Interior storms and panels
Do you have any experience with interior storm products such as these or others?
http://www.energywisemfg.com
http://www.quantapanel.com/
http://www.arc-dec.com
I’ve read GBA am aware that in many climates, low-e storms offer the best return on investment. But, we don’t want to add more ugly aluminum storms than we already have – we have 15 remaining single-pane windows are highly visible inside and out. The original 1965 wood windows (which are beautiful and which we want to keep) are somewhat leaky, so I’m not too concerned about using very airtight interior storms. I’m also aware that Martin is not a fan of interior storms – but I’m curious as to others experiences/opinions, especially with the “double-glazed.” Thanks.
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Replies
Emerson,
Like you, I'm interested in the opinions of others. Here's what I know:
I've used interior glass storms. In some cases, these interior storms can lead to moisture and mold problems. Ideally, the interior pane of glass is more airtight than the exterior window -- that's how you avoid moisture and mold problems.
It's also important to highlight a safety issue. Every bedroom needs an emergency egress window that can be opened quickly in the middle of the night in case of fire. Interior storms make this difficult, especially for children and the elderly.
Martin,
It seems only you and I are curious as to the experience of others with interior storms/panels.
I will say that it took a great deal of effort today to reach ARC-DEC, mostly due to an off-putting and impersonal voice recognition system where I didn't even know whose phone I had reached.
Do others have input?
Thank you.
One thought would be to also search for "noise or sound control interior windows". There is a whole industry for those in NYC. Of course nothing that comes out of the five boroughs is ever cheap, but may give you some ideas.
An option could be interior shutters that completely seal off the window when closed. Some clever architect designed a double folding system of those for the apartment we have now in the city; it made a huge difference in draft and noise reduction.
I added two interior storms to my old leaky plain double-pane casement windows. The worked great. The innermost layer was a plexiglas panel the size of the whole two or three window unit that attached with magnetic strips to the trim, which helped insulate the frame a bit, and provided a good air seal, and, as a result, I had no condensation problems. We replaced the windows recently for aesthetic reasons, to match some new windows we put in elsewhere, but there was no functional or energy need to do so.