Windows | Door | Building Science / Envelope & More

Ice & Windows If you live in a house with original aluminum or single pane windows, then your house was built prior to 1970 when double pane windows became more widespread. In colder climate zones, a common problem that arises during the cold winter months is ice forming on the inside of their windows, on the actual glass. Other typical issues people experience are. the frames “sweating” (which is related to this topic), being hard to open and drafty (which is also connected to the topic of icing up).  Does your window look something like this…  Ice on old wood single pane window Why Does This Occur? Ice comes from frozen moisture/water vapor so then the question turns into, why is there moisture on the inside of my windows? It stems from interior humidity (aka water vapor in the air) trying to escape to the outside of your home. It finds the path of least resistance which would be your windows or through the glazing. When it hits the window frames and/or glass, the water vapor co

Everything Makes, Absorbs or Blocks Sound Every animal, object, and thing does one of those three things. Animals and humans all make sounds. Snow & furniture in a house absorbs sounds (think about how much a house echo's when it is completely empty). Retaining walls and house walls block sounds, and windows also block sounds... but how effective are they?  Windows Do Many Things Windows are a crucial element to a homes overall appearance and performance. They are a major design component that ideally matches the style of the house. Then they also serve an important role in regards to energy efficiency... they block out solar heat (or let it in depending on if you have a passive house), they reflect the heat back into your house during winter months, the block out harmful UV rays and of course they let you look out into the beautiful world. If you would like to learn more about windows NFRC ratings and their purpose,  see my post about windows NFRC ratings . Another key element