 | 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
2012-10-02 14:08:14
A large welcome to Fall
A: Not having seen your home, I can only generalize in a response to your question. The short answer is, one can generally maintain the “look” of your home when going to the newer energy efficient windows. The job should be done with maintaining your original “look”, while giving you a huge improvement in heat and cold transfer through your windows.
There are a lot of homes in the Wichita area that were built back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that have had the windows replaced, and now enjoy the energy saving benefits of that project, and with most of them, you would be hard pressed to say that they lost anything in appearance. You didn’t say whether or not you have installed storm windows over the original windows of the home, and if you have, the appearance from the street will not offer much change, if any at all, from what it is right now when the storm windows are reinstalled after removing and replacing your original windows. Self storing storm windows are designed to cover your windows completely on the outside, and include a built in screen that allows for raising the storm window panel so you can move air through it without letting insects, falling leaves, etc., inside your home. These kinds of storm windows stay in place year round, and help keep the cold out in the freezing winters we sometimes have here as well. Another advantage of installing these storm window units is that your window sills are protected by and large from the elements, preventing them from rotting out from “dry rot” or being assaulted by rain, sleet, and snow. Your local full service glass dealer will be able to inspect your windows and advise you as to what would give you the most advantage with your window replacement project.
Once again this year, we had a summer here in Kansas that included a lot of very hot days and nights without much rainfall at all. The drought was worse than any dry spell since the middle of the great depression in the 1930’s. There were a lot of folks who installed outside awnings, louvers, etc. this summer on the sides of their homes facing the blistering sun, which can reduce the heat that enters your home through your windows by up to 80%, a really worthwhile thing to do. Many people even made up some temporary window reflectors by covering cardboard pieces with aluminum foil to reflect heat back outside on those windows facing the east, south, and west. That works kind of like the reflectors you put in your car’s windshield in the summertime. It’s temporary, won’t eliminate heat transfer to the inside of your home completely, but for those for whom budget is critical, does help out with slowing some of the heat.
Also, if you opened and closed your windows a lot over the last year or so, you should know that your window seals will probably have accumulated some dirt and debris, which could prevent a tight seal from forming. That might not seem important to you, but over the course of the winter coming up, you could lose plenty of heat that will escape through those gaps. Before it gets that cold, take the time to walk around your house and clean and inspect each window. If the weather stripping has deteriorated or worn, right now would be a good time to replace that.
The end of summer heralds in the fall season, which for a lot of folks is their favorite time of year. The oppressive heat ends, and pretty quickly the falling leaves of October will be signaling that winter weather is not far away. We’re very lucky that we get to enjoy all four of the distinctive weather seasons here in our state and city. As the seasons change, our activities and home needs change too. What a great time to do some seasonal maintenance around the house to keep your home running smoothly. While you work in that last trip or two to the cabin, lake house, or the country house, remember to set aside some time for those little repair projects at your house. If you ignore them, or forget about them, you might end up with a few regrets when the chill of this winter sets in. Winter time follows the fall just as surely as the morning sun follows the night.
Even ahead of “more insulation in the attic”, your windows, if they’re in good shape, can do more to help you not lose your budget to the elements than just about any other part of your home’s physical structure. Don’t fail to spend the time to give them a good checkout right now while the weather is temperate, and the time to correct problems is now. Call your local full service glass dealer for an inspection of your windows now, before you begin to think things like “why didn’t I do that back in October when the weather was so nice”! October is a great time to take care of this…and I hope this information helps you! More next month…
