One of the biggest causes for cold air infiltration is drafty windows. Old single-pane windows are often the problem. An effective, but expensive, way to correct this is with replacement windows. Replacing a single window, however, can cost hundreds of dollars, if not more. Replacing all of the windows in a home can cost thousands of dollars.
However, a far less expensive alternative is a window-channel kit, also called replacement channels. These kits make windows more energy efficient, more functional and allow you to keep your existing windows as well as their wood framing. That’s a plus aesthetically.
The only downside is that window-channel kits are somewhat difficult to find. The best bet is to check with local lumber yards or home improvement stores.
The channel kits provide weatherstripping for older double-hung windows, which are often leaky during the winter months. In addition, they update the old rope-or-chain, pulley and weight mechanism needed to raise and lower windows with a simpler track system found on newer windows. The kits also help silence those windows that rattle in the cold wind.
The kits supply two aluminum or vinyl channels with tension springs in the center, which are used to replace a window’s ropes or chains system. The kits are also made for windows of a certain depth. If the windows are thicker or thinner, they need to be shaved with a router or built out with furring strips to fit the channels.
Before purchasing a kit, make precise measurements of the existing windows. Measure the depth of the sash, then open the window and measure the bottom of the lower sash. The top of the sash, also known as the locking rail, is wider than the bottom. Make sure you also measure the length of the window, from the top of the upper sash to the bottom of the lower sash.
To install the window-channel kit, you’ll need to first take apart the existing window. Remove the sashes, open up the sash cavities to the sides of the windows that hold the weights and chains or ropes, and remove those pieces. You also need to remove the pulleys at the top of the window. You’ll need to use a wood chisel to remove a section of the parting bead.
Before installing the new channels, fill those cavities with insulation and caulk any gaps. Then, attach the new channels to the sashes and place them back in the window opening. There are also horizontal weatherstrips for the bottom of the lower sash, the top of the upper sash, and where the two sashes meet in the middle.
Finally, to make the windows truly energy efficient, caulk the perimeter of the window from the outside and make sure the windows are properly glazed.
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Got a question about home energy or home environmental issues? Write to Energy Q&A, Chicago Tribune, Your Place section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611. Or you can e-mail energyqa@aol.com. Questions will be answered only through the column.
