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Bob Crager
Bob Crager of Lewis Street Glass is a 26 year veteran in the glass business. Lewis Street Glass is a leading Wichita Glass company, serving the entire Wichita/Sedgwick County area since 1919. They do anything and everything having to do with glass, both residential and commercial. They also do Auto glass. They are located at 743 South Market, facing Kellogg on the South, and you can reach them by phone at (316) 263-8259. You can email Bob Crager at bcrager@lewisstreetglass.com
Glass
2004-12-01 10:32:00
Stopping leaky windows
: Winter is lurking…my windows are leaking air…What do I do?
ANSWER:  In most homes, the windows are the single biggest energy loss area in the entire house. Yes, it's true that heat rises, and absent sufficient insulation in that attic, you'll lose most of your fortune right up through that ceiling.But you also need to know that poor windows, or window installation, can also rob you blind. I've been inside homes where the curtains blow around, even when the furnace isn't running. This is a really big problem with the costs of energy as high as it is. If you still have single pane windows in your house, providing only an insulating value of r-1, you will experience amazing heat loss and gain right through those thin pieces of glass.  To improve your window's efficiency, you simply double the number of glass panes, which will increase the window's ability to resist heat flow both directions.There are various types of glass available for window panes in homes. Clear glass has been the normal material for home window use, but lately the market for glazing, or cutting and fitting window panes into frames has increased significantly. Today, there are a number of different glazing materials available that can control heat loss, as well as condensation. Condensation not attended to will eventually lead to wood rot, and the replacement of the entire frame. There are special surface coatings for glass that reduce heat transfer through the window. More than 40%, and up to 70% of normal heat transfer through clear glass is eliminated, and none of the normal light passing through the window is disallowed. There is also heat absorbing glass that contains special tints that allow it to absorb as much as 45-50% of the incoming solar energy, thus reducing heat gain. Some of the absorbed heat will pass through the glass because of conduction and re-radiation.Finally, reflective glass is glass that has been coated with reflective film, and is used to control solar heat gain during the hot summer months. It reduces the passage of light all year long.To find out the best solution for your heat gain and loss problems, contact your local glass dealer. He can tell you exactly what to do to get a handle on your heating problems before old man winter invades your cozy home again this Winter! More next month…
 
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