An old window rattling slightly in its frame on a windy day is usually losing more heat than its size would suggest, and the fix doesn’t have to mean replacing the window itself.
Quick, cheap fixes
Weatherstripping applied along the sash where the window meets the frame closes the small gaps that let air leak through, and it’s inexpensive enough to redo every couple of years as it wears. A draft snake along the bottom of a window sill, even a rolled towel in a pinch, blocks the floor-level draft that’s often the most noticeable one in a room.
Removable window film, applied in colder months, adds an extra insulating layer of air between the film and the glass, and it peels off cleanly when the season changes.
Bigger fixes
Caulking around the exterior window frame, where it meets the siding or brick, addresses leaks that weatherstripping alone can’t reach, since that gap is structural rather than just around the moving sash. This is a once-every-several-years job rather than an annual one.
For windows that are genuinely failing, with warped frames or broken seals between panes, an interior storm window adds a second barrier without the cost of full replacement, and can noticeably narrow the gap in performance between an old window and a new one.
Starting with the cheap fixes usually solves most of the noticeable draft; the bigger fixes are worth reserving for windows where the cheap options clearly aren’t enough.
Leave a Reply