Emergency Caulk Stops Blow

People with dirty minds, be forewarned: this blog contains dirty words which are being used in ways you do not prefer.

It is a known fact that Canada is cold. Canadians would never consider putting a window in their igloo. And even if they were just crazy enough to try it, they'd be very mindful that it was installed in such a way as to prevent the cold air from creeping in and making man parts shrivel.

When we bought our 1939 house, we were pleased to see that 3 of the main windows had been updated with new vinyl windows in 1996 when the original builders and owners of the house moved into a retirement home. At that time, the windows were young at only 9 years old. But windows just don't have the same lifespan as humans.

The other night we had a decent storm. When I walked upstairs I noticed the curtains in one bedroom getting a good blow. I immediately ran to the window to close it, wondering how the bloody heck it became opened. That is when I discovered the window was firmly shut.

Puzzled, I stared at the window until I realized it was the gap between the window and the trim which was letting the cold air blast right into the house. It seems that whoever installed the windows was good at sucking, because the job blew.

I always keep supplies on hand, kind of like a store. Suz thinks I'm crazy for keeping things at the ready, but I prefer to live by the Boyscouts (and Batman's) motto: "be prepared". That is why, in the basement, I had a loaded caulking gun ready to go.

They say running with scissors is dangerous. But, somehow, running with a caulking gun isn't. So I ran upstairs to the bedroom to seal the hole quickly before our house filled with poisonous, frosty air. With the tip of the gun in place I squeezed hard and white caulk filled the gaps as the storm howled and ice pellets smacked against the glass.

When I had finished, the caulk looked bad. Not bad like Michael Jackson, but bad as in, terrible. I filled a glass with water, dipped my finger in it and smoothed out the caulk before it could dry. It took a few attempts to get it smooth and perfect but after a few minutes I was satisfied.

Unfortunately, the window still allowed cold wind to blow through the broken part of the frame where the lock used to be. The blowage wasn't nearly as bad as it was around the frame, however, it still upset me. Had I known earlier how badly these windows leaked, I would have had them replaced along with the 14 others we had done last month.

Replacement Windows

Every year millions of people eat at Jack in the Box. And every year millions of people replace their windows. Yet I've never known anyone who has had to do either of these things.

Because of this anomoly, I didn't know what was a good price, didn't know which companies were reliable, didn't know how much damage to expect to our trim, and didn't know how quickly the job could be done.

The one thing I did know, was that our looky-outy things needed to be replaced. Why? They were 69 years old. When things reach that age, stuff happens. Bad stuff. Our wooden windows were totally rotting, some panes of glass were totally cracked, the locks were totally broken, and they were covered in liver spots.

However the worst part was the cold air leaking in, and warm air escaping, causing those particular windows to fog up (seen on left). The problem areas were noted during our home energy audit in September.

If you'd like an audit, check out www.energuy.ca It's not the company I used, but it should've been. Cam, one of the most decent guys I know, will hook you up with the goverment, and get you some sweetass rebates.

On Wednesday, our installers came and ushered our sunroom and our master bedroom into the modern era with double-pane goodness. In all we had 14 windows replaced (just under half our total of 34 windows) along with two exterior doors. By comparison, our last house only had 12 windows in total.

Our sunroom was once the eyesore of our house, with flaking paint and rotting wood. But now, with the perfect white capping, it's going to be my favourite place to chill this coming summer.

Once the work was complete, I immediately noticed how much warmer our master bedroom has become. The windows are warm to the touch and look fantastic, as we ordered the non-broken glass variety. The low-E argon gas is, sadly, invisible, but I've been assured it's doing its job.

For those interested, I'll let you know if we see any visible savings on our heating bills in the upcoming months.