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GBlist: re: high performance on-site window test



on Tue, 1 Jul 1997
Jorg Ostrowski <ash@freenet.calgary.ab.ca> wrote:

>    for heating climates, would anyone think that a condensation
>    gutter is useful for lower performance windows?

Hello Jorg;

If the walls are thick (say 12" or more) and the windows are set
to the outside .... and you are not using a forced-air heating
system (ie you're using radiant slab, masonry heater etc) then I
would suggest that condensation gutters would be useful (as would
ceramic or stone-tiled (or such-like) window sills)

     [ FWIW, I'm not a fan of the notion of letting the
     condensation   point of windows determine the winter %RH,
     nor do I like solution of mechanically blasting warmed air
     past low-performance windows to prevent condensation]

If the gutters are being considered, then one can also assume
that wetting of the bottom rail and frame (of wooden windows) may
be a problem.

If this is the case, it may be useful to include a partial
impervious interior cladding section (ie not just relying on
varnish or paint) on the bottom rail of the sash. (As you can
tell, I'm not a fan of PVC window sash/frames either. You're
probably looking at pull-truded fibreglass ? )

For obvious reasons (other than the mudcakes that Mega-memory
Mike related) , the Nevada solution of draining the gutters to
the outside would be unsatisfactory in the ~10,000 HDD/yr climate
that you're dealing with (ie frozen condensate doesn't drain very
well and if it gets into the gap between the sash & frame,
freezing + expansion may force the window open (casement or
awning type).
                    === * ===

Marc.J.Rosenbaum@VALLEY.NET wrote:

>    I have used a 3/4" diameter PVC tube cut in half lengthwise
>    in my greenhouse for years as a condensation gutter - I
>    drain the water into a gallon jug and re-water the plants. 

For the same reasons I don't like PVC windows (it has been
remarked that PVC = Satan) I'd like to suggest the following as
alternatives to Marc's banana split PVC conduit.

Galvanised steel "J" trim (standard drywall accessory) or
aluminum channel runner (standard soffit accessory) makes
inexpensive condensation gutters for the jambs of sloped glazing
frames in greenhouses. (lightweight, requiring only a minimum of
mechanical fasteners (2 screws) to hold in place while silicone
caulking dries to provide adhesion)

Routing the condensate to a pebble-filled, water-tight tray on
which individual plant containers sit, utilises the sun to
evaporate the condensate and humidify the vicinity immediately
around the plants. Perhaps the entire sill could be a self-
maintaining  soil-filled planter ?

--
Rob  Tom
---------- * ------------
be417@FreeNet.Carleton.ca
Kanata,  Ontario,  Canada

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