rented property, dreadful winters, awful windows!

[Grandhighpoohba]

Living in a rented flat, the windows are single glazed sash windows which are rotten, haven't seen a lick of paint in many, many years. The landlord will not fix them (or the leaking roof, but that's another story.)

Last year, it got so cold that we had about three cm of ice on the inside of the glass, where condensation froze and built up. So I bought that film from B and Q that you tape around the window and shrink with a hairdryer, which made a huge difference, but it won't stay up. It lasts about a week, and then peels off the tape. I have tried sticking it down on the outside with masking tape, didn't work, and then builders tape, but that just peels off too.

Any advice on how I could get the damn stuff to stay up? I know you can buy more sophisticated secondary glazing, but if I could afford that, we wouldn't be living here in the first place, and anyway, we would need his permission to put it up. Quite frankly, I don't think the wooden frames would cope with screws being put in. The windows would probably collapse out into the street!

anyone?

I used to use that film when I was a student and it used to stay up all winter. Maybe there is some dampness or maybe try one from a different store. Or use duck tape!

The windows are horribly damp, that's probably the problem. I can see I'm going to have to go find the stickiest tape in the shop.

Good luck - keeping the curtains closed is a good thing to do when it is really cold.

I've used the secondary glazing film, and it's always stayed on for me, so it must indeed be damp.

Tension rods can be used to let you hang fleece liners in the windows and along the walls (tapesty effect if you can afford it).

My sympathies- this is a horrible way to live!

it will be because they have not been painted for many years, and the surface is eroded and rough. The tape sticks best to fresh paint (and becomes practically impossible to remove if the paint has not had time to fully harden )

The damp wood will also contribute, but this might be because of excessive condensation, so if you can bring yourself to leave the windows slightly open for a week or two, and not to drape wet washing around the flat around the flat, the wood will dry out a bit.

If it is in a very poor state, it won't matter much if you don't do a first-class job of repainting it. For your purposes, only the face surface that you want to stick the tape to needs to be done well. Let it dry as much as you can, rub down with a medium sandpaper (this will get off wet and dirty stuff so the paint can stick) and apply two or three coats of white acrylic primer undercoat (this is sold in any DIY shed and some supermarkets, it is not as durable as oil paint but is quick and easy to apply and will be good enough for your job). Let it dry for at least 24 hours (window slight open again) then apply a coat of White Gloss.

Leave it for a couple of days until it is hard enough not to mark when you press it with your thumbnail, then apply the plastic film and tape.

contact environmental health of your council.
you landlord is obliged to keep the property habitable and in good repair.

Could you afford to run a dehumidifier?

God, sanding and painting! I suppose I'll have to though. leaving windows won't work though, because a) we are in the city centre and the noise and dirt would be awful, and b) we are in Scotland so open windows will dry nothing out.

A dehumidifier might be worth a shot though.

I know the landlord has an obligation to fix the windows, (and the leaking roof, broken front door and the lighting in the pitch black communal area) but he won't we have been asking for two years now. I know we can pursue it with the council, but then we'll lose the flat when the tenancy comes up in spring and can't afford to move yet. I hate renting!

We've just got some cheap secondary glazing from a company called Omega. They supply 2mm acrylic sheets cut to size and you can stick them on with magnetic tape. Cost us about £100 for 4 windows, you can work out what it will cost from their website. It's one up from the film, reusable each year and I reckon we are easily going to save enough money on heating to pay for the glazing this winter alone. It's loads warmer already.

Not sure if I'm allowed to link?

www.omegabuild.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=33&Itemid=43

Not what you have asked for but you can get this stuff Its a bit like putty, goes on really easily and comes off again just as easily when Spring returns.
It stopped most of the draughts from my really ancient sash windows last winter and will be going on again as soon as the weather cools down.

HTH

Of course you are allowed to link, takingsthepizza! Have you seen the Style and Beauty forum? It's only bad form if you are bombing the boards with your own adverts, not least because MN charges for advertising, and that helps keep the site free.

Those acrylic sheets look fantastic. I imagine they would be useful for table coverings as well as windows. Imagine an acrylic topper on the kitchen table, with children spilling things this way and that!

Just got the film to stay up on one of the bloody windows, came down this morning and the first frost of the winter has cracked the glass! Am so so sick of these bloody windows.

takinngthepizza - your link is really useful, I'm sitting here in front of my drafty sashes and that magnetic system looks like the ideal solution.

grandhigh - hope you manage to sort something out for your windows.