Hey Y’all, my house was built in 1915 and has single pane windows with no cross pieces (mullion?).I am wanting to replace these energy wasting windows with double pane insulated vinyl windows. I went to Lowes and participated in a do it yourself window installation demonstration. Real easy. Anyone can do it. The demo window frame they had for demonstration didn’t have a window stool on it. My windows have a milled inside stop and window stools. I know I have to remove the inside stops. Do I have to remove the stool or can I slide the vinyl window in the bottom over the stool and then the top. I can remove the stool but they are likely to break due to their age and I would rather no remove if not absolutely necessary. Thanks in advance for any advice. RickW
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Rick-
You don't have to remove the sills. Just take the stops out on both sides and the top and take out the sashes. Set the bottom of the window in first, and tilt the unit into place. Usually the replacement units are a little shorter than the old windows, so there's plenty of room to do this. A head expander on the top takes up the balance of the space.
Just one note- check the U value of the windows from Lowes. If they're anything like the ones at Home Depot, you can do much better on the insulation value of the windows by buying elsewhere. In other words, the low cost of the units is reflected in the low performance value of the glass. Of course, they're still way ahead of your existing single-glazed windows, but if you can afford a window with a lower U value (lower is better), spend the extra cash.
Bob
To Rick,
Bob has got you covered.. but remember to insulate the cavities of the old windows if they had window weights. You want to fill them but not to tight.
Jack.