Why Window Glazing is Key to a Weatherproof Home

The key to weatherproofing your home is to install energy efficient windows. This will help you reduce utility costs significantly while keeping your home a comfortable temperature year-round. To make something waterproof means making it resistant to the effects of bad weather, especially rain.

The first step in weatherproofing your home is to purchase a good storm door and to undergo window glazing. It’s important to make your home ready for whatever Mother Nature might throw at it. Choosing high-quality windows with the right glazing and an energy efficient storm door is essential to your home’s energy efficiency.

What Does Glazing a Window Do?

When you glaze a window, you are maximizing your home’s energy efficiency. Ranking second to doors, windows are the biggest cause for heat loss. Sometimes windows must be re-glazed. This might be due to a broken or cracked window. Regardless of the cause, it’s important to fix the problem as soon as you can to prevent more damage from occurring. Most reglazing isn’t done because the windows aren’t damaged.

Window glaze does contain an expiration date. And when it reaches that date, it’s important to make sure your windows are reglazed to ensure you reap the benefits of energy efficiency. Depending on what work is needed, you will most likely need a professional to handle your window glazing. Making sure that it’s done properly by a professional will serve you well for the longest possible time.

What is Glazing?

Some people think window glazing is doing something to the window just to make it more energy efficient. While it does improve energy efficiency, it is the glass itself that is installed in the window frame that is called glazing. Putty is used for holding the glass in place in the window frame. While windows come in various styles, they usually consist of a single pane or a dual pane. Windows that are energy efficient have standard double panes, but you can opt for a triple glaze. Glazing a window is the best thing that you can do to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

How to Glaze a Window

To glaze an aluminum window, the first step is to remove the window from the window frame. You will do this by pulling it out of the aluminum tracks. Then remove the glass and clean out any old caulking and debris from the frame with the help of a putty knife. Apply a bead of caulking around the inside of the window frame then reset the glass back in place. Glazing points must be set into the frame every eight inches. You should let any excess caulking that comes through to dry then harden. Then cut it off with a utility knife and remove it.

Pour some mineral spirits in a container. The putty knife should be dipped in the mineral spirits, then run the putty knife across the glazing putty. You should continue re-dipping the knife and running the knife over the glazing putty until it is even and smooth. The excess glazing should be pulled away from the frame. Scrape it from the glass. It will take two or three days for the glazing putty to harden. Be sure not to leave any gaps when you apply the glazing putty to the window.

The Benefits of Glazing Systems

Windows with a single layer of glass aren’t as energy efficient and they also don’t offer as much protection from the heat or cold. Most windows sold today aren’t single-panes. Double-pane insulated glass windows are the most popular windows sold today. A layer of inert gas, usually krypton or argon, is sealed between the two panes.  Even more efficient windows are triple-pane windows, which seal two layers of gas inside the frame.

If you live in an extreme northern climate, the triple-pane insulated glass is very beneficial. The triple-pane windows are also great noise barriers because of how they significantly reduce noise inside houses located near busy highways. Always choose a window that provides adequate energy efficiency for the specific needs according to where you live.

While double panes or triple panes will cost you more, they will pay off in the long run. You will see substantial savings on your utility bills, so the higher upfront costs for your windows and storm doors the better the investment. The glazing systems in today’s modern windows consist of multiple glass panes, gas fillings, and heat-sensitive, technologically-advanced coatings that help improve energy efficiency even more.

The Benefits of a Storm Door

Storm doors can help with your home’s energy efficiency because they regulate your home’s year-round temperatures. The extra layer of insulation that it gives your home helps to reduce the loss of heat in the winter. Likewise, during warm weather, it keeps the cooler air trapped inside your home. While storm doors do help with energy efficiency, you can maximize that energy efficiency when you add a storm door with high-quality aluminum windows with the proper glazing for your windows.

Evaluating the Energy Efficiency

It’s difficult to judge the energy efficiency of a storm door just by looking at it. Today, most windows sold online contain a rating or review which will give you a better idea on how it performs for other customers.

Alumalco windows are certified and tested for North American (NAFS) and European standards. Alumalco storm doors and aluminum windows are double-checked to make sure there aren’t any imperfections. And luckily, with our aluminum windows and doors, you won’t have to compromise style for optimal energy efficiency- you can have both.

Looking to weatherproof your home ? Talk to an expert at Alumalco – we’ll help you choose the best aluminum windows and doors to fit your budget, your home, your needs, and the lifestyle you deserve!