I figure I might ask some physicists this question on the science forum. I covered a few windows in my home w/ plastic from the window insulation kits you can buy. My question is, since I did not layer the plastic w/in an inch (several inches away, due to constraints) from the window pane, and therefore, am not getting the benefits of convection, will the layer of plastic actually help insulate my windows? I hardly notice a difference, and I've been wondering if the higher thermal conductivity of plastic compared to air is translating into no benefit. tl;dr: Will shrink wrap 3 - 5"+ from your window insulate your home?
from a construction view most air will come in from the sides of the trim..if you remove the trim you will see a gap 1/4 inch or more all the way around..if you seal this with spray foan it will seal it nicely..you didnt say what kind of windows double pane or single hung or double hung horizonal or vertical windows..and also double pane windows ?
my house house 59 windows..i sealed up all mine 10 years ago and it made a huge difference..now if i can find a way of cleaning these windows live would be nicer
The key is not so much how much air gap you have (double pane windows are NMT 1/8" between panes), but making sure that it is 'dead air' (i.e. no movement in the space). Try the 'candle on a windy day' test to see if air is moving within that space. Also, that inside air is not moving against (blowing directly on) the plastic.
correct...putting poly on raises the R value by one, so if your standard thermal pane unit is an R2. it's now R3...not a significant improvement for time and cost...if the old thermal unit was leaking the film may prevent frost build up, otherwise it's a waste of time...
using the correct foam! it needs to be specific window and door foam....the other foam will bend the frames...
Speaking of window insulation, I don't know if the following could be a viable business or not. What do you think about the following? [Btw - I'm not interested. Just wondering about your opinions.]] If you live in colder regions and are unemployed or just want to try a novel part time business start-up, look into purchasing a thermal (infrared) imaging camera. You could drive around your area taking thermals of peoples' homes and businesses on cold nights. You could then later try to sell the owners (or local contractors) a more detailed set of thermal pictures that could then be used to show locations of excess heat outflow that require attention. Maybe this information could also be used by contractors for the promotion of their services or, if you desired that end of the business, your own. It would probably be a little be tricky to analyze, though. Infrared imaging will show heat outflow regardless of whether it's from convection or radiation. Also, heat outflow from convection won't pick up the other side of air leakage - inflow from wind pressure. Simply having a temperature difference where it's warmer inside than out will produce an overall outward pressure, like a hot air balloon's walls trying to expand. This would tend to drive heat out at all points. But winds, depending on speeds and directions, would tend to overcome the general windward side outflow from thermal gradient expansion, forcing air from outside toward the inside through leakage on that side of the structure - i.e. producing those cold influx drafts. But, sealing high outflow areas would still significantly reduce those windward convective drafts. Would it be helpful to take pictures on both calm days and windy ones? Radiative heat loss would show up as comparatively smooth rather than localized infrared coloring. See the picture below. The article better hints at why there could maybe be some potential for a business. But I kind of think it probably would be a hard sell. Plus, I doubt it could generate enough business to cover but a few of the less severely cold months. I dunno - just a thought... What's your opinion? Could something like that be a viable business? WBUR, Boston - New Technology Makes Home Heat Loss Visible [btw - infrared imaging is hardly "new technology"]
I'm all for starting new businesses as I attempted to do in 1986 when video cameras came out ($1700 back then) with the concept of Video Realty---front/back shots plus 'live walk thru of the house, cleaned only once and allow Realtors to view with prospective's in their office w/o having to drive to many homes. Made a test tape with several friends' homes plus new models on as sample with basic descriptive dialog. The agents liked the idea, but many logistical concerns: distribution multiple copies with several homes on to other realtors, how to charge $, etc. Finally ran out of personal $ and moved on---years later saw similar concept in use but local within the agency--not distributed. I said all that just to say that 'the details,' slow, small startup costs & time, and possible competition could eat you up! Most likely some Heat/AC co.s in your area offer that svce for future business--you would just be selling pics unless you could hookup with a Heat/AC co. and use for referrals...
Well, like I said, I wasn't really interested in such a business for myself because I'm not so certain it would be all that attractive a service to be able to sell. But I don't have a very good business sense and I was just wondering what others thought. A couple of jobs ago I used thermal imaging as part of a service that WAS somewhat lucrative for the company I worked for. We provided thermal analysis of industrial and commercial switchgear, distribution panels, and motor control centers. The was to identify bad electrical connections and fix them as a measure of preventative maintenance. Bad connections act like resistors. They get get hotter in proportion to the amperage and the resistance of the connections. This can cause fuses and breakers to blow/trip, unwanted voltage drops to voltage sensitive equipment, and voltage imbalances to 3-phase motors which can significantly affect their efficiency and load handling capabilities - not to mention FIRES.
Yeah, I have a hand held IR Thermometer Gun that I use for locating hot spots in various areas, such as ovens or even engine compartments, and also to measure room deflector distribution of temp and see how much my A/C is pulling In-Out. Handy and with many uses, even use to check (integrated over distance, usually 1" view per 1' distance for my gun) the temp of food in a fry pan. I think if your friend read up and gained some expertise he could work with Heat/AC companies and contract out to them---let 'them' handle getting $ from the customers.
I can see the advantages of doing having worked on power panels on pumpjacks in the dirty, corroded oilfield. Can do with the equipment online with out down time except scheduled to repair.
I don't foresee much interest from HVAC companies, it maybe of interest to renovation/insolation specialists...most people today are aware of heat loss and if they have a older home are also aware it has insulation deficiencies...a renovator could use the technology to pinpoint those areas in need of improvement if that is the homeowners issue...I don't feel a need I need one because I already know by the age of the home where problems will occur, when I do a renovation I automatically bring those deficiencies up to new standards...it may be of use as marketing tool for door to door sales more than anything else...
Yeah, you sound right on. Good info for the discussion. The door-to-door is a rough row to hoe..tried that once with a husband/wife cleaning business. And most places wont allow circulars on doors anymore. It's a nice-to-know "product" about one's home, but will ppl pay for it?
anyone with common sense wouldn't, I can see older homeowners who may not know about the technology being convinced for a need for an upgrade by it...I can also foresee those same older homeowners being duped into buying something they don't need as I'm sure those photos can be enhanced to show heat loss even when there is very little...then there is the issue of value, an older home can be improved but the older home owners may never recover the energy savings in their lifetime to pay for the insulation upgrade...
