wool and foam rubber
Paper or masking tape is an old, proven and fastest option to eliminate drafts from plastic or wooden windows. It does not provide significant insulation, however, the work is carried out quickly, and the materials are cheap. Be prepared that in a strong draft, such tape may come off.
If it blows too hard in the apartment, use extra cotton wool or foam rubber. Fill up large gaps between the sashes, between the sash and the wall, and the window sill with material. From above, cotton wool or foam rubber is sealed with masking tape or special paper tape.
You can buy ready-made self-adhesive foam strips. This is an economical option to seal the cracks on both wood and plastic windows. Due to the adhesive base, you do not have to glue the material with tape, while the insulation will easily hold out throughout the season.
In this case, you do not need to work with water and liquids, which increases the convenience and practicality of the procedure.But the lining with cotton wool or foam rubber and tape must be repeated before each cold season, since such products absorb moisture well, swell and cease to protect against drafts. In addition, the sealed window cannot be opened for ventilation.
Warming with newspapers
Warming with newspapers
One of the most budgetary and simplest in execution options for the insulation of window structures. According to this instruction, newsprint is used to seal the cracks. It is enough to simply take old newspapers, wet them with water to get a homogeneous mass, and then fill all kinds of cracks with this substance. For more convenience, the soaked paper can be rolled up into tubes.
The joints of individual elements of the window structure are glued with tape. If you want to save even more, you can use plain paper. Cut it into long strips and glue it to the frames using a diluted laundry soap.
The joints of individual elements of the window structure are glued with tape
Despite its simplicity and low cost, the method is very effective and proven by many generations of housewives. However, such insulation has its own significant disadvantage - when the air temperature outside begins to rise, the thermal insulation will have to be removed. The problem is that ink is often peeled off along with the paper. And it's not so easy to get rid of soaked newspapers. Therefore, this method is increasingly being abandoned in favor of the next option for thermal insulation.
Other means for gluing windows
The sealant will be a real salvation if it blows strongly from the windows. The sealant is applied in the areas where the glass adjoins the frame. Window frames must be washed, degreased, and then carefully applied. And to make the seam as tight and aesthetic as possible, squeeze out the composition with uniform pressure and distribution;
Paraffin is used to insulate wooden frames. The tool removes only blowing through the pores of the tree. For the procedure, melt the paraffin and glue the surface of the flaps with a mass. This is a budgetary but time consuming way. In addition, it does not eliminate drafts around the perimeter of the glass and frame;
Thermal saving film is a popular and affordable material for pasting windows. It not only covers the areas of contact between the glass and the frame, but also reflects the heat received. This increases the thermal insulation of the room and reduces heat loss by 75%
It is important to glue the material correctly, without folds and air bubbles. The film can be easily glued on its own, but it is quite expensive;
Oddly enough, washing the window glass and thick long curtains will help insulate the windows.
Clean double-glazed windows transmit sunlight as efficiently as possible, which heats the room. And thick and long curtains will keep the heat inside the room;
Electric heating of windows and double-glazed windows is another modern and expensive way to reduce heat loss. In the first case, a heating cable is installed around the window. In addition, you can install ready-made double-glazed windows with heated glass, which will be heated from the inside.
How can you glue windows from the sun?
Desire to escape from
summer heat occurs in everyone - someone is sitting under the air conditioner, someone
doused with cold water, and someone eats ice cream. But to create
acceptable temperature in the house, without having an air conditioner, you can stick
film on the window so that the rays of the sun could not penetrate the room.
On the windows of some
people can see the foil. The opinion that the foil glued to the window
will save from the heat - it is a mistake, since it is metallized, which means that it is only
attracts the sun and warms the room more.
Sun protection film
has two functions:
- From the side of the house she
creates a pleasant shade. - From the street side she
reflects the rays of the sun and the room, accordingly, becomes cooler.
In addition, such
way, you can hide from prying eyes, if there are no curtains, and from the sultry sun
Sveta.
How to stick the sun film?
This can accomplish
any person who does not have special skills in this type of activity.
To get this job done, you need several tools:
- Detergent for
surfaces of windows. - Atomizer for
water. - Plastic or
rubber spatula (as it is more convenient for anyone). - Sharp knife for work.
- Film for windows.
- To begin with, you should
thoroughly wash the glass of windows on both sides. - On a sticky surface
film with a spray bottle, it is necessary to spray a homemade solution, in the composition
which includes liquid soap and water. It is better not to shake it too much, so as not
a lot of foam has formed. This solution will help to move the product freely along the
glass the way a person needs. - Now you need to attach
film to glass. After waiting for the foam to settle, use a spatula to gently
smooth out the film with movements so that all formed bubbles
left. The movements are carried out from the center to the edges of the film. Having achieved perfect
flat surface, let the product dry. - In the end, you can
trim off excess film when it is completely dry and set. Better not to be customized
the correct size before pasting, as a small gap may form.
Before starting work
the window must be clean and dry. Only then will the film fit well on
glass surface and will last a long time. Now you don't need to rack your brains and think about what
seal the windows from the sun.
How else can you glue the windows so as not
muzzle? Grandfather's methods
- You can take wet
paper, fold it into a bundle shape and fill the gaps in the windows with them, and glue it on top
adhesive solution. However, in the spring you will have to work hard so that this
somehow remove the insulation, since all this amateur performance is tightly
dries up over the winter. Therefore, there is a possibility that window frames will need to be
repaint. - A more gentle way
pasting windows from drafts - use foam rubber as a bundle, and glue on top
it can be done with a regular cloth from old shirts or sheets. Stripes should be 5
cm wide. You can use soapy water to stick them on. For this
you can take any soap. Unlike paper, fabric does not turn yellow,
which will give an aesthetic look to the window, and in the springtime it can be easily removed. - You can also use
another ancient method and seal the windows with paraffin taken from the melted
candles in a water bath at a temperature of 70 ° C. To embody the process, it is enough
take a regular disposable syringe, heat it up and fill it with paraffin,
spray into all the cracks that are in the windows. - You can also
use a clothesline as a material for insulation. And if cold
air seeps into the house from the glass part, then you just need to replace
obsolete glazing beads with new ones.
Such "grandfather" and
modern methods of pasting windows will help keep maximum warmth in cold weather
the weather. Of course, plastic windows do this job much better and,
in fact, they do not need special additional manipulations to keep warm,
if the installation work was originally carried out with high quality by qualified
specialists. Otherwise, you will need insulation of plastic windows.
Video on how to glue windows for the winter
Naturally,
plastic windows are expensive. Therefore, the owners of the old Soviet
of wooden products, the above methods of pasting windows are useful, so that they
were able to keep the maximum amount of heat in the room. Of course on
insulating windows alone cannot achieve a satisfactory result,
especially for those who live in a private home. In such situations, you need to insulate and
front door. Also, if the apartment has a balcony or loggia, then their
it is imperative to glaze so that the temperature in the apartment becomes higher.
Do you still insulate your windows for the winter? Tell us what material you use for this, c.