Weatherizing your windows with weatherstripping is always a cost-effective way to protect your home against energy loss. If your windows are attacked by the extremes of blustering snow, howling winds or sweltering summers, it’s even more important for you to invest in a strong weatherstripping material to protect your home and control your energy bills.
Window weatherstripping choices have grown in selection and sophistication along with the increase in energy costs and environmental concerns. It would be easy to linger at a store aisle full of weatherstripping choices for hours just reading all the packages comparing installation methods, material content and protection values. Hours could also be spent staring at rolls and pieces of aluminum, steel, and vinyl, wondering which are right for you. Your weatherstripping choice will depend on the weather your window is exposed to, the design and structure of your window, how often the window is used, the skill it takes to install, the cost, and your value on window aesthetics.
Metal weatherstripping is the most durable and protective weatherstripping on the market today. Although its price range is higher than vinyl and the easy-on easy-off foam and felt tapes – it is generally not exorbitantly priced unless you are seeking special metals. For older homes adorned for a strict period feel of the past, metal weatherstripping is often recommended for its discrete appearance. If you need the protection of metal, but can’t afford the price, your next best investment would to buy weatherstripping that combines vinyl and metal weatherstripping materials.
Metal weatherstripping, like all other weatherstripping materials, comes in a variety of forms and materials. You can buy metal weatherstripping in bronze, brass, copper, aluminum or stainless steel, in pre-measured strips, or from a roll cut to your specifications. Metal channel stripping is the sturdiest type of weatherstripping, and a long-lasting choice for frequently used windows.
A metal “tension seal” or “spring metal seal” is a v-shaped metal strip used for weatherstripping that is nailed onto window channels. The v-shaped strip is formed with two same-sized metal pieces attached at an angle lengthwise, leaving a v-shaped space between the two joined strips. The window will close down and compress the space to create a seal. The seal is very efficient, but some tend to create a little bit of resistance when opening a window. These metal strips are installed so they are not visible, and therefore won’t interfere with any stringent design schemes. Although they do require some carpentry skills – you must be able to cut the metal with precision, deal with corners, and nail the metal in – you can find single self-sticking spring metal seals.
Although metal weatherstripping is the best performing weatherstripping material for windows, it is not created to be used on every type of window. You will find that some windows may take metal channel stripping on the sides, but will require a vinyl, foam or gasket strip under the sash. A metal tension strip can be installed on the bottom of an upper sash belonging to a double hung window, but a stationary top sash in a single hung window might require vinyl rubber gasket weatherstripping on the sash, and metal tension strips in the side channels. Either way, installing metal weatherstripping wherever you can greatly increases your energy savings.
If you’re looking for a durable window weatherstripping to provide year-round protection in a tough climate, take a closer look at making an investment in metal weatherstripping. Metal weatherstripping for windows won’t break its seal, and it will give you a break on your high energy costs.