Converting windows to double pane

[lee.wissmiller]

So I know windows are a major source of heat/cool transfer when trying to heat/cool these. A friend suggested basically creating a faux double pane by getting appropriate glass, placing a frame with magnets around it and using it to cover some windows allowing for light but giving some extra insulation with the two panes and less leak points. Has anyone thought of or tried this and was it any good?

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by lee.wissmiller

So I know windows are a major source of heat/cool transfer when trying to heat/cool these. A friend suggested basically creating a faux double pane by getting appropriate glass, placing a frame with magnets around it and using it to cover some windows allowing for light but giving some extra insulation with the two panes and less leak points. Has anyone thought of or tried this and was it any good?

double panes work if they are sealed between the two panes of glass - with no sealed air space they would have little insulation value

[gs1949]

And they work much better if some of the air has been evacuated and there is a partial vacuum in there.

[o1marc]

They are most efficient when sealed and filled with Argon or Krypton gas.

[cadillackid]

if you dont seal them then you will have condensation between the panes of glass.. Skoolie double pane windows do exist.. I see them in the junkyards up here in ohio at times.. however the frame is the biggest source of heat loss.. skoolie windows are framed in aluminum.. anyone who has lived up north in a house with cheap "metal windows" knows how much heat loss occurs throug hthe frame.. growing up we rented a house with double pane metal windows for a year while ours was being built... coldest damn house...



FYI - aluminum is what the metal fins are made of in heater and A/C coils to facilitate heat transfer from the copper tubes to the air.. they work wonderfully for heat transfer..

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

if you dont seal them then you will have condensation between the panes of glass.. Skoolie double pane windows do exist.. I see them in the junkyards up here in ohio at times.. however the frame is the biggest source of heat loss.. skoolie windows are framed in aluminum.. anyone who has lived up north in a house with cheap "metal windows" knows how much heat loss occurs throug hthe frame.. growing up we rented a house with double pane metal windows for a year while ours was being built... coldest damn house...



FYI - aluminum is what the metal fins are made of in heater and A/C coils to facilitate heat transfer from the copper tubes to the air.. they work wonderfully for heat transfer..

as usual cadillackid , you're right on the mark

[joeblack5]

We installed plastic storm windows on the inside of some of our windows and it helps well. R value goes from 1 to 2. We used " plexiglass" from projection televisions... Magnetic strip from fridge doors. In others I cut the plexiglass 1/8 small inside the frame and used electric tape to seal it of. A couple of fender fashers prevented the windows from working its way out and slowly allowing the tape to loose its grip.

Check both our builds dory and Elfie.

[Bpjr07]

Seen people just sealing their windows off with insulation stryrofoman and tape in the cold climates or if they plan going on a cold camping trip and remove it once they are done or once the weather is nice..might not be the solution for all but I like the idea of this for a weekend camper.

[Taz420]

Yeah the R value of a sealed volume of gas is what gives double (and triple, quad, etc) pane windows their insulating properties. Any infiltration of inside or outside air into the space completely negates the insulation properties. Atmospheric air does have R value, but argon and krypton have higher and are also going to be completely dry by default. As has been mentioned if the sealed air chamber is not completely dessicated, you will get condensation between the panes.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Taz420

Yeah the R value of a sealed volume of gas is what gives double (and triple, quad, etc) pane windows their insulating properties. Any infiltration of inside or outside air into the space completely negates the insulation properties. Atmospheric air does have R value, but argon and krypton have higher and are also going to be completely dry by default. As has been mentioned if the sealed air chamber is not completely dessicated, you will get condensation between the panes.

correct in all you said, but as Bpjr07 suggested, in very cold weather an inch of styrofoam is a big help whether there are double pane windows or not