Draught-proofing sashes without plastic

[gsport george]

Hi,

Been meaning to post this for a while.

I dont know if this was done in the past, but it seemed like a good solution to me.

The thinking is that it doesnt matter if the window is draughty when it is open, so the last half inch or so of the sashes' movement can deal with any draughts. This is a new sash, so was made with the central bars correctly sized to wedge inwards on the bottom sash and outwards on the top, but on an old window you could just add a thin strip of wood to one of these to create the correct spacing. Then the little block shown is added to the inside bottom of the parting bead and the outside top of the parting bead on each side.

When the window is closed the last half inch of movement jams the inside face of the lower sash against the staff bead and the outside face of the upper sash against the outer cheeks. To get a really good "seal" it obviously depends on the faces of the sashes being a good fit with the frame, but the staff bead can easily be adjusted and for the ten minutes this takes compared to routing things out etc, it is pretty good.

When repairing the frame and replacing the sill, I also added the small detail to the base of the outer faces to aid drainage (as that was where all my windows had started their rot by the looks...)

George

 

[Ian Bond]

Good idea that alteration to the outer bead, it's a water trap.

My single hung windows don't have that problem, but the later double hung windows do, and someone's made a similar modification to yours. I've done the same with my new sashes too.

Just shaping the meeting rails correctly to interlock should reduce draughts somewhat.

And I like the idea of those little wedges to tighten the sashes when fully closed. A simpler method than fitting draught proofing to the beading, and better than jamming bits of card into the windows to stop them rattling in the gales.

Nice work.

 

[gsport george]

...Nice work.

I thought so... surprised it has raised so little interest...

 

[Ian Bond]

Yes, strange that, but perhaps everyone has got sash window fatigue :?:

Are those little wedges glued onto the parting bead?

I've painted my softwood windows, and the brush seals do make things slightly more difficult. Although, in the scheme of things when painting around 16 or 20 tiny panes per window, it isn't much more of a chore. I just primed the beads before putting the seals in, which helps.

I'd love to see some more pics of your windows from inside and out if you get the time - just a couple of wider shots to see the whole window would be great.

I'm always interested to see how other people have solved similar problems in their houses, such as draught proofing windows. I'm only fitting the draught proofing to my 3 new windows, and keeping the originals as authentic as possible - perhaps using your wedge method to tighten the closed sashes?

 

[Ian Bond]

One thing struck me with your windows - the screws used to secure the staff bead.

Ignore me if you think this is too picky, but I think slotted brass screws would look better, particularly if the window is to be left unpainted.

I've used one and a quarter inch No. 8 slotted, countersunk brass screws for this purpose.