all I need to know about storm Windows?

[phil]

Storm windows confuse me , so few of the houses that I see around me seem to have them or maybe I just don't notice them.

My house has a mixture of types. I have some wooden windows in the kitchen. it was an early addition only one window opens and it hinges outward from the sides. It isn't double hung, can it have a storm?

the others in the kitchen don't open but I think I can unstick them and maybe add hinges to side or top open if there aren't any hinges.

In the living room I have two that swing from the side, they have diamond shaped leading, then there is a bay window with double hung windows.
I have one in a bedroom that hinges out but swings from the top. Maybe that one doesn't need a storm, it is high on the wall and only maybe 18"high by three feet long. I like how it opens, its original.

Mick posted this link showing some hardware that will work for double hung windows
http://www.cherrycreekwindows.com/produ ... rm-windows

the windows which are double hung should probably have hardware like the link above.

Because my house is in the city, and near lots of street traffic my reason for wanting storm windows is mostly to cut down the street traffic noise. since they are to stop noise it is preferable if I can have thick glass or maybe that Perspex stuff, it is like plexiglass but it is really hard to break and it seems to stay clearer than plexiglass. It is lighter and even has a bit of waviness to it. It seems to stop noise better than glass , for its weight anyway. 1/4 inch glass will stop noise well but it is too heavy for frames made of 3/4 x 3 inch material. The perspex or whatever it is , tough plexiglass can be 1/4 inch thick, it would be essentially bullet proof, rock proof, so it also ads some security so long as you are tryomg to keep people out and not get out the window because of fire. On thing I don't like about the permanently installed storms is that you can't open them from the
inside so the windows are not good exits in the event of fire.

screens
I don't have any screens, no screens on my windows , no screens on my doors. Now it is summer and I do let the cat out a bit but I don't always want her out and that limits how much I can open windows. so while I am thinking of storms I am also thinking of the screens.

I have a fairly good woodworking shop, I also have access to skills and machinery at work so I do have the ability to make all the windows and frames for my screens. For wood, I have a stack of about 30 8' 2x4 that are all straight grain knot free fir, it is old lumber I was lucky to find so I have the wood.

I think most of the screens and the storms can have the same profile,I think I can use through mortice and tenon joints which can be cut on my tablesaw. I would like to run off enough frame material in one shot to do the whole house if I can. I think i can just cut all the wood to dimension and then start measuring and fitting all the mortice and tennons to the window size, then worry about getting the hinges and latches to work and maybe acutally installing the glazing as a last step, perhaps pinning the mortice and tennons after I get the glass in. I can see how it might be nice to fit he windows without the glass at least so far as hinges go they would just be lighter and easier to hold.

Im thinking I may need about 3/4 x 3" for the frames of the storms, and about 3/4 x 3/4 for the screens? If I can split my 2x4 I can probably use the dimension from the two pieces which are roughly going to be 3/4 x 3 1/2 or so. Is 3/4 x 3 going to be thick enough to bed my glass in , I guess I'd neet to cut a rabbit to set the glass in and then use a piece of about 1/4 x 1/4 as a stop that can be tacked in to hold the glass instead of points?

I dont'; see that I really need a lot of ornamentation on the storms, maybe a small rounded chamfer can be cut to just give them a little style. the house is craftsman style so my frames do not need to be overly ornate.

Id like to be able to design the windows to be in all year, that not only would help me not remove them but it would also help me keep the traffic noise level lower during the summer.
I think what confuses me most is the windows that hinge out to open. with double hung ones I can just lift them and then open the storm, but ones that are hinged can't be opened because the storm will be in the way. maybe f the storm is permanently affixed to the window that hinges they can be stuck together like a sandwich and hinge together.

If I put screens that are hinged on the inside, I can see how it is a problenm to hinge them in to get to the actual latches to open the window. In some cases I would have diffuculty hinging them in, the one in my kitchen for examle would require the counter be cleared in order to hinge, maybe I am better to make the inner screens so they can be lifted out and then put back once the window is open.

Id be interested to see other peoples storms or any info on making storms and insect screens.

Phil

[arwenmark]

I will be going with either Larson Gold or Provia alluminum storms. It sounds to me like you could use one of those on some of your windows but it sounds like the swing out ones, you might want Interior storms for instead.

[Mick_VT]

I got some for the compression fit interior storms from these guys http://stormwindows.com/ last fall - absolutely incredible - great fit, zero drafts and the noise reduction is amazing. We live next to a 9 foot tall 40 foot wide mill dam so there is a constant sound of falling water, you cant hardly hear it at all with the storms in. When I first put them in my wife said it was spooky, too quiet. They take about 60 seconds per window to install, the only downside is they are a little heavy with big windows. They have to be removed completely to open the window, which means you need to have somewhere to put them when they are out. I cant say enough good things about these windows.

Check out this picture taken on a -15 degree morning. It shows one window with and one without. Both windows are properly weatherstripped and pretty much identical. The difference being the storm on one and the ice on the inside of the other!

[Jeepnstein]

I'm a huge proponent of wooden storms for our old houses. As far as I can tell the exterior storms will only work on traditional double hungs and inward swinging casement windows. I have yet to see an outward swinging casement or a jalousie window that works with an exterior storm. No, I've never even considered an interior storm. Some folks have used interior storms with great success but they're just not my thing.

Wooden storms are easy to make. I did the mortises on mine using a forstner bit and a drill press. I cut the tenons on a table saw and then rounded over the edges so they'd insert into the mortises. It went really fast that way. The rabbett for the glass was cut with a router once the frames were assembled and glued. I squared up the corners with a chisel. I prefer 7/8 western red cedar. Most of mine have rails and stiles that are 1 1/2 inches wide with a bottom stile that is 3 1/2 inches wide. They're very sturdy and don't detract from the look of my windows. I'm going to make a couple with wider rails and stiles for two remaining windows because they are extremely large. Titebond III glue will hold stronger than the wood itself.

Hardware? I buy basic Stanley storm window hangers and usually put an eye catch on the bottom to hold it in place. I have been known to also use a couple of wood screws near the center stile location to hold the window in tightly. Lately I've been switching to turn buttons for that instead but I think the screws give a cleaner look. I buy my hardware from Killian Hardware, www.killianhardware.com. They are also a good source for spring bronze weatherstripping.

I weather strip the top and sides of my windows with sticky foam from the big box. It's 1/2 inch wide by 3/8 inch thick, I believe. I don't weather strip the bottom so moisture can escape if any builds up. I don't really have moisture problems though.

My house is situated near a major rail line that carries much of the coal out of West Virginia. The black dust gets all over everything. So I do not open my windows for ventilation in the summer. We rely on A/C for cooling. If I were to open my storms for ventilation I'd use the adjusters from Killian and make a small screen to insert in the sash opening to keep insects outside where they belong. Oh, and bats, because they're pretty thick around these parts and you'll get them in your house if you leave a window standing open.

My screens are all 7/8 x 1 1/2 inch western red cedar and I use a Kreg jig to assemble them. I cut screen grooves with a table saw prior to assembly. They're easy, light, and very durable.

You are absolutely right in your thinking about dry fitting your frames before you install the glass. Make sure you number the frames when you're doing the fitting. Those little numbered tacks are great for this. Once it goes into the opening correctly you can install the glass just like any other window. After you make a couple dozen windows your glazing technique will get pretty good.

[phil]

I made one little window to an unusual size to fit an area where my meter used to be. I got a nice stained glass window about 14" square.
when I did that one I just cut a wide slot about 1/4 and that captivated the stained glass window then I used foam tape to separate the stained glass window inside and then just used this foam tape stuff and then the acrylic window on the outside. I drilled some tiny holes so it isn't actually sealed and I have never see it fog or anything. I guess I could do similar and with the ones that want to swing out , instead of making storms just cut a wider slot and try to put wavy glass in , then foam tape then acrylic windows on the outside. in that way It would cut the noise level without adding a window. I'd use the storms wherever I can with the double hung ones. I'd much prefer storms I can open though and swinging inward won't really work well just because they need room to swing to do that.

we have an older 1950's trailer and I guess because it is a towable unit all the latches and things are designed not to open and crash around when in tow. , all the windows have a gear mechanism with a crank to open. I wonder if outside storms could be fitted with a crank mechanism similar to that to open them from the inside and then you could open the window by swinging it outward as normal? it might need a latch and bumper to link the windows together to prevent the wind crashing them. the crank mechanisms do a great job of keeping the window stable so the wind can't catch it. I don[t know if they were used in old houses? maybe it's a 50's invention?