Storm Windows

I live in a building that is about 40 years old in the Chicago area, and have windows that are typical of that period. They are about 2 ft wide and 4 ft tall. The inside has two glass windows in wooden frames that slide up and down. The bottom one is on an inside track and the top one is on the next track, and they are both supposed to be able to slide all the way up or down. In practice, this is hard to do on older systems because of paint accumulation, warpage, etc. When closed, there is a circular latch that is supposed to lock them together, for security purposes and also to seal the space between them to keep out the cold weather in winter. Then behind them there are aluminum framed storm windows and screens that can used in the summer for ventilation and in winter for insulation.

Well, a common problem that seems to plague many of these setups is that the top inside window will not go completely up, which can leave an air gap at its top, and also in the middle where it meets the top of the bottom window. This also prevents using the lock. I've got a couple windows like this and have been trying to figure out how to get that top window all the way up, because I can feel cold air leaking through. It's awkward because you have to push it up from the inside with the bottom window pushed up to provide access, which limits your access because usually the bottom window won't go all the way up either. And one of the problematic windows is above my kitchen sink, which makes it hard to reach across and have any leverage left. The only thing I can think of is to get a small bottle jack and try to use it to force the top window up higher, but this solution seems kind of extreme because even a small bottle jack could probably shred the window frame if you're not very careful. I was wondering if anybody had any tricks or suggestions for solving this problem? Thanks....

LMU

have you took a knife/razor around the inside seam to make sure its clear of any junk/paint that could be holding it back....

I used to live in Chicago and had many windows like you describe that got stuck. First thing I would say is avoid forcing it, especially with a jack. You could easily break the window, not to mention messing up the frame.

I sometimes had success doing what nemul suggested but sometimes due to warpage that didn't help. My suggestion, just to get through the winter would be to fill the gap with strips of foam padding. I did that a couple of times and it worked well. The best is closed cell foam, like the "blue foam" camping pads.

Good luck! I do not miss Chicago winters!

Other than foam, could you seal the windows with plastic sheeting? Not too flashy, but it works.

My house, built in 1917, is like that.

I use 3M's window film on every window, every winter.

It's amazing when you seal the film to the double sided adhesive tape, and get to the last little corner, *how much* cold air is coming in.

Once the film is heated with a hairdryer to shrink it, it's virtually invisible.

Great stuff for energy savings; especially since my furnace is the *original* coal converted to natural gas (as old as the house is) and is likely only 40 to 50% efficient.

Thanks for the suggestions. I got some rope caulk and stuffed it into the gap, which sealed off the air leaks.

LMU