 | 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
2012-03-22 16:37:02
Winter, what winter?
A: Whoa! I almost got the feelin’ that you think that storm windows don’t benefit you except in the cold weather months! If that’s what you thought, let me help you with that misinformation, please. Also, since experience tells us that prices of anything seldom go down, it might make some financial sense to get the job done now rather than later.
The only time of the year that storm windows give you their benefits as much or more than in the cold, brutal winter months, is in the super heated summers we sometimes have here in Kansas. Remember last summer where we had 53 days of 100 degrees or hotter? That was a record breaker summer for heat, since way back in the 30’s. And preventing the incursion of both, cold winter or hot summer air into the climate controlled spaces of your home, is the year round job of your storm windows, as well as your home’s insulation factors.
If your windows are in really well maintained condition, without the condensation problems some older windows have had, then the recommendation would be to install custom fitted self-storing storm windows over the outside of your existing windows. Self-storing means that the windows are designed and built to include moveable glass panels with built-in screens to allow you to open your windows as well as your storm panels, to allow for fresh air to be brought inside your home when the weather and other conditions make this desirable. The waft of springtime outside air through the windows is pretty sweet!
The screens let the air in, but keep the bugs and birds out. Self storing storm windows come in many great colors, and most of the better ones are metal, usually aluminum. These windows keep the winds from coming against your normal window glass, creating drafty conditions in both winter and summer. Anytime you can stop the drafts, your heating and cooling units will have an easier time of maintaining the temperature you’ve set your thermostat for. Consistent temperatures can save you money at the meter.
If your windows are not so well maintained, suffering from either dry rot or wet rot, it is a pretty good indicator that you don’t have the self storing storms we’ve been visiting about here. The self storing storm windows cover your complete window, including keeping the weather and rainwater from getting onto your window sills. If you look at a home that has had self storing storm windows installed since the house was built, there is a high likelihood that the window sills are also in good shape. It’s pretty simple, every few years, to remove the screws holding the self-storing storm windows in place, and refresh the painted surfaces, check on the condition of the glazing, and just generally do a maintenance check. If you do this little process every so often, you will probably never lose your windows or window frames to dry rot or wet rot due to rainwater standing on your windows or sills.
Window maintenance is easily overlooked by lots of folks due to the fact that unless you are in tune with this kind of thing, and as long as the windows are serving their purpose of keeping wind and rain outside, we sometimes tend to just ignore them…it’s easy to do. But now that you know about it, walk around the outside and the inside of your home, raising or opening the windows, and giving them a little bit of your attention. If you find that you have inadvertently missed this area of home maintenance, it’s a perfect time to call someone for an estimate to correct the problem before it continues to deteriorate…these things do not get better over time…they only get worse. It’s amazing what good windows and good storm windows can do for the comfort levels of your home. Well maintained windows also just make your home look great, and preserve the values too. More next month…
