Drafty Windows
#1
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Drafty Windows
My home is 10 years old and all the windows are apparently cheap.I live in the desert and get a lot of dust and draft on windy days.Installing all new windows is not an option right now. I have concidered caulking windows closed.Are there any other options besides the high expense of new windows?
#2
Welcome to the forums! What type windows do you have? Metal, vinyl, wood? Pictures of the windows will help us see what you see. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
#3
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There's several types of issues that could cause dust and drafts to enter. You should be able improve the situation with a combination of caulk and window seals. That's not to say I'm certain you'll be able to stop the problem entirely.
My suggestion is to find exactly where the dust and drafts are entering (which windows in which places) and address each issue individually. Dust should be easier to find and in all likelihood drafts are entering in the same place.
Also be careful about leaving windows open for ventilation on areas opposite the wind. Doing so will push air from your home, allowing dust to be sucked in from the other.
My suggestion is to find exactly where the dust and drafts are entering (which windows in which places) and address each issue individually. Dust should be easier to find and in all likelihood drafts are entering in the same place.
Also be careful about leaving windows open for ventilation on areas opposite the wind. Doing so will push air from your home, allowing dust to be sucked in from the other.
#4
I lived in Phoenix and dust ws always a problem. Much more than in the east. But I would still love to be there than here. I just like desert.
#5
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It wouldn't surprise me if the air and dirt was coming from around the window, and not through the windows.
This past summer I took all the interior trim off my windows and foamed around them. The chintzy piece of fiberglass stuffed in there was not doing much to stop the drafts. I was careful to cut the paint around the trim, and pried everything very carefully and all the trim basically came off without damage to it or the walls.
I probably shouldn't admit this in public, but at one of my old houses which had some cheap window casing, I just drilled right through the inside casing in a few spots and foamed around the windows. I cut the foam off flush with the trim after it dried, painted, and you couldn't even see where I drilled. The windows and casing would have needed to be replaced eventually, but it bought some time and tightened things up enough to make a noticeable difference.
This past summer I took all the interior trim off my windows and foamed around them. The chintzy piece of fiberglass stuffed in there was not doing much to stop the drafts. I was careful to cut the paint around the trim, and pried everything very carefully and all the trim basically came off without damage to it or the walls.
I probably shouldn't admit this in public, but at one of my old houses which had some cheap window casing, I just drilled right through the inside casing in a few spots and foamed around the windows. I cut the foam off flush with the trim after it dried, painted, and you couldn't even see where I drilled. The windows and casing would have needed to be replaced eventually, but it bought some time and tightened things up enough to make a noticeable difference.
#6
It wouldn't surprise me if your "windows" weren't much more than a glorified aluminum storm window. (Are they aluminum? Sliders? Double hungs? You have told us next to nothing about them so it's kind of hard to offer intelligent advice...) Slider windows are the worst, and windows installed in warm climates like the desert SW are traditionally poor because they can get away with it. They don't need to keep out the cold (not like they do in the north anyway... btw, 30F ain't cold... lol) and aren't built with energy efficiency in mind.