How to insulate wooden windows for the winter?

With the onset of the cold period, we all start to think about the insulation of the home. For this we carry out central heating, we construct warm floors and change the windows. But the main thing in this period is to keep the heat in the apartment, thanks to which we feel comfortable and cozy even in the worst frosts. Most of all the warm air leaves our house through the windows. The house with beautiful wooden windows always maintains an optimally comfortable microclimate. Due to the unique properties of wood, the room breathes easily and freely, since such windows do not retain air, but allow it to circulate. However, wooden windows have one significant drawback - lower heat-saving qualities, but this problem can be solved. Today we will tell you how to insulate wooden windows for the winter to keep a healthy microclimate in the room.

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Cold bridges - what is this and where are they?

The meaning of insulation is to create the most tight internal air space between the frames. Everyone knows that air is an excellent heat insulator, only if it is enclosed in a confined space. This is the space between the inner and outer frames.

Hence the conclusion: in order to insulate the windows, it is necessary to eliminate all the cracks that allow cold flows to get from the street into the dwelling.

Where does cold air come from?

Regardless of the condition of the wooden structure, it has several cold bridges, that is, ways of penetrating the streams from the street. And if you insure one, and not eliminate others, then you can not count on keeping the heat. Therefore, before the arrival of winter, examine the entire wooden structure, from the frame, glass and to the window sill, for the presence of cold spots. In particular, inspect:

• Window sill.
• Glass.
• Slopes.
• Jumpers above the windows.
• Cracks in the frames.

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General rules of insulation

Let's consider in more detail ways how to insulate wooden windows for the winter. To the house was warm, listen to the following recommendations and advice.

Lintels

Lintels are insulated outside the building. Use for this purpose a facade construction foam. Glue it to the opening. You can, of course, protect yourself from frost and from the inside, but in this case you will have to build a decorative cornice or box.

Slopes

Slopes can also contribute to heat loss, so the lateral planes are pre-sanded and primed. Install special PVC elements by filling the voids inside a natural stick or polyurethane foam.

Window sill

In 30% of cases, the largest amount of heat flows through the sill, if it is initially installed incorrectly or as a result of prolonged use. For example, a common reason - the cement-sand layer in the brickwork gave internal cracks. Therefore, when identifying through slots, cover them with foam from the outside, but do not do it in winter, but long before the cold.

Frames

Cracks in old frames can also be conductors of cold. To eliminate them, treat the grooves with putty on wood and sand after drying. After putty, cover the frame with enamel or varnish.

You can also use sealant for insulation of slots: fill the slots with molten paraffin and fill them with a solution of flour and sand in a 3: 1 ratio. After the mixture has solidified, cover the frame with paint.

Glasses

Glasses also need to be prepared for the cold season. Wipe the windows clean, dry with a soft cloth or minty paper. The next step is the gluing of a transparent film with a high reflection coefficient of infrared rays. You can cover a special film not only glass, but frames. Attach the material with a double-sided tape or a stapler to the frame.

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How to insulate wooden windows by yourself?

To insulate wooden windows for the winter with their own hands, they usually eliminate the gaps around the perimeter of the window and the slots of the vestibule. For these purposes use a variety of materials - both traditional and modern. In this case, the technology of thermal insulation is also different. Let's consider in more detail how this or that material is used.

Paper

Used as a slotting tool that allows you to warm wooden windows:

1. Small scraps of paper( newspaper, toilet paper), pre-soak in water and grind to the consistency of gruel.
2. With a mixture fill the interframe slots with a knife, screwdriver or metal ruler.
3. After the paper has dried, apply adhesive tape or paper tape on top with flour paste.
4. You can also use fabric tapes for insulation by gluing them with a soap solution.

Important! The advantage of the latter option is the ease of dismantling, in addition, the paint of the frame is not damaged by this type of insulation material.

Foam

This material is available, inexpensive and easy to dismantle. And the time to warm the wooden windows for the winter with this material, you will spend a little. The method is effective for old windows with fragile coloring. Over the foam rubber, glue the fabric or paper strips.

Important! Choose foam rubber of such thickness that it densely went into gaps. Otherwise, cold air will still leak through it.

Pipe profiles

Sealing gaskets are modern materials with a service life of 5 years, so they are used not only for warming windows for the winter. Perimeter of the window frame fill with a heater and can not remove it for the summer.

You can use gaskets from the following materials:

• Rubber.
• Polyurethane.
• Polyethylene foam.
• Foam.
• Polyvinyl chloride( PVC).

Important! The most frost-resistant - profiles from PVC, and more quality and durable - from rubber. When buying rubber seals, pay attention to the fact that they happen, both self-adhesive and require special glue. When choosing a rubber version of the tubular profile, give preference to a softer material.

Depending on the width of the gaps, the profile type is selected:

• D - for wide slits.
• E - for narrow ones.
• P - for medium.

Important! Work in the winter with a tubular profile can not. The procedure of "pasting windows" in the first months of autumn, at an air temperature of not below +10 degrees.

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How to insulate windows with a sealant?

The insulation technology depends on the profile material, as well as whether the self-adhesive material is used or special glue is needed.

Of course, working with a self-adhesive profile is easier. In the process of work it is only necessary to pay attention to the accuracy of placement and to exclude creases and lumens. However, such a heater quickly loses its performance and will last only a season. In addition, traces of glue are difficult to remove, and sometimes - it is necessary to resort to a new painting of the frame.

The second option is much more reliable, but its use requires glue or sealant.

You can insulate wooden windows for winter in this way as follows:

1. Clean the frames from dust, dirt and flaking paint.
2. Surface, sand, degrease.
3. On the open sash of the window, glue the seal in one or more parallel rows.
4. Self-adhesive profile around the edges nail with small nails.
5. Gently close the frame to constipation.
6. Mount the tape on all perimeters, including the window and the leaf.
7. Seal the seal smoothly so that the transom can easily be opened.

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How to insulate wooden windows with large slots?

If the frames are skewed or too old, it is almost impossible to cover the slots with sealing tape.

Method 1

In this case, you will have to use cotton wool, foam rubber, rags or paper to pry into huge slots, and then putty with special blends.

The process is carried out in such a way as to warm the wooden windows for the winter:

1. Prepare the windows: wash them, wipe them dry.
2. Close the outer frame to the bolt.
3. Foam or rags cut into long strips.
4. Use a thin knife( screwdriver) and heat insulation strips to seal the gap between the outer frames and the window frame.
5. Close the inner frames to the bolt.
6. Similarly, gaps in the internal frames.
7. Glue on top with paint tape( paper or cloth).
   

Method 2

A more radical method of quality insulation of windows and cracks in the windowsill is the use of building mixtures: adhesive putty, alabaster and chalk mortar( in a ratio of 1: 1), window sealants. The selected mixture is put into the cracks with a metal spatula and leave to dry completely. This method is effective for old frames, which can not be insulated with a sealing tape.

Method 3

If you do not plan to never open a window, you can use a mounting foam to insulate the wooden windows:

1. Fill it with slots and wait for the expansion and freezing of the foam.
2. Cut the excess with a sharp knife.

Important! To foam does not turn yellow and does not collapse, cover it with white enamel.

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How to insulate old wooden windows?

In worn-out structures, gaps between the frames and the windows are formed over time. The technology of thermal insulation of such a construction is akin to restoration and is a rather laborious process. So think, maybe you just need to install new windows? If you are not ready to part with the current designs and are ready to do all the work yourself, follow the instructions below to insulate the wooden windows, the state of which is quite deplorable.

Tools and materials:

• New wooden glazing beads( thin little glassware holding glass).
• Sealant.
• Thin screwdriver or small knife.
• Protective gloves.
  

Insulation technology:

1. Remove the door leaf from the hinges.
2. With a thin screwdriver or small knife, remove the old beads.
3. Wear gloves.
4. Remove the glass.
5. Clean the grooves in the frame thoroughly from dust, dirt and old putty.
6. Remove any putty from the glass with any alkaline solution, for example, soda ash.
7. Wait until the tree has dried.
8. Fill with sealant from the transparent silicone grooves in the frame.
9. Install the glass.
10. Gently hammer new bolts with window studs.
11. Leave the remaining slots with sealant.
12. Remove excess material with a damp cloth.
13. Repeat procedure with all the glasses.
14. Allow the windows and sealant to dry for 2-4 hours.
15. Wipe the windows with a glass cleaner.
16. Begin to insulate the frames.

Important! The procedure for dismantling the glass beads from the glass begins with the lower rails, then - lateral, and then - upper ones. Shtapiki buy with a margin, because they are very fragile and in the process of work can break down.

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Innovative method of insulation of window frames

In recent years, the Swedish window warming technology has become increasingly popular. The method is based on the use of a special tubular silicone sealant.

Properties and characteristics:

1. Designed for temperature gradients from -50 to +80 degrees.
2. Sealant is manufactured in Sweden( hence the name of the method) and, according to the manufacturers, its service life is not less than 20 years.
3. The tape is made of a special material, based on: rubber and silicone.
4. The seal is a tubular profile that is mounted in the slot in the frame.
5. Depending on the width of the gap, the required spacer size is selected: 5, 6, 8, 10 or 12 mm.

Advantages of the Swedish method:

• Practicality.
• High strength.
• High thermal conductivity. After the insulation, the wooden windows give the same level of heat savings as the sealed double-glazed windows of plastic windows.
• There is no need to glue windows for the winter.
• The cost of thermal insulation is cheaper than a plastic eurowindows in 2-3 times.
• No condensation appears on the panes, unlike double-glazed windows.
• Specialists are able to insulate a wooden window within three hours.
• Tubular sealant is immune to external factors, including mechanical ones.

Disadvantage:

Self-installing is almost impossible. When installing, you need a profile tool( special milling cutter), specific work skills, as the Swedish technology is difficult to carry out the process with your own hands.

Technology features:

In the frames on all sides, the cutter cuts the grooves into which the sealant is inserted, which takes the desired shape.

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Useful advices:

1. When choosing the method of insulation, it is necessary to evaluate the condition of the windows themselves, calculate the cost of the necessary materials. Simultaneously with the process of insulation, carry out routine repairs, for example, change the fasteners, remove rotten areas and old putty, sand the cracks.
2. Do not seal the outer frame with a vapor-proof tape, so that there is no fogging of the window, and in frost - freezing. Glue only the inner frame to prevent moisture from penetrating into the space between the frames.
3. If humidity in the house is increased, place adsorbent between the frames: silica gel, soda or salt. In order not to spoil the appearance of the window, place the adsorbent in a small bag of white paper.

We hope that our advice helped you to heat wooden windows without much effort and expense. Hence - now the house is cozy and comfortable, but in your heart - warm and happy.