section 35 Perhaps this past fall, in hopes of de-
creasing the drafts from your windows,
you used a hair dryer to install plastic
sheets over the inside of your windows.
This is one type of interior storm win-
dow.
Interior storm windows reduce drafts
and create a dead air space between the
window glass and the interior plastic
sheet. The air space acts a bit like insula-
tion. The combination decreases the
amount of heat lost out of a window and
will generally save as much energy as
installing a new window.
The problems with the hair-dryer-
installed plastic sheets are that the plas-
tic tears easily, the adhesive is weak and
the plastic is thrown away every spring..
Tyz-All storm windows allow you to at-
tach a thin frame around your window.
You can then use the frame to “zip” (zip-
lock style) a plastic sheet into place
across the window. This way you can un-
zip the plastic sheet each spring, so you
can use the window normally during the
summer. Every fall you can re-install the
same plastic sheet in the frame. This re-
duces the amount of plastic being
thrown away each year into a landfill.
Also, Tyz-All uses a thicker grade of plas-
tic, so the plastic doesn’t rip easily.
Note: The Tyz-All plastic sheets are
made from PVC, the same material
as some shower curtains. If you
have allergies to PVC or want to
avoid the VOCs and the damage to
the environment from using a mate-
rial linked to atmospheric degrada-
tion, you can use a different and thin-
ner plastic. Just make sure the sheet
is transparent so you don’t end up
feeling like you’re living in a tupper-
ware container.
interior storm
windows
How to install interior storms
See this video showing the installation.
The visual makes written directions easier
to grasp.
• Energy savings per decade: Up to $353
and 2,880 lbs. CO2 assuming you in-stall interior storms on all the win-dows in your home
• Level of difficulty: Moderate
• Cost: $7 to $11 per window
• How long it takes: 20 minutes per win-
dow
• Tools & materials: Rag, pencil, screw-
driver, a Tyz-All window kit big
enough for your window, scissors, utility knife, measuring tape
1. First clean off the window casing of all
dirt and loose paint, etc.
Tip: The adhesive backing the lengths of channel won't stick well to wet surfaces, so any water-based cleaning should be done well ahead of time and allowed to dry completely.
2. Use a pencil to lightly draw where the
frame will go. You can install the Tyz-All
frame on the front face of the window
casing (as in the video linked to above)
or on the inner surface of the sash stop
(the inside of the window frame next to
the window jamb). Either way, the frame
must have a straight and continuous line,
360° around the window.
Tip: To decrease convective looping (the movement of cold air sinking and warmer air rising within the insulated space allow-
ing more cold to transfer into the home), it is best if the plastic sheet is installed within one half inch of the window. Since this is normally not possible, just try to in-stall it as close to the window as you can.
3. Remove any obstructions (blinds, latches
or handles, etc.) that are going to get in
the way of the plastic sheet once it’s
pulled tight, but leave any handles used
to open the window nearby, in case an
emergency exit is needed.
4. Peel the paper cover off the backside of
a two feet frame piece to expose the ad-
hesive and press the frame’s adhesive
side firmly into place along the penciled
line. Make sure to press it exactly into
place; the adhesive is sticky and it will be
hard to move. Also it won’t stick as well
the second time.
5. Peel off the paper cover and place the
next piece tightly butted up to the first
end, following the penciled line.
6. Continue all the way around the window,
building a frame for the plastic sheet on
the window trim, along the penciled line.
Tip: If you need a window frame piece shorter than two feet, you can cut the piece with a utility knife or scissors. Once you have the surface cut started, you can bend the frame piece back and forth along the cut to break it. It is easier to unzip the
108
Installing an interior storm window
See our photos showing the parts of a Tyz-all kit, as well as the parts of a window.
spline from the frame piece first and cut them separately.
7. When you have the whole frame in place,
unzip the spline from all of the frame
pieces.
8. Cut out a piece of clear plastic that is at
least four inches taller and wider than the
frame.
9. Zip a half an inch of the plastic into the
very center of the topside of the frame.
10. Zip a half an inch in at the center of the
bottom of the frame, making sure to pull
the plastic tight so there is no slack.
11. Zip half an inch in on the center of the
left side.
12. Zip half an inch on the center of the right
side, making sure to pull the plastic
sheet so there is no slack.
13. Now that you have the center of each
side in place, zip each side’s plastic and
spline into place by moving outward from
these center spot to the corner. With the
centers correctly in place you can easily
press all the creases out of the plastic as
you go, resulting in a flat nearly invisible
plastic sheet.
14. When it’s in place, you can use a utility
knife or scissors to cut off some extra
plastic from the edges. If you're planning
on removing the plastic sheet each sum-
mer, then don't cut too close to the edge
or when you try to zip the sheet in next
fall, you'll have a hard time getting it ex-
actly right.
Tip: Label the plastic sheet in an unobtru-sive corner so you know which window it belongs in next fall when you zip it back into place.
********
If you want an even more effective, longer
lasting, professionally constructed window
insulation system, Advanced Energy
Panels sells a great one.
Advanced Energy Panels (AEPs) are a dou-
ble glazed, light, interior panel custom-made
for each window. They are easy to install
and remove, and they can be reused year
after year.
AEPs insulate and air-seal more than most
replacement windows, yet they are a fraction
of the cost. Sometimes you can even get re-
bates for them
109
An Advanced Energy Panel being installed