I have single pane plate glass sliding windows in my house and I was trying to find a solution to seal the windows. While it's summer now, during the winter they are extremely drafty and cause my heater run all the time. Even now in the summer, there is wind noise when the winds pick up. I have been told I can use heat-shrink film during the winter, but I don't want to use that as I may still want to open them. Is there a solution I can use to seal this windows when they're are closed, and still be able to open them? BTW, I have already tried adhesive window foam in the channels and it really isn't effective.

 

You can get storm windows.

 

I don't that would work. It would not be possible to install on the outside, and I'm not sure if I could install on the inside.

 

Look into dap seal'n peel. It's a temporary caulking. Rope caulk might work too. You can't have your cake and eat it too you know.

 

That might do the trick. Even if I can't open them in the winter, I still want to seal them and then not have to go through a big old ordeal in the spring.

 

If you don't mind blocking the view you could use a window quilt: https://www.windowquilt.com.

Might be expensive though.

 

I checked out the window quilt and I may try that later this year as it gets colder. The rope caulk might be a good choice too. I simply need to seal the channel that the windows run in and the area between the sliding window and the fixed pane where the latch is. I don't know what else to try. All I do know was that last winter it was cold in my house and my heater was constantly running. Also running up my gas bill!

 

That's not only because the windows might be drafty, but because single pane glass is horribly inefficient. If it's 0F outside and 70F inside, a single pane piece of glass will be about 17F and will probably be covered by ice since humidity inside will be condensing, freezing on contact. That's because single pane glass loses so much heat due to radiation.

Same window with a double pane insulating glass unit could be anywhere between 45-53F depending on a variety of glass and spacer options.

Quilts add to the comfort level in the home by blocking heat loss, but by the same token, they will allow the glass to get even colder, because the only thing keeping the glass from being the same temperature as it is outside (0F in this example) is heat loss from the home. Blocking the heat from getting to the window will make the room warmer but the window colder.

Another factor is conduction. We use metal pans to cook on because they conduct heat so well. That works in reverse as well. So a metal window frame is going to have more heat loss (things feel colder as they lose heat) than a window vinyl or wood window, because vinyl and wood have better properties, less conduction.

But stopping drafts is number one. Preventing cold air from entering the house is a no brainer. It's just not the ONLY factor.