I grew up in an old farm house. Built in 1929, it was drafty and absolutely frigid in the Mid-west winters. My father winterized as best he could, each year trying new things and I helped as I could. We learned why 6 mil plastic was better than 4 mil when freezing winds chilled then shattered the plastic within months. We found that drafts were worse than lacking insulation because they chill you directly, making you want to turn up the thermostat.
Eventually, we upgraded the home with insulation and new windows, but what do you do when you don't own the house?
Now, I and my young family rent an old, adobe home (built ca. 1889) with similar double-hung windows and old, drafty doors. The roof is wood shake shingles, without attic insulation; the heat just rises up and out of the house. If we owned the home, I would certainly upgrade the roof, insulate the attic and replace the windows. But we pay extremely cheap rent to compensate for paying all the utilities, so impromptu winterizing is the best we can do.
Last year (our first winter here) I looked around the house for any significant problems and identified the following (ordered most severe to least):
- windows
- The double-hung sashes were loose in their channels and very drafty
- Single-pane glass everywhere sucked heat out. Sitting below the windows on the couch felt like sitting in an open refrigerator door as warm air touched the glass, chilled, and dropped down on us.
- Glass glaze was broken and missing, leaving many panes loose—some with 1/4 inch gaps to the outside.
- Glass panes were cracked and leaking.
- attic
- No insulation
- Old-style gapped boards (instead of plywood sheets) leak air like sieve.
- framed walls (a few interior walls)
- No insulation
- Lath and plaster cracked in places.
- doors
- Single-pane glass in one (but there is a storm door before that).
- Gaps all around, especially below on the stoop.
- Screen in the storm door should be switched to glass, but that is missing.
- crawl spaces
- Vents are open to the outside.
- No floor joist insulation.
- basement
- Home to the water-heater (don't want it too cold, sapping the hot water)
- Access open to drafty back porch.
- Crawl spaces open into basement.
- Odd window is too short, with vines growing in.
Some of these problems were too costly for us to fix. Others had some stop-gaps I could apply. I want to share some how-to tips that worked well last year.
Windows
Windows are the worst source of heat loss in most homes. But they can also be an important source of solar heat in the winter. Thus, if you do nothing else, winterize your windows, but do it wisely!
Adding Another "Pane"
The #1 best step you can take is to add another layer to the windows. This simulates a second pane of glass and really cuts down on the frigid down-drafts off of the windows. If done well, it can also diminish the window drafts.
Growing up, I didn't like having to cover the windows with 6 mil plastic because it is thick, milky and thrums like a drum in heavy winds. Worst of all, it blocks all outside views (it's like looking through a plastic milk jug) and reduces luscious, warm rays of sunshine to a diffuse, white light.
So I searched around for an alternative and I found a good one; pallet wrap. It's a little tricky to work with, since it's just heavy duty Serran wrap, which sticks to its self. But it stretches really well, and it held up beautifully to sub-zero temperatures and very heavy winds (which broke one frame that came loose, without ripping the plastic). Plus it is far cheaper per square foot and the leftovers are easier to store (it comes on a roll, instead of a giant, folded tarp).
I have put together a step-by-step tutorial of my screen wrapping process, which worked flawlessly and could be used by anyone with screens to add another layer to the windows.
Chinking Gaps
Most windows that open have gaps somewhere. Old, double-hung sashes are horrible, as they require some space to move freely up and down in their wooden channels. Even if you add another "plastic pane" outside the windows, chinking the gaps will create another air-tight seal that helps keep the dead-air space really dead. Sealing these window sashes in place also removes the rattle they have when hanging freely in their channels.
I didn't "chink" these gaps at first because I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't permanently glue the windows shut. Eventually, the drafts were bad enough that I found and bought some sticky putty ropes to press into the edges and it worked all right. But I did it after the cold had set in and the putty doesn't stick well if applied cold. Do this when it's still warm outside. It's worth it once the cold winds blow. Sealing these cracks will also take pressure off the plastic pane which can balloon out under indoor air pressure.
In the spring, you might be able to save the putty strings if you gently remove them and store them carefully so they aren't squished into one big mass.
Re-glazing Window Panes
We asked our landlady what we should do about the missing window glaze (I offered to putty them up myself) and she said she would junk them when she remodeled, so do whatever worked. Thus I committed a cardinal sin and used calking to replace missing glaze. This was much faster. The window panes were solid, and thumped instead of rattling.
If you want to preserve the traditional windows, you should re-glaze them when it's warm, as you may have to remove the windows and work on them horizontally. Also, calking should not be applied in freezing temperatures (so the labels say). So I hope you are ready this before snow flies!
Repairing Cracked Window Panes
Cracked panes don't usually leak much air, but they can if the whole pane sags. Normally, you would just replace a cracked pane, but since we don't own the house, and the windows are expendable, I had to come up with a stop-gap—literally! Packing tape to the rescue!
Using clear packing tape, I carefully taped the cracks inside and out and in several windows, where small pieces were missing, my tape formed the seal to the frame, calked and all. Some sagging panes were lifted back into place, then taped, then calked.
In the end, I was pleased with the repairs as the tape was practically invisible and one window was transformed from rattling sieve to solid drum. One year later and it shows no change.
Doors
[Weather stripping and skirts]
[Storm doors]
[Wrapping the screen]
Crawl Spaces
[Sealing the vents]
Basement
[Closing the window]
[Closing the door]
[Keeping it dry]
