A detailed technique for warming windows for the winter with their own hands

WINDING WINDOWS for the winter is an unchanging ritual held by the owners of wooden frames before the beginning of cold weather, which allows to raise the temperature in the room by 5-10 degrees and to reduce the losses for heating. There are many ways to insulate windows for the winter, both with the use of special seals and sealants, and with the help of tools available in the time of our great-grandmothers.

How to insulate windows for the winter

The principles of window insulation

The meaning of insulation is to create the most tight internal air space between the frames. As you know, air is a wonderful heat insulator, provided that it is enclosed in a confined space. It is this space is the distance between the outer and inner frames. It turns out that to insulate the windows, it is necessary to remove the cracks allowing to penetrate the cold streams of air from the street.

When warming wooden frames, three methods are usually used: use sealing gums, close the gap between the frames and glue them with strips of paper, tape or cloth. In this case, it is not recommended to glue the outer frame with a vapor-proof adhesive tape - this will lead to their strong fogging, and in frosts - to freezing. Inner frames, on the other hand, are best sealed to prevent moisture from penetrating into the space between the frames.

Different ways of warming windows

Between the frames it is desirable to lay adsorbent - silica gel, activated carbon, soda or salt. So that they do not spoil the appearance of the windows, they are placed in small packages of white paper. However, in a city apartment with normal humidity you can do without adsorbent. If humidity is increased, it is better to sacrifice the appearance of windows: moisture, condensing on glass, flows down onto wooden frames, which causes the paint to exfoliate, and the frames begin to decay.

Before the beginning of the insulation, the windows and the frame should be cleaned and wiped dry, check for large slots, and the tightness of the glass. Poorly fixed glasses not only let in cold air, but also rattled in the wind. If necessary, glass can be strengthened, how to do it - described below.

Repair and sealing of glasses

It happens that even insulated frames do not protect the apartment from a draft, and most often the problem lies in poorly fixed windows. Earlier, the glasses were put in frames on the window putty, similar in appearance to the dirty-gray frozen clay. Over time, from a drop in temperature and humidity, the putty begins to dry and crumbles, and after a few years or decades, it does not remain at all. In this case, the glass begins to rattle, and between them and the frame, large gaps are obtained. To correct the situation, silicone sealant will help.

Technology of repair and warming:

1. Evaluate the state of the glazing beads, which hold the glass in the frame. If they are rotten, staggering and crumbling, it is better to immediately buy new ones in the required quantity.
2. Gently prick the glazing beads and pull them out with the studs. Take out the glass.
3. Remove the frame from the remnants of the old putty and excess paint in the place of installation of the glass.
4. Remove residual putty from the glass with an alkaline solution, for example, soda ash. Scraping the glass with a knife is not recommended, but there will be scratches that can not be removed.
5. Frames are wiped dry and blotted around the perimeter with a transparent silicone sealant, after which the glass is installed.
6. Stapaks are nailed to the place using window nails. Do it very carefully, trying not to pinch the glass, otherwise it will crack when the temperature drops.
7. The remaining slots are also smeared with a sealant, removing the surplus with a damp rag. Allow it to dry for 2-4 hours. After that, the windows are wiped using a window cleaner and begin to warm the frames.

Window insulation with the

sealant Window insulation materials are sold in hardware stores, they are a narrow sealing tape with an adhesive layer made of foam rubber or a soft polymer. Sealing tapes of polymeric materials can be used for several years, while you can open windows, wash them without removing the tape. Foam insulation when water gets wet, so it is better to remove it annually.

How to glue the sealing tape? This process is very simple: on the open window leaf around the perimeter glue the sealant with the adhesive layer applied on it, then gently close the frames to the locks. This is done both with external and internal frames, with large windows openings from the inside, you can additionally glue with paint tape - it is also sold in the stores of household goods.

Thermal insulation of windows with a seal

Thermal insulation of windows with large slots

If the frames are too old or heavily skewed, they can have huge slots that can not be covered with sealing tape. In this case, you will have to slit the cracks with cotton wool, foam rubber, rags or paper, or putty with special blends. It is done this way:

1. The windows must be prepared: wash, wipe dry, close the outer frame to the bolts.
2. Rags or foam rubber cut into long strips. Using a thin knife or screwdriver, the insulation strip is sealed in the gap between the outer frames and the window frame.
3. In humid apartments, where condensation often forms on the windows, an adsorbent is placed between the frames.
4. Close the inner frames to the bolts. Zakonopachivayut slits in the same way.
   

   Plugging gaps in the windows

5. Gluing the slots over the caulk with paint tape or strips of paper, cloth. Glue paper or fabric can be on any water-soluble glue, for example, PVA.
6. As a glue, you can use a soapy solution - a cloth pasted onto soap can be easily removed without damaging the paint. To do this, the prepared strips of fabric are abundantly soaped and glued to the frames, smoothing with their hands. When drying, the fabric creates an airtight layer.
   

   Gluing of windows in windows with adhesive tape

Thermal insulation of windows with fillers

A more radical method, which allows to insulate not only the windows, but also the cracks in the windowsills, is the use of building mixtures. For this purpose it is possible to use putty on an adhesive basis, a solution of alabaster mixed with chalk in a ratio of 1: 1, as well as window sealants.

The selected mixture is applied to the slit with a metal spatula, leveled and allowed to dry completely. It should be remembered that removing such putty can lead to paint peeling, so use this method carefully. However, it is very effective for old frames, which are soon to be replaced - it is often impossible to insulate them with a sealing tape, and the putty and alabaster solution perfectly seal the space between the frames.

You can also use moisture-proof sealants for outdoor applications, while choosing white or colorless. The sealant is applied directly from the tube, promazavaya them all the cracks, as well as the joints of glass and frame.

Insulate the window with the mounting foam

The cardinal method of warming the windows

If you do not plan to open the window ever, you can use a mounting foam. It is filled with cracks, waiting for its expansion and congealing, after which the excess is cut with a sharp knife. To avoid yellowing and the destruction of foam, it is covered with ordinary white enamel for outdoor work.

In practice, this method is used extremely rarely, and the mounting foam is usually used to insulate the window box, filling the gap between it and the walls. Perform this operation at the stage of installing the windows, but if you think that the heat loss is due to this reason, you can open the window sill, window slopes and ebbs and propenit the window box.

Video - how to better insulate windows for the winter?