7 tips for insulating plastic windows with your own hands

Why insulate plastic windows? This reasonable question most likely arises for all owners of modern sealed structures, because manufacturers sold us the perfect product with perfect thermal insulation. Installation errors, improper operation, home shrinkage and time can play a trick even with the highest quality windows. Do not rush to change the whole structure - you can try to insulate plastic windows with your own hands. It’s easy and not for long. We deal with the weaknesses of modern windows and learn to eliminate them.

No. 1. Why do plastic windows need insulation?

High-quality made and installed plastic windows in the first years will certainly be a reliable barrier to cold air, drafts and noise. Over the years, of course, problems can arise, and often the user is to blame for them. With unfair installation, various defects can make themselves felt in the first season.

The most common Reasons for additional thermal insulation of plastic windows:

• installation performed in violation of technology;
• shrinkage of the building, which is especially characteristic for new buildings;
• wear of rubber insulation. Responsible manufacturers and installers inform the user about the rules for maintaining a rubber seal, but few follow the rules and regularly inspect the condition of this structural element. Lack of proper care leads to an accelerated process of thinning and drying of rubber, the appearance of microcracks in its structure, the result is a decrease in the adherence to the frame and deterioration of thermal insulation;
• incorrectly set slopes.

A window of poor quality or with inappropriate specifications for climatic conditions will also not be able to provide normal thermal insulation, therefore it is so important to be able to correctly choose a plastic window and immediately decide on a suitable double-glazed window.

No. 2. Identify weaknesses

To conduct effective insulation of plastic windows, you must first understand in which places the tightness is broken. Only the frame can be deleted from the list of suspects: multi-chamber plastic is a good heat insulator, it does not dry out unlike wood.

Cold air can penetrate such structural elements:

• clamping elements, which tend to loosen over time;
• a retracted glazing bead that holds a double-glazed window;
• worn seal;
• polyurethane foam, if it was applied in violation of technology;
• windowsill;
• slopes.

A double-glazed window rarely causes a violation of thermal insulation (the exception is its depressurization), but it can also be insulated. "Extra" warmth in winter does not hurt.

Identify leaks window simple - just hold your palm along and across the entire structure, and you will feel that in some places decently blowing. Some advise using a lighter for this purpose. If you light a flame and draw it along the perimeter of the window, maintaining a safe distance, then it will tilt in places where there is even a small draft. Be extremely careful with this method!

As a rule, work on the insulation of a plastic window can be done with your own hands. The exception is cases when it is necessary to insulate slopes from the outside, and the apartment is located above the second floor. It is necessary to be prepared that complex warming may be necessary if several zones of leakage of warm air are found, but first things first.

No. 3. Presser Debugging

Shrinkage of the house and weather factors can lead to a slight skew of the window sashes and slight deformation of the sealing gum. This leads to a deterioration in thermal insulation, but in this case, the return to its former tightness is a matter of a couple of minutes, however, knowledge of the design of the plastic window and skills in working with tools will be needed.

Adjustment of the clamping mechanism can be done using special eccentrics located around the perimeter of the wings. To make the sash fit more tight, the eccentric must be turned clockwise using a 4 mm Allen key. Focus on the notch located on each such element. When it is directed towards the street, the clamp is weakened, towards the seal - reinforced. Everything is well shown in the video.

Sometimes a plastic window helps to insulate a simple loop adjustment, which also have their own mechanism responsible for the pressure density. Here regulation is carried out using a hexagon. It should be followed by a simple rule: if the tongue is very extended, the sash fits well. To push it, you need to turn the hexagon counterclockwise if the loops are on the left and clockwise if on the right.

Things are even simpler with glazing bead. It’s enough to pry off the old departed glazing bead with a thin spatula, and install a new one in its place, which you can buy in the same company that you sold and installed windows for you.

After adjustment, check whether the tightness of the structure has improved with your palm or lighter. If everything is done correctly, but the draft still walks, you will probably have to change the seal.

Number 4. Seal replacement

Ideally, a rubber sealant can last a long time, but some conditions must be met. According to the rules of operation of plastic windows, the sealant must be regularly lubricated with special substances, but which of us does this? So it turns out that after 5 years the rubber dries up and starts to let in a cold breeze from the street. The problem may be in the seal, which is located under the glass, or that is located along the contour of the sash. Replacing the seal in a plastic window is not as complicated as a matter of responsibility. If you doubt your skills, it is better to call a specialist.

Procedure for replacing the glass seal:

• removal of glazing bead;
• dismantle of a lining and a double-glazed window;
• dismantle the worn seal;
• installing a new seal through the groove. It is better to cut the tape in advance, which is 3-5 cm longer than the required length. The new sealant is put in place, while acting as carefully as possible and without pulling the material. Surplus is carefully cut off. If desired and for guarantee, the seal can be additionally fixed with adhesive;
• installation of double-glazed windows, linings and glazing beads. The beadings are a fragile part, therefore it is necessary to remove and install them very carefully so as not to break. Otherwise, you have to buy new ones.

A replacement may also be necessary. a seal which is located along the contour of the sash. In this case, the sash should be removed. First, decorative pads are removed from the hinges, and then using the mounting handle or screwdrivers the pin is pulled out of the loop. It remains to carefully remove the sash, and only then it is very easy to remove the old seal from it. It is better to start installing a new seal from the top of the sash, gently pressing it, but not stretching it. The beginning and end of the sealing tape is best fixed with glue.All! It remains only to hang the sash back: the pin can be installed with your bare hands, and then put the decorative trim back in place. Everything is very well shown and described in the video.

No. 5. Window sill insulation

Installation of a plastic window is often associated with decent damage, they are especially significant in the area between the wall and windowsill. Some installers throw gaps with cement and construction waste. There are no comments. It is better, of course, when the space under the window sill is filled polyurethane foam, but this option is not ideal. Over time, the foam may shrink or even crack, and decent cracks form through which cold air enters the house.

To insulate a plastic window, you will have to get rid of the old foam and fill in a new one. Keep in mind that it tends to expand when solidified. Excesses after complete solidification are cut off, some builders recommend additionally filling small cracks with silicone sealant. This is followed by plastering and decorative coating.

If possible, the window sill area can be additionally insulated from the outside. Foam is also used for this, but sometimes Styrofoam. All above plastered on the grid and gets off.

No. 6. Slope insulation

Today, when installing plastic windows, slopes are often additionally installed, smooth, beautiful, made of thick plastic. It often happens that there is a large crack between the decorative strip and the wall, which perfectly conducts cold and wind into the apartment, therefore, to improve the thermal insulation of plastic windows, it is recommended to insulate the slopes from the inside or outside.

The procedure is as follows:

• dismantle unnecessary parts of the mounting foam;
• if the surface is very uneven, you can plaster it;
• priming slope treatment; antibacterial compounds can be used to prevent mold development;
• a slice corresponding to the slope is cut from the foam. To better stick to the surface, it can be slightly scratched from the back. It remains to apply mounting glue and firmly press it to the surface of the slope, several dowels can be installed to guarantee;
• It remains to mount the corner, putty the surface and fix the platband.

Number 7. What else can be done to insulate a plastic window?

The above methods will allow you to reliably insulate plastic windows and get rid of all the cracks, but it is possible to make the structure even warmer - it will not only not let cold into the apartment, but will also prevent the exit of warm air from the apartment. This is not magic, but reality, which is achieved through the use of:

• heat saving film;
• electric heating of windows;
• woolen blinds and curtains.

Heat saving film - a thin transparent material that does not change the optical properties of glass, but reflects thermal energy back to the apartment. The effect is achieved due to the presence of a thin metal layer. Of course, when it comes to plastic windows, it is better to use a special heat-saving double-glazed window - its efficiency is several times higher than any film, but if a regular double-glazed window is installed in existing windows, then additional insulation will not be superfluous.

With the installation of the film you can easily do it yourself:

• glass and frame surfaces are thoroughly cleaned;
• double-sided tape is glued around the perimeter of the box;
• the necessary fragment is cut from a roll of film, it is better to cut with a margin;
• the film is glued to previously attached double-sided tape, its surface is blown with warm air from a hair dryer. It is necessary to act, slowly, so that the result is accurate, there are no distortions and bubbles. Correctly pasted film is almost invisible.

Heated glass it’s already more difficult to arrange, it’s better to do this even at the stage of window installation, but most window companies can install such a system on an already installed window.Heating is carried out due to the electric heating coil mounted in the glass.

Well, and finally, the most banal, simple and universal ways to make the window a little warmer. it thick curtains and woolen blinds. The latter can be done by wrapping ordinary blinds with woolen cloth.

It is better to carry out work on the insulation of plastic windows on a warm dry day, since it is no longer possible to work with many materials at temperatures below + 5 ... + 10⁰C, and the cold can be let into the apartment. In order to encounter the problem of warming a modern window as late as possible, you should seriously approach the choice of a window manufacturer and pay attention to the selection of optimal technical characteristics, focusing on the region’s climate. It is also important to choose a responsible installer and not to forget about the need to properly maintain the window.