Add-On Storm Windows

Add-On Storm Windows BUILDINGS Miscellaneous Ted Lacey found an inexpensive way to reduce his heating bills by installing homemade storm windows over the three 6 by 8-ft picture windows in his house     The idea worked reducing Lacey’s heating bills by one third “Now almost all the windows in the house have storm windows on them making the house very energy efficient The storm windows create a 4-in air barrier and also let the sun shine through I couldn’t believe what a huge difference they made ” he says     He screwed 2 by 4’s together to make an outside frame and screwed the frame with angle brackets into the house wall and he also added 2 by 3 wood stiles inside the frame Then he placed pieces of clear vinyl or acrylic over the window and stapled them onto the frame He also screwed on pieces of thin wood batting over the window There’s a 4-in gap between the outside vinyl covering and the actual house window which produces a btu barrier of about 13 degrees “I don’t know how to make anything complicated and my homemade storm windows were an inexpensive way to tighten up the house ” says Lacey “They keep our house much warmer in winter and keep ice from forming inside the window frames even in the coldest weather Our heating bill dropped from an average of $1 50 per day to $1 per day ” Lacey says it helps that his house’s walls are rated beyond R-40 and the roof beyond R-60 and there’s 2 in of Styrofoam under the basement floor and 2 in outside the basement walls He says that of the 3 storm window materials he has tried vinyl works best “Vinyl makes a better storm window because it doesn’t become yellow over time like Lexan does The problem with acrylic is that it scratches easily and you have be very careful when cleaning it I also used vinyl to make smaller storm windows for my shop ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ted Lacey 24064 478th Ave Trent S Dak 57065 ph 605 428-5122 or 605 321-9226; info@thehaymanager com

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