TCG, What can I do with this room?

PANDA

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Not sure if you guys remember my thread about how I can heat my house more efficiently but I think this room is the major cause of my issue. It has windows and a sliding door on all sides and it is connected to my kitchen. This room is always the coldest in my house and makes the rest of the family room/kitchen also. I want to say its 5° colder then the rest of that level of my house. When it is cold and windy you can feel drafts just sitting on the couch. The room as a baseboard heater but it's way to expensive to run it at all times. I really like sitting in here and looking out over the backyard and river.

Kinda considering adding a sliding door from the kitchen to this room to seal it off. Only issue is it would only get heat or AC if the door is left open. The room only has a return vent. Wouldn't be an issue to leave the door open in the summer but in the winter the room would eventually get down to outside temps if I don't run the expensive electric baseboard heater.

Can anyone think of any better options?

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PANDA

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The windows are not that old. House got some renovation in 2004 when the previous owners purchased it. I would guess the windows got replaced around that time with the newer kitchen and the rest of the windows on that level.

If I am going to guess without looking at them I would say single pane.
 

Bub

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I have a three seasons with a slider off of my kitchen, we keep the door closed most of the time, so it stays freezing cold or hot in the three seasons room, in turn it never gets used and is a giant room of wasted space. do you have access below or above it to add insulation?? short of wrapping the windows in the winter it's going to be cold.
 

EmersonHart13

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Single pane is an issue. First thing is to get rid of the drafts so if they are single pane get the window shrink film. It is cheap and should eliminate your drafts. Another idea is to look for cracks that you can see that need to be caulked or foamed.

Eliminating or reducing the drafts will definitely make it feel warmer.

Joel tree'd me, yup caulk.
 

FESTER665

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The windows are not that old. House got some renovation in 2004 when the previous owners purchased it. I would guess the windows got replaced around that time with the newer kitchen and the rest of the windows on that level.

If I am going to guess without looking at them I would say single pane.

Light a lighter next to the window.... However many reflections you see is how many panes it is... one flame is one pane, two flames is two panes, three is three panes.

You can also use a flashlight instead of a lighter, just use a single light source...

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If they are truly single pane glass, you'll need to replace them for sure to help the room out.


If you ever re-do the room, I would do a radiant heat in the floors, but realistically its a three seasons room, it's going to be colder than the rest of the house in winter.
 

Chet Donnelly

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I have almost an identical room off my kitchen. Ours already had a door there when we bought the house. Having the door, and no ventilation in there though really makes it just a 3 seasons room as its pretty cold in there right now.

I did put one of those electric fireplaces in there, that looks like a fireplace but really is just an electric heater. If we do ever want to sit in there in the winter I just turn that on and it warms up pretty quick due to being a small room.

Like this...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0098FTCFW/?tag=tcg21-20
 

FESTER665

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There's a reason they're not called four-season rooms. :s00ls:

I'm going to say theyre already double pane if they were replaced in 2004, but have been wrong before.

There's a ton of technology in windows now with coatings and stuff like that, but if you're feeling drafts, seal those off and it should help a TON. $10 worth of caulk and a few hours time should reseal around all the windows and stop any huge drafts if theyre coming from the perimeter of the windows.

If there's outlets or light switches in the room they also make foam pieces that go behind the wall plates to seal those off as well.
 

Chester Copperpot

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Sweet fuck, yeah. If you have single pane, call a window company today, now. It's going to be expensive but at least it's only one room (few thousand at most, that sweet FG bonus will for sure pay for it).

I've come to realize my entire house needs new windows but as KJ said, 20 grand for a house of windows or a couple extra bucks a month in heating bills. I'll deal with a little extra waste heat.
 
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