Fixing the crack in the window that makes my room freezing cold

Submitted by Cenddel t3_11a6pu5 in DIY

There's a crack in my window and my room is absolutely freezing(I read online that a good reason why your room is especially cold is potentially due to a cracked window) now I could call someone out to fix this, but they charge £105 an hour. I don't really care about the crack itself, but I DO care about how cold it's making my room. Is there a chance I could just do a little DIY or cover the crack with something so my room is better insulated? Or should I bite the bullet and hire someone out to replace/fix it? Also would this crack be the reason why my room is so damn cold? Thanks!

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size of the crack for anyone interested.

https://imgur.com/a/jMNULn8

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gburgwardt t1_j9q4elj wrote

Generally, anywhere cold air can get in (or hot air get out) is bad.

Easy temporary fix is to get some sort of adhesive plastic and put it over the whole window frame, like you're saran wrapping it. There's kits for this at home depot or lowes or whatever.

You can then also drape a curtain, blanket, etc over the window in order to help insulate

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TotallyNotAReaper t1_j9q7u4p wrote

This. I don't know if you can get it in Great Britain (guessing) but they make clear duct tape - if not, slap something similar over the crack and cover the window with a cheap blanket secured tightly with push pins around the frame.

Looks like a double pane, inert gas filled window, and if the outside isn't busted, in theory, shouldn't have lost that much R-value (insulation ability) - might be something else going on that it exposed.

(Edit: maybe not? Bad picture.)

Anyway, do the above and feel around for drafts coming through it or the surrounding trim.

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inkseep1 t1_j9qco8p wrote

That window looks like a vinyl window. Somewhere on it will be sticker that shows the maker, serial number, and the size. You find that and order a new replacement sash and put it in. I can't tell from the picture what version of window you have. It might be under warranty and you get a free sash due to 'seal failure'. Depends on who made it.

It is very unlikely that the little crack on the inner glass of a double pane window is going to cause much cold air to leak in. It is more likely coming from around the window due to poor insulation when it was put in. Can't tell because the picture does not show the entire installation.

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j-random t1_j9r31ac wrote

Vinyl windows are often cheap replacements people use when they replace old single-pane windows, and there are often uninsulated gaps around the frame. Try some gaffer's tape around the entire window frame to try to seal it.

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Unl0vableDarkness t1_j9q7rmy wrote

A windshield repair kit would sort the crack out.

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skydiver1958 t1_j9qry9v wrote

That is a crack in a double pane window. Will it lose some thermal efficiency? Yes but not enough to make a room freezing cold. You have other issues besides this.

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paigeguy t1_j9qkrht wrote

Use a strip of clear packing tape over the crack

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nhskimaple t1_j9rp5v7 wrote

This 100% works great. Cracked some old window glass in our house been taped for over a year and it’s fine!

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RosieQParker t1_j9q4l0r wrote

Storm windows might help a little.

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m4gpi t1_j9q60r3 wrote

The super cheap fix is tape a plastic sheet over the window, in front of it. If you can make two layers that don’t touch one another, you’ll get better insulation.

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sanslenom t1_j9r10av wrote

If it's a double-paned window, the problem is that the crack has allowed the insulation to leak out. This happened to my mom, and that room was the only one that was painfully frigid. Added to that, the windows in the home are hard to open and close because they easily come off the track, which, in her case, created even more airflow from the outside. I would at least get a couple estimates (if you own) or ask the landlord to have someone come out (if you don't own). If your landlord is uncooperative, buy some window film and thermal curtains. If that proves to be too expensive, tape the crack and the window edges with clear duct tape and cover the window with a thick blanket.

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Sometimes_Stutters t1_j9rn8lk wrote

$5 plastic window kit will get you through long enough to save money to buy a new window. Also, that looks like a single-pane so it sucks already and you should have a window kit regardless.

Also also, with a single pane a crack really won’t meaningfully change the insulation properties, so you probably have another issue you need to resolve for why you room is cold.

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Heavy-Attorney-9054 t1_j9rupcp wrote

Light a stick of incense and follow the smoke to see where the cold is coming from.

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mrclean2323 t1_j9rvcq3 wrote

Easiest thing to do is cover it with tape and then stick a thick blanket over the window like drapes. The kit where you apply double sided tape and plastic and use a hair dryer actually works pretty good. It’s a decent fix until you replace the window/glass.

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Dense-Leadership01 t1_j9rx22s wrote

Loctite makes glass glue. I am just not sure how you would use it on this kind of crack. Maybe a razor blade or something. That's a pretty big crack.

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chillywillylove t1_j9rya12 wrote

> (I read online that a good reason why your room is especially cold is potentially due to a cracked window)

Sorry but that's nonsense. The crack will have zero effect on the temperature of your room

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RunTheBull13 t1_j9qa3a4 wrote

Frost king plastic window cover

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