I am about the unhandiest person in the world, and just wanted to get some feedback on how I'm thinking of treating the broken window problem till we get seen by a contractor- probably months away...they are indeed earning their retirment after these 3 storms crossed over our county! For immediate response we got thin plastic (2 ml) and taped over the inside. The duct tape doesn't hold and pulls loose about every other day. I have got bunches of heavy duct tape all over the edging-I think the weight of the duct tape may be pulling it loose. But the thin plastic also is affected by breezes- and allows heat to leak in and ac to leak out. I measured the broken areas and allowed some extra width- since one pane of a 2 pane width and 2 panes of a 3 pane width are broken. I was thinking about getting some plywood custom cut at HD (I would have to rent their truck to get it here) and seating it top bottom and 1 side in Liquid Nails, spackle or silicone, and fill the space on the unbroken pane with plastic and tape. I would LIKE to not replace the panes- but replace the windows on that side of the house with energy efficient windows. Would the remnants of the Liquid Nails or spackle be too hard for the window person to deal with? Short of replacing the panes MYSELF (which I did years ago with my son once, as part of Handyman Biy Scout Merit Badge) I would hate to put fresh glass in and then rip it out within 2-3 months - can anyone else suggest anything 1. EASY and 2. CHEAP? Thanks for any light you may shed on the subject...
Buy some plexiglass cut to size of the broken panes and install. The you can wait as long as you like to get the contractor to come in and replace the window(s)
plexiglass is great for this. The kids have broken two of the panes in their rooms rough housing. They were replaced with plexiglass as one day we hope to replace the whole window.
Plexi glass and clear silicone. If you don't care what it looks like just silicone the frame and stick the glass to it. I do it on barns all the time. mikell
Plexiglas isnt cheap , and can be tricky to work with. If it wont damage the window frames , staple the plastic on both sides (inside and out , thus making it "double paned"). If light isnt an issue this winter , cover them with heavy fabric.
