Insulating 40's era metal windows for the cold

[jeepwm69]

My house was built by my grandparents in 1947. Originally the house had metal casement/ wind out windows all over.

In the 90's my grandmother put Pella replacements in most of the house, but there are still 5 of these old metal casement windows.

Each window had a screen on one side and a solid pane of glass on the other side. They attached to the inside (so the window could be opened/cranked outward) and were held in place by a screw on either side of the frame.

We are in the process of painting these rooms, and I'd like to put the solid panes on both sides of each window for energy efficiency. We rarely open windows and when we do, we'll open the newer and easier opening Pella windows.

So are these something that can be bought or were they something my grandfather had made? They appear to be an aluminum frame with a single heavy pane of glass. They look a little too factory to be something he would have made himself.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Anything you do will have minimal benefit. You really want a replacement window.

 

[quattro_sinko]

Check out Innerglass Invisible storm windows. If you have a jamb or finished opening to the inside of the existing casements, these may be a possibility. I used them on a 1840's mansion that I took care of to avoid having to disturb the original windows. They were VERY impressive.


http://stormwindows.com/

I am not affiliated with them in any way.

 

[bobdole4u2]

Call Window World. They do picture windows too.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Kaizen]

I just gave away the old storm windows from my house. Probably 1920s or so. they were complete windows that sat flush on the outside trim of the window. had a material stapled in that compressed for air seal. I bet they were better then my 30 year old aluminum triple tracks. I actually re-purposed a few for my garage.
I wouldnt buy anything new for your metal windows besides a replacement but if you have those already stick em on. caulk them if you want. If you have trim on the windows put some plastic up. cheap and works great.

 

[jeepwm69]

I might eventually replace them, but right now I have other, more pressing repairs that need to be done to the house.

I'll measure mine and see what stormwindows.com will run. That sounds similar to what I have now, I just need a few more to put in instead of the screens I took down.

I have wooden shutters on the inside of all of the windows too so with a second pane of glass and the wooden shutters it will have to be good enough for now.

 

[fasteddie]

Vinyl window fabricator shops are numerous in my area, YMMV. I would think they could give you a decent price on fixed pane windows. Worth calling around.

 

[quattro_sinko]

I might eventually replace them, but right now I have other, more pressing repairs that need to be done to the house.

I'll measure mine and see what stormwindows.com will run. That sounds similar to what I have now, I just need a few more to put in instead of the screens I took down.

I have wooden shutters on the inside of all of the windows too so with a second pane of glass and the wooden shutters it will have to be good enough for now.

IIRC, the windows I purchased were between $300-$400 each. They were roughly 36"x"70". I purchased them approximately 5 years ago, so I have no idea where their pricing is now.

As mentioned, the building was built of brick, and had the original windows. It was only set back from a busy street by 15'. You could hear every rattle and bump from passing cars before the Innerglass storms went in. The difference with them in was astounding. Additionally, the rooms stayed significantly warmer without raising the thermostat.

They used to have a "template" of sorts that made it easy to measure your window's opening exactly, using a framing square and ruler. If your window is out of square, no big deal, they make the storm to fit.

As I ordered a number of large windows, and CT isn't too far from where I live in NY, I drove over and picked up the windows. Got a quick tour of the shop and enjoyed meeting the owner. He's got a great product, is passionate about it, and it shows in the product he turns out.