Bubble Wrap Window Insulation
 

Bubble Wrap Window Insulation


Hi,

New guy here and my 1st post...:)

It's that time of year again when we all try to keep the cold out of our homes. This stuff really works and is my 4th year of using it.It turns single pane to double pane and double pane to triple pane window insulation. I've used a IR thermometer to validate the results and found that temperature of the bubble wrap and adjacent wall are the same.You can buy a box of it at wally world for $10 that will do several windows (or half windows). I have a large sliding glass patio door that I use it on and several other windows in the house. It made a big difference in how comfortable the rooms felt, not to mention the savings in energy.

builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/bubblewrap.htm
(corrected link)


(since I have less than 5 posts I can not post a link to the site that has the information. Just add the w w w . in front of the above address.)


Try it, you'll like it...;)

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p.s.

I'm looking foward to particapating in this great forum that ya'll created. (I have also joined EcoRenovator...:thumbup:)

redneck

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Buy a box? Save it from packages you get, or - if you're a real redneck - get it from the neighbors' trash :-)

Any way you want to go about obtaining it is fine...;)

If you have a little bit laying around from a package, do a test. Try putting it only on half of a window. Then place your hand on the bubble wrap then the bare window.

You won't believe the difference.

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I'd believe the difference all right-i've used Bubble wrap for about five months, paid $20 for enough to cover every window in the house and made my money back(with interest) in a month! The fact I started with high efficiency panes in the first place didn't hurt much either...

And just for the record Redneck, I stole the idea from the same webpage:

BubbleWrap

Fantastic place isn't it? I hope to have one of the simple DIY Solar Air heaters done in a few weeks-my version will use Soda cans since my neighbors literally inhale the stuff...assuming my 50+ hour weekly schedule doesn't cause a stress induced coronary of course. :(

BTW, have you wrapped your water heater and pipes yet? It's another cheap mod with really good returns-I think I may have gone a touch overboard as my cylinder tank rapidly became a rectangle...

Oh, and welcome to Ecomodder!

Have you figured out how to get the tops and bottoms off the cans? I've tried hole drills & cutters, but the sides of the cans are so weak that the drill just grabs and twists them out of shape - if it doesn't send the can flying.

With the bubble wrap, I've made wooden frames that just slide into the window openings. A bit of foam around the outside edges makes a tight seal.

I don't actually remove the tops and bottoms- I use a pair of small tinsnips to enlarge the top hole into a large diamond, then use a nail punch to start the bottom and do likewise...when the tube is assembled with high-temp gasket sealer it's essentially going to be 'ribbed' on the inside. With my ten hour shifts and two-way commutes I allocate only a half hour per night, giving me an easy half-dozen cans per night.

Assembling and painting the case, creating an SIP (Foam-cored double plywood board) window block etc will have to be done outdoors and will need to be done after the Holidays.

As far as mounting the Bubble wrap, I did the lazy thing-cut to fit, dampened each panel and slapped it on. I'll need to remove them with a butter knife if I ever need to replace any though...

I've actually done this myself. When heating a poorly insulated house with natural gas, it makes a noticeable difference. Just have learn to get over the 'your house looks like a meth lab' comments.

just putting plastic sheeting around the windows helps a lot

sunscreen - much better than bubblewrap
 

Bubble wrap did not work well for me, not at all. I got bubblewrap from E bay especially for the purpose of insulation of the windows. I had already determined that the side of the window with a screen was about 1 degree warmer. Well it turned out that the bubblewrap was no better than this. Also it almost completely blocks the visibility through the windows. One thing that it might do is to help cut down on drafts.

This past fall I replaced a regular screen with sunscreen, and was surprised to see a significant difference. I don't have the figures in front of me, but it was about 5 degrees difference. As a result, I got more frames and put sunscreen on all the east and west windows of my house, which has made a major difference! I used to have to get a fire going if the outside temp was lower than 41 degrees. Now it can be several degrees colder. For example, last night it was 36 degrees and I didn't even consider to get a fire going, because it wasn't that cold in the house.

The sunscreen keeps the house warmer in winter, cooler in summer, and it makes a great privacy window! If someone was right outside of a window, they would not be able to see the people inside.

I'd like to hear more about that sunscreen...that could work for me. ...got any more info?
I've got two large glass doors that I'm going to cut clear plexi sheets for...cover the doors entirely, on the outside, leaving +/- 1/8" gap all the way around to vent moisture build-up but block wind gusts. These doors (one opens, the other is fixed in place) open out to our mudroom/main entryway, the glass area is huge and I'm guessing it releases beaucoup heat to the outside. I would do the bubblewrap/plastic but the dogs scratch at the glass when they wanna come back in...and bubblewrap probably does give a kinda neo-methlab look...not that that's a bad thing, not at all.