How to insulate and black out the frame shaded windows in an Elite II

[NCeagle]

I'm guessing there are lots of owners out there who have figured out various methods to either insulate, black out or do both to their windows.  I'll share what I did - it was pretty simple and fairly inexpensive.  The materials I used were a roll of Reflectix BP48010 Double Pack Insulation, 48 in. x 10 ft and a pack of White Foam Strips with Adhesive - 2 rolls, 1/2" x 1/2" for each large window (I'll reply to this post with an update on the back window, which is a different design).  I took my window frames out and measured and cut the reflectix to fit inside snugly, even a bit oversize to make sure it insulates well and blocks all light.

With the reflectix only in the window, I could feel hot air coming up through the crack and I could also see light coming through when the cabin was dark.  To fix both those issues I used the foam strip to go around the outside edge of the window, leaving 1/4" overhanging the ledge.  This overhang will fill the small gap(s) that exist between the shade frame and the window frame.  It took one pack of foam strip per "large" window (with a small amount left over), so 3 packs total if you want to do all of them.

I also found that there was still a small gap in each corner where the shade frame is more square, so I used a small piece of foam on each corner:

Then I put the window frame back in and reinstalled the reflectix to make sure everything fit nicely:

And the blind will further secure and snug everything up:

Voila...  no more hot/cold air or light penetration from the windows if you don't want it.  The stripping is "permanent" in that it won't be removed on purpose but the relectrix can be put in and taken out as needed.  When not in use I roll it up and it stores nicely in the basement.

 

Edited March 28, 2021 by NCeagle
hyperlinks repaired

[John E Davies]

That is really cool, pun intended. Home Depot sells a similar foam but it is 3/4” wide and slightly lower at 7/16”, do you think it would work? It is way cheaper.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-3-4-in-x-7-16-in-x-10-ft-White-High-Density-Rubber-Foam-Weatherstrip-Tape-R734WH/100151221

This is going onto my Honey Do list.

John Davies

Spokane WA 

[NCeagle]

2 hours ago, John E Davies said:

That is really cool, pun intended. Home Depot sells a similar foam but it is 3/4” wide and slightly lower at 7/16”, do you think it would work? It is way cheaper.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-3-4-in-x-7-16-in-x-10-ft-White-High-Density-Rubber-Foam-Weatherstrip-Tape-R734WH/100151221

This is going onto my Honey Do list.

John Davies

Spokane WA 

Hey John, thanks for the compliment!  I do think that weatherstrip from Home Depot would work great.  There's actually another 1/2" - 3/4" of space behind that 1/2" foam I used, so 3/4" wide will provide even better "grip".  I had a totally different design in mind when I started or I would have probably chosen 3/4" or even 1" wide. 

Since you added this to your honey do list, something else you may want to consider is that each corner ended up with a tiny strip of sticky white tape there (the edge hanging over is sticky).  It doesn't look bad because it's white - but it wouldn't be for long since it's sticky, so I took some 3M tape and cut strips to create a nice, white sticky free surface.  It was easy to put the strips of white tape on those corners before putting the frame back up.  Hopefully it won't collect dirt as easily.  Here's a close up shot to describe what I'm talking about:

[NCeagle]

The back window has a different design - there is no "lip" on the actual window frame, so the foam strip and approach were a bit different.  Rather than use 1/2" x 1/2" foam weather strips attached to the side of the lip as I did on the larger windows, I used 1/2" x 1/4" foam weather strips (fowong White Door Weather Stripping 26 Feet, 1/2 Inch Wide X 1/4 Inch Thick, High Density Foam Tape Roll Neoprene Rubber Adhesive Weatherstrip Door Seal, Window Insulation, 2 Rolls X 13 Ft Each).  The foam fit perfectly against the front of the frame rather than the side to create the overlap needed to block out light and insulate / remove leaks.  Here's a picture to show the different approach...

[BillandDoris]

This is the most timely post ever.  I was just lying under the window of the Oliver last night "bathed" in the moonlight that was pouring in around the windows and thinking,  "I should black those spaces out."  Maybe I'll get some sleep then.  And here's the solution.  I've used the Reflectix to insulate our horse barn windows and buy it at Home Depot.   I also used it to make a blackout shade for the window in the Oliver door and still have some on hand.  I have never seen the white weatherstripping tape at our Home Depot in Santa Fe, so now that I know they carry it, I'll just order it through them.    Thanks!  (For yet another Oliver project...)

Doris