Window insulation film

[Underdog]

Have any of you in the colder climes ever used the shrink wrap style window insulation films?

I've used it in the past, but can never seem to get the double sided tape off of the window frames without damaging them (either pulling up the finish, pulling up splinters of wood, or just the tape/adhesive refusing to come off at all). I'd like to put some up around the house, but am looking for tips to make its removal easier once the weather warms up.

What do you all do to keep your places warm?

[nutball]

Years ago, when I lived in a colder area, I used it for a couple of years.

I never had any problems with removing it. Could be it's made differently nowadays.

[dgale]

I assume you have single pane windows and you're trying to improve their insulatory ability without upgrading to double pane windows? I don't have a lot of experience with that film but seems like a few houses I lived in in the past that had this stuff (20+ years ago, so technology etc. likely has changed) there were problerms installing the stuff without bubbles and wrinkles etc.

My current house is all single-pane windows and I bought paper honeycomb window blinds - they make them in various sizes and with varying numbers of cells available, all of which add varying degrees of increased insulation to you windows. Other than that, all of my windws are double-hung and I took the exterior trim off several years back so I could caulk any cracks etc. and also add some insulation to the cavities where the weights hang...a bit of a balance between adding insulation and not interfering with the operation of the weights. It definitely helped, as I used to feel cold air streaming in through the holes where the weight ropes come out and now I don't notice it unless it's extremely windy outside.

Bottom line is single pane windows are a sorry substitute for good quality double pane windows, but the expense to replace them (and the aesthetic change at least for me, as I own a vintage Crafstman bungalow with solid old growth redwood, handmade double hung windows) is more than folks want to or can afford to deal with.

Of course with any insultation problems in the house, make sure to investigate the entire insulatory situation in your house and understand in what priority various leaks affect your house's insulation. In general, proper attic insulation is usually the top priority, followed by properly insulated walls, followed by doors and windows.

[nuhobby]

I use a 3M film-kit on several of my windows, mainly to cut down drafts from the west-winds. It installs pretty smooth once I use the hair-dryer to shrink it in place. For the double-stick tape, I've been impressed -- it works well, but can be pulled off fairly harmlessly in the summer. Come to think of it, I've never been disappointed in a genuine 3M product of any sort.

[robinson46176]

If you can find somebody with a wood shop... Make some simple light wooden frames and stick the shrink film to those. Then put thin foam weather-stripping around the perimeter on the back to stop drafts from around the frame. Handled carefully they might last several years.


.

[berry]

I used them, as a third layer, for 4 years maybe 5. 3M brand only. I had issues either with the tape removing paint on the painted windows and the glue sticking to the unpainted window molding. You have to use mineral spirits or turp to get it off.

After that I did it only in the bathroom for a couple years. Finally I made an inside 'storm' window for the bathrooms.

They really work though. When it's cold here, by that I mean 5 degrees or less, I always get some condensation frost on the inside windows of every window. When it warms up some, it melts, puddling on the sash. With the film, not a bit. They're clear and easy to see out of. Took about half a day of steady work to put them up.

But if you have a warm spell and want to air out the house you have to leave the doors open.

For a couple of windows I put them up and left them year round. But after a whole year the tape was leaking around the edges.

[garys]

I did it a few years after I bought my house as a band-aid until I could replace the windows and do it right. The film helped, but the adhesive made a mess. That didn't matter because the windows I was sealing were replaced a few years later. I saved up some cash, and I now have triple pane windows, so now I don't worry about sealing them with band-aids anymore.

[backhertz]

I've used it a couple of times. Once in NH and the other in OKC. In OKC, the tape worked well, but the wind would blow against the building and I'd have a huge 'bubble'. So to remedy that I used removable caulk. It solved the problem. I was only in OKC for 8 weeks, so I had no problem removing the adhesive.

[Underdog]

If you can find somebody with a wood shop... Make some simple light wooden frames and stick the shrink film to those. Then put thin foam weather-stripping around the perimeter on the back to stop drafts from around the frame. Handled carefully they might last several years.


.

HA!!! Who here would have a wood shop!

I've seen this solution implemented elsewhere, but the windows in question are 3 double hung windows that are immediately adjacent to each other. In looking over the frames, I don't see a way to "attach" these to the windows.

I wonder, though, if I were to put frames around the outside of the existing molding, devise some sort of pin or doweling to hold the frame in place and keep it from rolling over, and the use the shrink plastic to tension it in place -- that might do it...

[Underdog]

I use a 3M film-kit on several of my windows, mainly to cut down drafts from the west-winds. It installs pretty smooth once I use the hair-dryer to shrink it in place. For the double-stick tape, I've been impressed -- it works well, but can be pulled off fairly harmlessly in the summer. Come to think of it, I've never been disappointed in a genuine 3M product of any sort.

I wish I could find the 3M version. I've found "better" reviews for them online than their FrostKing counterpart that the local stores carry.