How to insulate plastic windows with your own hands: detailed instructions

High-quality plastic windows are beautiful, easy to use and allow you to avoid large heat losses in cold weather. Usually it is recommended to start insulating a house or apartment by replacing old wooden windows with new plastic ones. And all because through low-quality double-glazed windows the room can lose a significant part of the heat.

Try to switch your plastic windows to “winter mode” before the heating season begins.

New plastic windows also do not always provide energy savings. The reasons may be different: violation of installation technology, wear and tear of materials, improper operation, or simply poor quality of the glass unit. Therefore, even before the onset of the heating season, you need to check whether reliable thermal insulation is provided, and, if necessary, insulate the plastic windows.

When to insulate plastic windows: reasons for heat loss

By purchasing single-chamber and double-chamber plastic windows, homeowners are confident that their home will be reliably insulated from noise, drafts and cold air. However, over time, this confidence can be dispelled by unpleasant realities, and the resulting heat loss will make you think about ways to insulate Euro-windows.

Common reasons that lead to the above problems may be:

1. Installation of PVC windows with violations of technology and without compliance with GOSTs. The large number of people who want to replace old wooden frames with new double-glazed windows has become the reason that installation began to be carried out by people who have only a general understanding of it.
2. Misalignment of the window frame caused by shrinkage of the house, which is a common occurrence in a new building.
3. Physical wear of the rubber seals and the clamping mechanism. Under the influence of weather conditions (cold, heat) during operation, all window components wear out, and this is inevitable.
4. Violation of basic operating rules, which include the need to wash the seal and treat it with glycerin to prevent drying out and cracking.
5. Poor quality profile. Cheap windows often use cheap plastic parts, which are susceptible to deformation in the heat and can crack in the cold.

If the windows begin to fog up, there is a draft coming out of them, and residents complain about cold glass, then they need additional insulation.

Having found out the reason that led to the violation of thermal insulation, you can already decide whether to look for a specialist for this work or you can do everything yourself.

Advantages

When glued to plastic windows, such a film increases the strength of glass to an average of 8 kilograms per square centimeter.

At the same time, broken glass does not shatter into small fragments, which significantly reduces the risk of injury.

In addition, such a film allows you to save money, since by gluing the film onto a single-chamber double-glazed window, the effectiveness of such a package is equal to that of a double-chamber one.

Additional advantages of heat-saving films include:

• making it difficult for intruders to penetrate;
• protection of interior items from exposure to direct sunlight;
• Blocks 99 percent of ultraviolet rays, which often cause burnout;
• blocking of infrared radiation within 30-99%;
• imparting confidentiality (protects against information leakage through electromagnetic and vibroacoustic channels);
• giving the glass one-way visibility.

A very important point in using films is their correct and competent installation, which should only be done by professionals, since this process is very painstaking. If installed incorrectly, all the benefits of the film are lost.

How to check windows for ventilation and tightness

Visually or using tactile sensations, it is quite difficult to determine the place where the tightness is broken.

Thus, in winter, blowing can often be confused with cold glasses (“cold background”), so to determine possible problems it is better to use one of the following methods:

1. A lit candle will help you determine from inside the room where the air is blowing from. You need to bring it close to the window and walk around the perimeter. If the flame burns evenly, then everything is in order in this area. The rapid fluctuation of the flame indicates air currents entering the room from the street.
2. If you run a damp palm along the contours of the valves, you will feel a sharp chill in the places where the air is blown. It can blow from under the sash or at the junction of the frame and the slope, and cold can also be felt inside the plastic frame.
3. You can hold a piece of paper between the closed window sashes and tug it a little. If the paper is easily removed, or the window does not close tightly, then you cannot do without replacing the seal or adjusting the clamping mechanism.
4. A piece of chalk will also help you find places where the seal is not pressed tightly. To do this, you need to paint the rubber parts with it, then close and open the window and inspect the frame. If there are places where it is not painted, then the opening is blown through here.
5. You can try to press a little on the closed doors; if the noise from the street becomes noticeably quieter, then it is blowing from the doors.

What are cold bridges

Cold can penetrate into a living space not only through glass, but also in other ways - through elements that are in one way or another in contact with the environment. Areas where windows are in contact with the outer surface of the walls, as well as leaky panel seams in multi-story buildings, significantly reduce the thermal resource of the room, which means that not only the windows themselves, but also each of these areas must be insulated.

Replacing windows even with the most modern double-glazed windows without additional insulation of the above parts will increase the heat resource of the room by only 15-20%. If you take a comprehensive approach to insulating a room, the heat resource can be increased by 45% or more.

When should window insulation be left to professionals?

Before you rush to insulate windows yourself, you should think carefully about whether you need to contact a company specializing in this.

It is advisable to involve a specialist if:

• the plastic window was installed recently, and the installation company’s warranty has not yet expired; its specialists must fix all problems free of charge;
• the window is located at a considerable height (in an apartment in a multi-storey building) - such work is associated with a high level of danger;
• there are manufacturing defects or the insulation needs to be changed - in this case, the master will be able to install components and fittings that will be “like original”;
• The work is carried out in the cold season - a professional will be able to do everything efficiently and quickly, without cooling the room too much.

Since the comfort of living in a room depends on the temperature inside the room, if you have the slightest doubt about your ability to do it yourself so that it does not blow, it is better to contact a company specializing in such work.

Negative aspects of using film that you need to know about

Since the film almost completely reflects UV rays, indoor plants, whose growth directly depends on the Sun, begin to suffer because of this. To prevent the plants from dying, they have to be additionally illuminated with photo lamps. That is, this problem is solvable. However, where is the energy saving? The photo lamp must be turned on at least 12 hours a day to ensure normal plant growth and compensate for lost sunlight. Even the most economical lamps will not save you.

What happens to the heat energy if the film is used in spring and autumn, when the heating is already turned off? Since the film does not allow natural solar heat from the street to penetrate, dampness will settle in the apartment and it will be cold.

Few people know about another property of film - they reflect radio waves. That is, radio signals that go to an indoor antenna or mobile phone will be reflected by the coating of the film. And, vice versa: the signal from the mobile phone will be reflected back into the room. Conclusion: cellular communication in buildings where the film is pasted will be very poor.

You should not use film for greenhouses and greenhouses, because plants need the full spectrum of sunlight.

There is no point in gluing the film if the apartment has modern windows with high-quality thick double-glazed windows. But when restoring old windows, it, on the contrary, will serve as a good help. You also need to take into account the fact that the film needs to be changed annually.

How and with what to insulate plastic windows if there is a draft

Once you have identified the problem, you can begin to fix it. Below are the most common reasons for blowing and ways to properly get rid of drafts inside a room.

If there is air between the window sill and the frame

In most cases, this problem can be fixed on your own. The sequence of actions and the necessary materials will depend on the thickness of the cracks and the intensity of drafts.

If there is a small gap (no more than 1-2 mm) from which there is not much blowing, white moisture-resistant silicone sealant will help correct the situation. It must be applied using a special gun so that it falls into the gap.

If the gap is uneven and its thickness ranges from 2 to 5 mm, then sealant alone will not do. To seal such cracks, it is better to use a plastic profile for tiling the inner corners of walls in bathrooms. From it you need to cut off a decorative part with a flat plate (1-1.5 cm wide). The gap must be filled well with sealant and the prepared decorative corner must be inserted into it.

If it starts to blow from the window immediately and very strongly, then you need to check the insulation of the ebb. To do this, it is necessary to remove and inspect the mounting seam between the frame and the doorway. Then blow out all the fistulas, holes and voids with polyurethane foam.

There is no need to try to caulk the cracks with padding polyester, foam rubber or construction waste. Foam is the best choice for these purposes; it can be plastered on top with cement.

Pros and cons of the method

The method of insulating PVC windows for the winter using gluing has its advantages:

• ease of operation;
• availability;
• execution speed.

But when choosing this option, there are also disadvantages: this method will not always be relevant for plastic double-glazed windows.

On a note. It is better to glue wooden frames, and when installing double-glazed windows made of metal-plastic, it is better to immediately ensure that the window structure is installed according to the rules and without violating the tightness.

If it blows around the perimeter of the sash

The reason for the swelling may be that:

• windows are not set to winter mode;
• the rubber seal has become unusable;
• The clamping mechanism has become loose.

To prepare the window for low temperatures, you need to adjust the lower and upper hinges, and also move the locking pin to the desired position.

Step-by-step instructions for replacing the seal if it is unusable will be as follows:

1. Remove the window sash so that the design features do not restrict access.
2. Remove the old seal on the frame and sash and replace it with new contours.
3. Be sure to glue the rubber bands together at the joints so that gaps do not form later. Avoid the formation of “accordions” and overlaps.

The clamping force can be adjusted on the upper and lower hinges using a No. 4 hex wrench. If you rotate the hex clockwise, the sash will be pressed against the hinge, and counterclockwise, vice versa. A video on the Internet will tell you how to do this correctly.

If it blows along the edges of the slopes

The main reason for such a draft is a damaged assembly seam. Even with the best-quality installation, this can happen after 5-10 years. To fix this problem, you need to disassemble the slopes, then apply foam along the seam and reinstall the slopes.

You can additionally insulate the slopes inside:

• polystyrene foam - this is the most affordable material that even a beginner can work with;
• foamed polyester - it is resistant to moisture and can provide additional heat and sound insulation, but care must be taken to seal the joints in the slopes;
• mineral wool - for plugging seams, it is not inferior in quality to previous materials, but you need to work with it in a respirator so that its particles do not irritate the mucous membranes, getting into the eyes and respiratory tract.

It is important not only to insulate slopes from the inside, but also from the outside. This will help protect the polyurethane foam from drying out, the doorway from fungus, and also make the temperature in the house warmer.

Where to buy the product

Thermal film is a fairly common product for preserving heat in the house. Over the past decade, this product has won the love of many customers. As a rule, the question of where to buy film for window insulation does not arise very often among buyers.

After all, the product can be purchased in an online store at a very affordable price. As well as wholesale and retail warehouses of building materials and hypermarkets of construction goods, they offer many options for thermal film from various manufacturers and different price categories, ranging from economy class to premium class products.

Insulating windows for the winter with your own hands

It is not always possible to carry out complex insulation work with the involvement of specialists. In this case, simple methods will help to quickly and briefly eliminate the causes of drafts at home, postponing the work for a while.

In a wooden house, plastic windows from which it blows can be insulated from the outside by simply covering them with cellophane. To do this, it is better to use film in several folds, and its cut should be slightly larger than the area of ​​the window with slopes. You can cheaply and securely fasten cellophane using thin wooden glazing beads or slats and nails.

Another way to make your home warmer is to sew new curtains or make winter blinds. To sew warm curtains, you need to use thick fabrics that will not allow the cold to pass through. It is acceptable to use 2-3 fold fabric or lined curtains. Winter blinds can be made from ordinary ones by simply wrapping them with woolen fabric.

You can deal with drafts using the same method used for wooden frames - seal all joints and cracks. It is not necessary to use strips of paper and soap solution for this. Painting tape will provide more reliable adhesion.

It is important to remember that all of the methods listed do not fundamentally solve the problem, but only give a little time to wait for favorable conditions.

Manufacturers of heat-saving film, their prices, the cost of insulating one window with film

We list the main manufacturers and the names of their thermal films:

• USB heat-saving film (manufactured by ultra solar block) is distinguished by its gray tint and the ability to block up to 2/3 of infrared and thermal radiation. You can purchase the product at a price of about 1,500 rubles per linear meter.
• Energy-saving tint film (manufactured by Sun Control Ice Cool) 70 GR has a thickness of 56 microns and is capable of transmitting up to 70% of the rays of the visible spectrum, the cost is about 1200 rubles / linear meter.
• Energy-saving shrink film “Third Glass”, 6 m2, having a thickness of 20 microns can be purchased at a price of 600 rubles/set (covering, double-sided tape). A film with a thickness of 30 microns costs about 800 rubles. for 6 cu. m.
• SaveEnergy 30 has a long service life of up to 10 years, the cost of 1 linear meter is about 600 rubles.

Insulation for plastic windows

Relatively recently, new insulation for plastic windows has appeared - energy-saving film and built-in window heating.

Energy-saving film on glass

Energy-saving film is a very thin transparent material with a layer of rare earth elements applied to it. It is practically invisible on the windows and does not affect the level of illumination. The film can reduce overall heat loss through windows by 30%.

When choosing it, you first need to find out the coefficients of light transmission and heat reflection, and the wavelength range. Another important point: the heat-saving film does not allow UV radiation inside, which is necessary for the life of plants, so green friends will need to organize additional lighting.

Based on the installation method, a distinction is made between shrink film and that which is applied wet. To glue heat shrink material, you must perform the following steps:

1. Prepare the window by washing and degreasing the glass.
2. Apply double-sided tape to the edges of the sash or frame.
3. Attach the film to the adhesive tape without pulling too much.
4. Heat the surface with a hairdryer so that the film shrinks and stretches, forming a flat surface.

With the wet method, the glass is also first washed with window cleaner and degreased with alcohol or gasoline. Then the film is cut, leaving no reserves. Moisten the surface of the glass with a soap solution (colorless shampoo or other detergent will do). A piece of film begins to be glued on top and smoothed from the center to the edges.

You can also insulate balcony doors using shrink film.

Energy saving film

This product is a polymer material. It is designed to prevent heat loss from rooms and prevent windows from “fogging up.” The market offers various types of these products, which differ in the degree of transmission of light rays and the thickness of the product.

In addition, the film has a plastic base, which makes it possible to prevent minor damage to the window glass. Also, this type of coating can be sold together with windows. You need to find out this on site from your sales consultant.

If the room has old-style windows, then you can apply this film yourself. This is all done simply and quickly. In this case, the room temperature rises from 3 to 8 degrees. Therefore, reviews about this film window insulation are only positive.

Diagnostics of critical points

To determine what work is required, the window needs to be examined to look for places where wind and cold can pass through.

You can understand exactly where the window lets cold into the room using a simple technique: take an ordinary lighter or candle, and examine the perimeter of the window for the presence of blown areas, observing the deflection of the flame. If you don't have a lighter, you can use an open palm.

You should carefully examine the junction of the window frame and the wall.

On a note! You should carefully examine the junction of the window frame and the wall. Slopes, window sills and fittings are also subject to mandatory inspection.

It is especially convenient to find cracks on frosty days, when the temperature outside is contrasting compared to the room.

Required Tools

To perform thermal insulation work you will need:

• insulation of a suitable type;
• building level;
• cutting tools for cutting thermal insulation to size;
• polyurethane foam;
• finishing material;
• trowel or spatula;
• sandpaper;
• screwdriver

Advice! If you are going to insulate plastic windows in a private house, make sure you have a ladder or stepladder.

Reviews from our clients

Christina 09/03/2019

It started to get colder and we realized that there was a draft from the windows. The husband said that somewhere there the foam was burned from the sun or something like that. He said he would do it, but he couldn’t get around to it. As a result, we decided to order window insulation from a professional. The choice fell on “Window Repair Service”; we once ordered a glass unit replacement from them. Just like last time, everything is fast, high quality and inexpensive. Thanks guys, you are awesome!

Sergey Petrovich 08/28/2019

The window had to be prepared before winter, otherwise it froze during the severe frosts last year. The children advised. Everything was checked and done to the highest standard! Handy guys didn’t hurt my grandfather even with his money, thank you!

Jesse Custer 09/06/2019

In a rented apartment, it turned out that hurricanes were whistling from the windows! I had to order a master at my own expense. It turned out to be cheaper here, I did everything right, and now it doesn’t blow away. Respect.

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