Homestead mailing list

[Roy Morgan <k1lky AT earthlink.net>]

On Nov 4, 2008, at 12:08 AM, EarthNSky wrote:
... I got was a package
> of plastic sheets that cover the interior of windows. ...
> In the package with the sheets were cardboard strips.

 A little experimenting may be in order.

Basically you hold the plastic up the the window, and staple through  
the cardboard strips to keep it in place and keep the wind outside.   
Rolling excess plastic sheet around the cardboard strip may be good,  
if there is enough extra.

Those really hard to work staple guns are right for the job.

Experiment: use a hair dryer on high to see if you can shrink the  
plastic a bit once firmly stapled in place.  This may be part of the  
instructions you can't read.  You may melt one or two till you get the  
knack of it, but do carry on.

Today we came back from the home store with a roll of 6 mil plastic  
(heavy) to do the front porch.  (the roll is 20 feet  by 100 feet,  
most economical way to buy it and have plenty left to cover hay and  
tractor if needed.)  I got some 1x2 lumber strips to fasten it with  
and will use galvanized deck screws to hold it all in place.  This  
stuff will go around the front porch to keep the snow and sleet off  
the wood we have piled there and will add to.  The porch faces due  
West, and it seems that the bad weather comes from the NW. (thank you  
to Canada which is not far away, and the Great Lakes.)

I found a roll of soft closed cell polyurethane sheet (maybe 8" by 25  
feet and about 3/16 inch thick) which I plan to  staple to the edges  
(in strips) of frames made from those 1 by 2's.  We have a number of  
small windows here that are only one pane, and they clearly show  
evidence of frost and condensation on the lower rail of the window.   
The inserts I expect to build will be able to be installed and taken  
out with no hardware - the foam will both hold them in place and  
provide the weather stripping function.

"And Winter is a  cummin in"
(Is that from a song by Tom Rush, or a poem from a poet this engineer  
can't remember?)

Roy



Roy Morgan
k1lky AT earthlink.net
529 Cobb St.
Groton NY, 13073