On Sun, 1 Apr 2007 10:56:17 -0400, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Paul Oman wrote:
My house as a wall with several large windows made up of many small
panes of glass. The windows are all non opening. The past owner put a
second glass panel on the outside of these windows - a storm window
if you will. These are just mounted to the side of the house - no air
tight seal or anything and can be removed with a few screws. My
question is what are they doing temp wise to my house (In New
Hampshire?).
In the summer I see them just creating a 'hot house'' in the space
between the 2 sheets of glass making the place even hotter. In the
winter, with the interior glass sealed and non opening and regular
drafty air in the space between the 2 sheets of glass, I don't feel
any increase in insulation or warmth.

That area in-between is a dead air space, insulation. That second layer
of glass and the insulation of the dead air gap is helping keep your home
cool. Removing it will increase the heat load in your home.

Think of it this way. All the heat that is warming that air space would
be inside your home without that storm window. It would not be so hot, but
only because it would be spread out all over your home.

Be cool keep it were it is.

That doesn't make any sense. If the air trapped in the gap is hotter
than the normal outside air, then the inner pane will be conducting
more heat than it would if the outer pane weren't there. For
INSULATION effects, you'd expect something like: Outside air: 90dF,
Inter-pane air, 80dF, indoor air, 70dF. Or the reverse, in the
winter. I suspect that the storm windows are helping a little in the
cold months, and making matters worse in the warm.

It's possible that the outer pane is blocking enough longwave
light that they're doing some good anyway, But I'd take the "storm
windows" off during the cooling season, and replace them during the
heating season.

Put up light-colored screens during the summer. That should
bounce a fair amount of light away, and not trap warm air
against the inner window.

Either that, or modify the storm windows so that there's a
1/2" gap at the bottom and top, which will allow an actual
current of air when it's hot, and thus prevent heat build-up.
Plug the gaps in the winter.

--Goedjn