Clear sheet over windows to reduce heat loss?

emperorstevee

Hello everyone, I hope that you had a good Christmas.

My flat suffers from a lot of cold air entering from the outside through my bathroom window. Curtains would not be practical, my sink is just below the window. I read a while back about some sort of clear sheet that you can put over your glass to reduce a slight amount of heat loss. What would this sheet be and how might I apply it?

Thank you!

Nile

Hi emporerstevee

Many years ago I lived in a flat with a similar draughty window situation. I used a similar product to the Wickes Seasonal Secondary Glazing Film:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Seasonal-Secondary-Glazing-Film-6m2/p/210014?CAWELAID=120135120000015217&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=52608956104&CATCI=pla-294682000766&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI55nvpuSv2AIVTBbTCh32QwB3EAYYASABEgJjovD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It was cheap and easy to install and made a BIG difference to the warmth of the room. It doesn't look great but being warm was way more important to me.

Regards

Nile

elver_man

From my own experience the secondary glazing film is fine if you do not have too much draft coming in through the window frame. If there is, it tends to blow the film off the sticky that you attach to the frame.


For it to be effective I would suggest that you block off any draft first by using draft excluder or similar, then the glazing film will be more effective at reducing heat loss through the glass.


A more effective although slightly more expensive option would be to use something similar to Liteglaze acrylic sheet as a cheap secondary glazing.


https://www.homebase.co.uk/liteglaze-acrylic-sheet-180-x-60cm_p284486


Although both are really only temporary

McKneff

I have seen the kits in Wilkinsos top

Ectophile

I tried the stick on film many years ago on draughty sash windows. It was rubbish. On a windy day, it would rustle like a crisp packet. On a very windy day, it would peel off the sticky tape, letting in the cold air again.

I eventually bought sheets of clear, flexible plastic material. This was held on by magnetic strips, with some extra home-made clamps screwed to the window frame to make sure they didn't fall off.

You can get plastic in anything from a semi-rigid sheet (that can be rolled up for transport), to solid glazing panels.

emperorstevee

I've been getting mixed reviews on here and on Wickes and Homebase. Is it worth getting some sort of glazing film?

Davesnave

No one has asked if you have an efficient means of ventilating the bathroom.

If you have an extractor fan that works well, fine, but if not and you block up the window by some means, next you will have problems with condensation and mould.

marlot

My father lived in an old house with lots of heat loss through the windows. He made up some huge pieces of perspex which he screwed to the outside of the windows in the winter months. It worked very well. They did gradually get scratched though.

googler

Make a wooden frame a few mm smaller than the window recess. Fit a wood panel to it, and place insulation material on the far side of the panel. On the near side of the frame and panel, fit a couple of grab handles.

Around the outside, attach flexible insulation, such as would be applied to window shut lines to insulate them

Use the grab handles to lift, place and remove the panel as required.

EachPenny

emperorstevee wrote: »

I've been getting mixed reviews on here and on Wickes and Homebase. Is it worth getting some sort of glazing film?

If the draught is from poorly fitting window frames then any gaps really need sealing in some way. If the cold is from single-glazing or inefficient double-glazing then secondary-glazing might help.

If you are not too bothered by appearances and visibility then selected Wickes stores currently sell translucent Proplex surface protection sheets at £2.85 for a 1200mm x 1000mm sheet. These are significantly cheaper than acrylic sheet but more durable than film. The downside is the sheets are not transparent and have product information printed on them (so do not look pretty), but they work fine on windows you do not need to look out of.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Proplex-Translucent-Surface-Protection-Sheet-1200mm-x-1000mm/p/151157

Davesnave's comment about ventilation is important, you need to think about this carefully.