Window

[Bill]

I have a 30" x 60" single pain glass on the second story of my cabin. I have been thinking about making it more energy efficient, by adding another pain of glass on the inside, with a strip of wood between the pieces of glass, with silastic holding it together. Any one got a better idea? And will this improve the comfort level of the house? Or should I just leave it?

 

[SE Iowa]

Funny who I just posted a question about replacement windows. My other idea, over replacing my windows, was to add storm windows. Can you do this to windows that were not orginally made to have storm window additions? Is there any manufacturers of "indoor" storm windows?

 

[Harley]

It would probably help some - I think you will likely have some condensation in between the 2 panes of glass at some point (probably fairly quickly) which is not going to look very good at all. I don't know the cost, but you might be a lot better off if you were to replace it with a pre-made insulated window (30 X 60 is a pretty big size - about the size of a sliding glass door pane). Try calling a few glass shops in your area and see what they might have available to work.

 

[ericjeeper]

two pieces of glass sandwiched together will not gain you boo.Not enough to make it worth your while. It is not the space that gives you an energy efficient window. It is either the argon or better yet Krypton gas between the panes. Storm windows are for storms They do not offer an airtight seal by any stretch of ones imagination.

 

[wallis54806]

The cheap fix is window plastic on the inside. This is especially good if you have air blowing in or being pulled out through cracks. Almost all the windows in my house that are not new double-pane are sealed in plastic.

Whatever you decide to do, the important thing is to be sure that the inside layer (glass, plastic or whatever) is sealed well. This will reduce condensation between the layers, as the moister in the winter is coming from inside the house. Of course, if you are using an air conditioner on a humid summer day you may have condensation.

 

[laynes69]

An air gap between 2 panes of glass will insulate to some degree. The problem is when not sealed properly, condensation will occurr between the panes. That one way to tell if a double pane window is no good, it will condense between both panes. We have double hung, double pane windows on our home. Plus triple track storms on the outside. I say plastic would be the easiest option.

 

[My_3_Girls]

I agree with Laynes - a small airspace will do something small to insulate the window. Keep in mind that anything over 3/4" airspace between panes will allow a convective current to set up between panes and actually cool the glass. Keep the airspace small, and it will help some. Now, if you think of the wall as a system, air leaks are much more troublesome than one single pane window. Stop the air leaks first, and you will see a bigger bang for the buck than a new window.