Unless you have double-paned storm windows in your mobile home, you will need to seal them for the winter. Cold drafts from windows and doors can decrease the heating efficiency of a mobile or manufactured home by 50 percent. Depending on the severity of the winter months in your region, you can choose to perform one or more of these steps to help keep the cold out and the warmth in. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Caulk the exterior trim of the windows in the mobile home. Most mobile or manufactured homes have a slight gap between the window frame and the siding. Filling in the gap with silicone caulk will help seal the exterior frame of the window from extreme cold and drafty winds. Use the caulking gun and a ladder to efficiently seal the circumference of the exterior window frame.
2. Apply exterior window insulation kits on the outsides of the windows. Clean the frames with hot soapy water and dry them with a towel. Run a cotton ball dipped in isopropyl alcohol along the flat edge of the window frame. Allow the alcohol a couple minutes to dry.
3. Apply the two-way tape provided in the exterior window insulation kit along the edge of the window frame. Peel back the edges of the tape cover a couple of inches on each corner of the window.
4. Remove the top tape cover and stretch the window kit film tightly, leaving a couple extra inches per side, and press it against the top strip of tape. Run your fingers over the film and tape to seal it. Continue around each side, one at a time, pulling the window tight while pressing it against the tape to seal the window. Trim the excess edges of the insulation film with a utility knife.
5. Install interior window insulation kits to the inside of the windows. Clean window sills with hot soapy water and then alcohol-dipped cotton balls. Apply the tape after the sills have dried in the same manner as directed for exterior windows and attach the insulation film, starting with the top, then each side, and then the bottom. Cut the excess film carefully with the utility knife.
6. Use the blow dryer to shrink the film of the interior window insulation kit . Place the hair dryer on high heat and work your way from one upper corner of the window to the opposite bottom corner, holding the hair dryer a few inches away from the film (refer to the instructions in the kit). When the film is tight and transparent, it is done and you can move onto the next window.
Tags: window frame, window insulation, exterior window, corner window, each side, edge window
