inside storm windows

[Ted Sanford]

I have lived in my off grid solar/wind powered house for almost 30 years, and the easiest thing I know that can be done to make any house more energy efficient is to use inside storm windows.
Back in the early 80s, I found a product called Magnetite (google) at the local plastics house, that slips over the edge of 3/32 plexiglas, that you cut to size. It contains magnetic strips that stick to other strips that are glued or screwed to the window frame. This creates an easily removable plexiglas inside storm window. It creates a 3" deep air space. When you touch any glass window in winter, you feel the outside temperature, when you touch this plexiglas, you feel the inside temperature.
The local plastics house doesn't carry it anymore, but you can find them on line.

[Ralph Day]

Ted, yours is the first thread i've seen with that kind of longevity. A lot of us thought of off-grid in our crunchy granola years but never got there until now.

How has your r/e equipment held up over that time period? Have your panels, turbine and batteries held up well? Anything to avoid doing? We're at 3 years almost, and still learning.

ralph

[Mario De Castris]

Hi Ted,

I know exactly the type window you are describing, in 1973 I bought a bungalow which was built approximately around 1967 and all the windows where the old wooden sash and in the wintertime if you were standing near the window you would freeze from the cold air. Shortly after I was at a home show and they were advertising the magnetized indoor storm windows, my windows were made with Lexan and quite expensive back then, three years ago I sold that House and still had the same storm windows and they where just as good as the day I install them. They were very good in the winter at keeping the cold out and later in years after installing a central air units I kept them on to keep the cold air in.

Mario

[Ted Sanford]

Ted, yours is the first thread i've seen with that kind of longevity. A lot of us thought of off-grid in our crunchy granola years but never got there until now.

How has your r/e equipment held up over that time period? Have your panels, turbine and batteries held up well? Anything to avoid doing? We're at 3 years almost, and still learning.

ralph
I guess the most important thing is to pay attention to maintenance. Nothing is for nothing. You replace the cost of the electric company doing the work with your own. Keep your batteries clean and charged. The older wind turbines required more maintenance than the new ones, but you have to keep things from deteriorating in that tough environment, whether it is care for the leading edge of blades, or whatever. Once connected, the solar panels require the least maintenance, and my Solrex msx 60s are doing well. The house is passive solar, and other than normal house maintenance, it still works vey well.
Thats it for the thumbnail sketch. Good luck,
Ted