You'll Like These New Inside Storm Windows

You'll Like These New Inside Storm Windows FARM HOME Houses 6-6-33 "They're twice as effective as conventional aluminum storm windows, and a lot simpler to install and keep clean," says Joe Sturlaugson, Lakeville, Minnesota, inventor-manufacturer of energy-saving storm windows that mount on the inside. Designed to work on all types of windows ù crankout, slider or double hung ù the new interior storms slip inside the existing window casing. They're being manufactured by B and J Glass Co. of Lakeville, which is jointly owned by Sturlaugson, his brother Dave, and Larry Juenemann. Individual storms are made of a single pane of glass and a solid oak frame. A sealing strip, made of etha-foam and bonded to the oak frame, virtually eliminates heat loss and air infiltration. Nylon spring-loaded, plunger-type fasteners hold the window and gasket tight against the existing window, providing an air tight seal. The built-in fasteners allow the storms to be installed or removed in a matter of seconds. Sturlaugson, who has a patent pending on his "Warm Woods" windows, notes that they don't detract from the room's appearance or decor."The oak frame can be stained or painted to exactly match existing woodwork. When the interior storms are in place, their matching wood-work makes than blend right in. And, when they're removed, there are no ugly mounting strips or brackets left behind to mar the appearance," explains Sturlaugson. He anticipates that the new storms will be especially popular with homeowners who have single or multiple casement "crank-out" type windows: "You simply remove the inside screen and replace it with one of our custom-built inside storms. It comes with a 3/4 in. wide oak frame and is custom-built to fit the opening. To install, all you do is drill 2 or 3 small holes on each side for the nylon fasteners to slip into. One person can install our interior storms on every window of a two story farm house in a few hours ù it's that simple," according to Sturlaugson. "With the storm in place, on a crank-out window, you sacrifice the convenience of being able to crank open the window to let in fresh air. Instead, you have to remove the inside storm, which takes about 10 seconds. However, this slight inconvenience is a small price to pay when stacked against the large energy savings," Sturlaugson ex-plains. To pinpoint effectiveness of his Warm Woods window, he had it tested by Twin City Testing and Engineering Inc., of St. Paul, Minn. Using an 18 by 36 in. Anderson crank-out window, the firm reported 4.39 cu. ft. per minute of air leakagearound the window without the inside storm, versus only .5 cu. ft. per minute with the storm installed. "What little air did leak through came in around the hand crank and latch assembly. On regular double hung windows, which don't have cranks or latches, we'd expect our inside storm properly installed to provide 100% resistance against air infiltration," Sturlaugson told FARM SHOW. If you already own outside storm windows, he recommends that you continue using them in conjunction with inside storms to get the benefit of triple glazing. Costs start at about $30 and range upwards to $52 for a window whose combined length and width adds up to 8 ft. An inside "Warm Woods" storm for a 22 by 47 in. crank-out window, for example, sells for $37.50. For more information, including an instruction sheet showing how to measure your windows for inside storms, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, B and J Glass Co., 21155 Ham-burg Ave., Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 612 469-2159).

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