Hi all!
Kind of new here…alot of lurking, etc. I have a question for those of you in the cold parts of the country. I am doing work on a house that has a bow window installed by someone else previously. It has a window seat pad to sit on. Problem is, the damn thing is too cold to sit on! I looked to see if it was insulated and it has a 1″ thick styrofoam/aluminum wrapped insulation piece affixed to the bottom of it thats flush with the bottom of the outer finish piece. The window is flat on the bottom and there is no enclosure with any air space. Any ideas how to get the HO hineys warmer when they sit on this thing? They do not get much sunlight at all on this window unit as the house is in a very wooded area. The window faces south west, but there is a steep hill behind the house with alot of trees. Better insulation? More of it?
Thanks!
Mark
Replies
Yes, better insulation, and more of it. But you will probably have a problem unless you build out the bottom of the window unit, which wouldn't be a bad idea. You might even try installing some electric radiant in the space.
I agree, you have to built out beneath the window projection, fill completelyl with batts. That'll keep those tooshies from getting frostbite. The windows themselves are with insulated glass, we assume, so they will act like any large insulated window. Is there a heat source at the window location (i.e floor register, baseboard)?
>> if it was insulated and it has a 1" thick styrofoam/aluminum wrapped insulation piece affixed to the bottom of it thats flush with the bottom of the outer finish piece. <<
Sounds like about R-4.5. pretty minimal. The prob with rigid insulation is that it has to be installed tight - in other words, air leaks around the perimeter kinda defeats the insulation. If that is the case, some spray foam around the edges might help some. There are also other types of insulation that have a higher per inch R-value than Styrofoam. Got to wonder though if a lot of the cold is from the window itself. If you stick your hand (or a thermometer) under the pad, is it colder or warmer under there.
BTW - I'm not from cold country :-)
Matt and all others..thanks for the replys! Matt, I don't think the window is a real great window. The HO were sold this "great window thats better than an Anderson or Pella" from what I'm told. I really haven't found a name on the thing yet! It looks nice from the inside with oak trim and all. But I don't think the window is so great. The temp. under the pad is cold. There is no heat register under this part of the wall. I have an Anderson bow in my house similar to this window and mine is not really cold like this one. I do have heat registers near mine... I wonder if putting a register and tying it in to the system would help? I might go the better insulation and also install another material to seal in the insulation. I would think another material to block wind etc. can't hurt? Might have to put on a small trim piece as well to make up for the new thickness.
Thanks for the responces everybody, helps me to think a little better on this one!
Mark
Better insulation in the floor and vent the area between the seat and the floor to the room to allow warmer air to circulate under the seat.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I wonder if the seat might be cold because of cold drafts coming down off the windows.
Not much you could do about that.